FC Cincinnati is a Major League Soccer team playing at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The club’s diverse ownership group is led by controlling owner Carl H. Lindner III; as well as managing owners Meg Whitman and Dr. Griff Harsh; Scott Farmer; and George Joseph. Founded in 2015 by Lindner and President/Co-CEO Jeff Berding, FCC began play in the United Soccer League (USL) in 2016. The club won the 2018 USL Regular-Season Championship and earned postseason berths in all three of its USL seasons. In 2017, FC Cincinnati also advanced to the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a run that included victories over two MLS squads. FC Cincinnati entered MLS as the 24th team in 2019 and opened the club’s 26,000-seat soccer-specific TQL Stadium in the West End neighborhood in 2021. FCC won the 2023 Supporters’ Shield – the annual award given to the team with the most points in the regular season – and clinched a spot in the 2023 MLS Playoffs for the second straight year. FC Cincinnati has been recognized for its exceptional growth, impact and company culture as one of Sports Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in Sports 2023, named to the Honor List as one of “75 Great Sports Companies to Call Home.”; on the Business Courier’s Fast 55 as one of Greater Cincinnati’s fastest growing private companies; and named to The Enquirer’s Top Workplaces 2024.
