Sitting in a suite inside Nippert Stadium, John Strong and Stu Holden took questions with media members ahead of FC Cincinnati’s inaugural MLS home opener. Strong will handle play-by-play duties on the FS1 broadcast Sunday night, while Holden, a former MLS player and U.S. international, is the color analyst.
Topics included expectations for FC Cincinnati, thoughts on Head Coach Alan Koch, what to expect at Nippert Stadium and even the current state of the U.S. Men’s National Team. Here are some of the main points from the media roundtable.
“You can read about the history of the Bengals, you can read about the history of the Reds. You guys get to live the history of FC Cincinnati.” – Strong
The Orange and Blue became a professional soccer team in 2015. They played their first game in 2016. After three seasons in the USL, the club is officially in MLS. With Sunday being the first home MLS match, it’s a chance for FC Cincinnati to show why they earned an MLS expansion franchise both on and off the field.
Strong’s comment bring up a simple point. The Cincinnati Reds became the first professional baseball team in 1869 and are celebrating their 150th season in 2019. The Bengals became an NFL team in 1968 and used Nippert Stadium as their first home. As for FC Cincinnati, they are still writing their early history. Sunday’s match against the Portland Timbers is a very special chapter.
Holden on what he’s seen and heard about FC Cincinnati to this point
“I think there’s where the curiosity comes from soccer fans around the country,” he said. “Because you always hear they don’t have a soccer culture (in Cincinnati.) Well, soccer culture, because of how big our country is, is unique to the different regions. Like John said, nobody expected (Atlanta United FC) to become what it was. …I think many people around the league have heard about Cincinnati, everyone will talk about that (2017) U.S. Open Cup game against the Red Bulls, but even myself as a player and fan of this league and now as a broadcaster, I’m not sure what it is going to be tomorrow and it becomes a showcase.”
Strong on what he expects from FCC’s home opener:
“Ask again after tomorrow,” he said. “The Open Cup run two summers ago; people saw that. But that’s exactly what tomorrow is: a way for soccer fans around the country and to a certain extent, sports fans around the country as well (to see). Because we’ve seen around things that happen in MLS, particularly stadium atmosphere-wise, are noticed now. People very quickly saw what was going on in Atlanta, people very quickly saw what was going on at LAFC.
“People notice. And that’s what tomorrow is, as much as building a team on the field. This is the chance … to show us what Cincinnati is, a chance to show who these fans are, what the culture is. That’s the fun opportunity for tomorrow and all these home games.”
