USL’s Cincinnati reveals $200m stadium plans

United Soccer League club FC Cincinnati unveiled designs for its proposed $200m stadium in Newport.

The second-tier team revealed its plans at a town hall meeting yesterday (Monday) at a town hall meeting with season ticket holders at Woodward Theatre.

The majority of the plans were based on the Ovation mixed-use development site across the river from downtown.

Three proposed sites were put forward by club officials and architect Dan Meis. These also included the West End/Over-the-Rhine and Oakley areas.

“As an architect, I love the Newport site because you’re looking right back on the city,” said Meis, who also designed the Bengals’ Paul Brown Stadium and is working on stadiums for European clubs Everton and AS Roma.

“It’s not like it’s buried in Cincinnati. It’s right on Cincinnati’s front door, and the river to me has always been a connector. When you look at Paul Brown, you’re looking out of the river but you didn’t see a lot of the skyline so this is an opportunity to turn that around. I think it really has some potential.”

Earlier this year, Cincinnati submitted its application to earn one of the four remaining spots in the Major League Soccer expansion plans.

To be considered for a move up into the top-tier of US football, a club is required to own its soccer-specific stadium.

Image: Hayden Schiff