FC Cincinnati, Ohio’s soccer club that was just founded last year, is expected to sell-out during their home game at Nippert Stadium this weekend.
Last May, Major League Soccer announced that Cincinnati would join the league in 2019 under the brand FC Cincinnati. Currently, a 26,000-seat stadium, specifically made for soccer, is being built in the West End. The West End Stadium is scheduled to open in 2021, but until then, the team will play at Nippert Stadium.
This Sunday, Nippert will hold its first MLS event, and so far, the venue has sold over 30,000 tickets. According to the team’s website, the stadium can hold 32,250 guests, and they encourage fans to purchase tickets soon as they have a limited amount remaining. Back in 2016, the team garnered an attendance of 35,061 while playing Crystal Palace. However, Nippert was remodeled in 2017, which cut down the venue’s capacity.
“This year, with re-adjusting the seating layout for MLS and cutting the general admission seating, the capacity is now down to 32,250,” FC Cincinnati’s Digital Host and Writer said in his weekly blog post Down The Hatch. “We’ll see if Sunday’s game reaches that mark — sounds like we’re very, very close.”
Cincinnati will take on the Portland Timbers this Sunday. This will be players Fanendo Adi and Alvas Powell’s first time playing their previous club, as Adi spent five seasons and Powell spent six with the Timbers.
“It’ll be great,” Adi told Hatch of Sunday’s game. “I think a lot of emotion, but I’m playing in Cincinnati. I think if the game was going to be in Portland it would be a little bit different. But playing it here in front of our fans is going to be extra motivation for us to win the game. We’re just going to enjoy the game.”