When FC Cincinnati launched, principal owner Carl Lindner III believed the sense of pride the city’s residents have for their home would come to the fore.
With the club having set USL records for single-game and single-season attendance in its first season in the league in 2016, Lindner’s faith was certainly repaid. In the cover story for the February/March edition of Cincy Magazine, Lindner told writer Peter Bronson the spirit around the club had even impressed Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber when he visited late last year.
“[Garber] said that something like this could never happen in a place like New York City,” Lindner told Bronson. “To me that’s a microcosm of what’s happening. Our city is coming alive, with a rising entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit.”
FCC’s application to become part of Major League Soccer’s next round of expansion was submitted this past week, but the club is also focused on achieving even greater success on and off the field in the USL this year. FC Cincinnati has surpassed 9,000 season ticket sales for the new season, and began its preseason earlier this week in high spirits.
For the 63-year-old Lindner, the excitement of his current day-to-day life – with the success of the American Financial Group and FC Cincinnati – is very welcome.
“I am learning to enjoy each day and every season of life, which is what God wants us to do,” Lindner told Bronson. “I really enjoy my AFG work and FC Cincinnati. I can’t believe how much fun I have here at Great American Tower. Getting to work here is something I look forward to every day. And with FC Cincinnati, I can’t remember when I have had this much fun starting a business.”
With Friday marking 50 days from the start of the new USL season, the fun for FC Cincinnati fans is just getting started.