MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced this week that FC Cincinnati begins MLS play in 2019. That beats MLS expansion club Nashville, who got named to expansion late last year, but takes the pitch in 2020.
Both teams enter their new, soccer-specific venues in 2021. Cincinnati’s 21,000-seat Nippert Stadium opens on the West End.
All MLS will closely watch how Cincinnati fills their venue. Scouts have acknowledged their MLS-class playing environment. Their attendance averages almost 24,500. They topped 30,000 three times.