Those are the two most important words we can say today as we close out our first season in Major League Soccer.
You – our fans – have demonstrated absolutely unmatched passion and support this season. You have been the highlight of our year and the lifeblood of this club.
THANK YOU for everything you have done to support and bring life and vibrancy – plus national and international recognition – to our club and this city.
Four years ago, we launched a soccer club with three core values: be family friendly, be visible in the community and be a winning team.
This year, I hope you all agree we’ve excelled at the first two values. However, the winning part has been elusive in our inaugural season.
While building from the shortest expansion runway in MLS history, the results on the field still have not been acceptable, even if making the MLS Cup Playoffs was a lofty goal at the season’s outset.
My commitment – and that of our entire ownership group – is that we will do everything in our power to never have a season like this again.
Following today’s final whistle on our 2019 MLS season, our full attention shifts to improving our on-field product in 2020.
We have already started that process with restructuring the soccer side of our business, so we can build on what we have learned this year. A year from today, our goal is to be preparing for our first berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs and using that momentum as we open West End Stadium in 2021.
In the last year – off the field – we’ve made a significant commitment to position our team as one of the top clubs in MLS. We have begun construction on one of the best soccer stadiums in America and have completed construction on one of the best training facilities in North America. And finally, we have launched the FC Cincinnati Academy where top Cincinnati-area players can train in a professional environment, supporting their ambitions to play for their hometown club.
We thank God for all of his blessings and the bountiful success he’s brought us to be here at this juncture, and for his guidance to lead us through what’s ahead.
With heart felt-thanks,
Carl H. Lindner III
