Sacramento Appears Set To Lose Out On MLS Soccer Bid Again, This Time To Cincinnati

Updated 2:29 p.m.

It seems that Sacramento’s effort to secure a pro soccer team will fail again.

On Tuesday, Cincinnati’s soccer team, FC Cincinnati, said there would be a "major announcement" next week. Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber is scheduled to attend, and it is expected that he will announce that the city will receive an expansion team.

The Sacramento Republic FC had hoped to land one of MLS’ final two expansion spots. The other spot was announced for Nashville last December.

The Sacramento team commented on the news Thursday afternoon, saying its bid for an MLS team is "alive and well."

"... the news today does not deter our efforts nor does it hurt our chances of reaching our goal," the team said in a statement.

Team ownership has promised to build a privately-financed stadium if MLS selects it as an expansion team.

Cincinnati City Council recently voted to approve public spending on a new soccer stadium.  

Sacramento's inaugural season in the United Soccer League set attendance records, but those numbers were matched or exceeded by FC Cincinnati in its first season this year.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg issued a statement that congratulated Cincinnati. He told Republic fans the city was doing everything it could to strengthen the local ownership group.

“We control our own destiny and remain firmly in the game,” Steinberg wrote in an email. “We continue to work with the Sacramento Republic to recruit new investors to bolster the overall strength and capacity of our ownership group. We also remain in on-going communication with Commissioner Garber’s Office.”

Cincinnati is one of four cities vying for an expansion team. Detroit is the other finalist.

If the announcement goes the way of Cincinnati, Sacramento could still have a chance for a pro team: MLS says it plans to expand to 28 teams, but has not provided a timeline.