FC Cincinnati announces partnerships with Liberty Center, Mercy Health

FC Cincinnati unveiled a partnership with Liberty Center Tuesday morning to promote Cincinnati's soccer team and increase its fanbase among the city's northern suburbs. FC Cincinnati CEO and President Jeff Berding announced Liberty Center will add a store to buy tickets and merchandise and meet players at the expansive development at the intersection of Interstate 75 and state Route 129. On Monday, FC Cincinnati announced a partnership with Mercy Health, which would be the "kit" sponsor should the team earn a spot among Major League Soccer. Berding has said the hope is to make an announcement this week regarding the proposed location for a new stadium. "That’s the hope for sure. We’re working very hard," Berding said. "No stadium gets built without an enormous amount of private dollars, ownership dollars, team dollars. We’ve said that all along -- it’s going to very different than anything this community has ever seen." Some possible sites for a new stadium include Oakley and the West End in Cincinnati and Newport, Kentucky. The MLS will make a decision to add two teams in December.  “Mercy Health’s partnership with FC Cincinnati reaffirms the strength of the business community’s support for FC Cincinnati’s MLS vision. With an assist from Premier Partnerships, two incredible organizations are coming together for the benefit of our community by bringing MLS to the Queen City,” said Carl H. Lindner III, FC Cincinnati majority owner, in a news release. A mockup of the Mercy Health jersey was unveiled during Monday's news conference. The jersey is for illustration purposes, does not represent an official MLS or USL jersey and is not available for purchase.