Thinking Out Loud: Potential Cincinnati NWSL Team Names
Damon Gumbert
News dropped this past week that a group which includes some of the FC Cincinnati ownership team has submitted (or is “exploring”) a bid for an NWSL expansion team for 2026. NWSL, the National Women’s Soccer League, will be adding two teams in the 2026 season, with Boston having already secured a spot. Alex Silverman with the Sports Business Journal was early on the story that Cincinnati is among the three favorites to receive the second spot. This was later confirmed by Pat Brennan, who’s story includes a statement that came so, so close to actually admitting to submitting a bid.
With the potential for a new professional franchise coming to Cincinnati, it’s time to start theorizing on what the name of that club could be.
The Obvious Choices
Queen City FC: Distinguishing themselves from FC Cincinnati, this name includes female imagery while also shouting out the nickname of the city. This seems like the safest pick, as long as Charlotte doesn’t get their hands on it first.
Cincinnati Lionesses: This connects the women’s team to FC Cincinnati, who have Gary the Lion as the mascot and feature a flying lion on their crest. My main problem with this is that it’s a mouthful. Fans could struggle to get this out of their mouths, like people in Kentucky mispronouncing Louisville.
Cincy Roses: There are a lot of famous Rose’s that have called Cincinnati home: Pete Rose, Rosemary Clooney, Rose Lavelle, Rosie Red just to name a few. Among the reasons this name could see some hurdles are Pete Rose’s entire history with women and sports respectively, as well as Portland already having a team called the Thorns, which uses a lot of rose imagery.
FC Cincinnati: Look, this is what most of the rest of the world does, and it makes a lot of sense. There’s no need to recreate a new brand and new identity when you can tap into the existing fan base. They’ll be playing in the same stadium, they’ll likely have the same fans, they’ll train at the same training center, why pretend they’re a different team?
The Less Obvious Choices
Cincinnati Gari’s: Like Gary but with an I. Think Tony and Toni.
FC Cincinnati Ladies: This would depend solely on if FCC want the women’s team to be associated with them. If they would like the team to stand on their own two feet, this is not a good name. If they want the team to be seen as an extension of the male team, or for branding purposes, this could be an option. It does seem that Ladies and Lady have been falling out of favor overseas, and many teams are staying away from that wording, which could be a factor against this name.
My Pitches
Cincy Sharks FC: Named after essentially the first summer blockbuster movie, Jaws, which was directed by famous Cincinnatian and one of the greatest directors of all time Steven Spielberg. Does it matter that we don’t have sharks here? I don’t think so.
Cincinnati Savages FC: There are many reasons to think the people of Cincinnati are savages. We eat our chili with spaghetti, we are one of the only major cities in America to not have a proper form of public transportation outside of bus lines, our rent prices are fucking insane, but my pitch is that we name the team after one of our greatest celebrities, Macho Man Randy Savage. Are there reasons not to do this? Of course. Savage was notoriously paranoid about people being around his former wife Elizabeth. He also made one of the worst rap albums of all time, where he dissed Hulk Hogan. And those are valid points, but my counter point is: Bonesaw McGraw.
UDFC: United Dairy Football Club. The Lindners need help keeping their UDF gas stations relevant now that Buc-ees and Wawa are coming to the area.
Railroad FC: FC: Cincinnati was a big stop for the underground railroad, with many escaped slaves fleeing the south and heading through Cincinnati on their way to freedom. But also because we just sold our railyard to a company that almost made East Palenstine unlivable.
Cincy Aviation FC: I know the wright brothers are from Dayton, but isn’t Dayton just a large suburb of Cincinnati anyway? It’s like Covington or Lawrenceburg in that it’s not really Cincinnati but also it gets everything it has from Cincinnati.
Super Cincy FC: After famous Cincinnatian Ted Turner’s TBS the SuperStation. Taking a name based on a Turner property would be a giant F-U to Atlanta, which I’m down for.
Whatever the name, Cincinnati would love to have a women’s franchise to cheer on. Here’s hoping the ownership group can pull this off.
