FC Cincinnati plays first match at TQL Stadium: See how it started

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - Crews that worked since the ground was broken on TQL Stadium on Dec. 18, 2018, say they are proud of what they have done as FC Cincinnati gets ready to play their home opener.

Safety manager Nick Johnson, the first employee on-site, says he watched the construction from day one.

“Every day I wake up, this is what’s on my mind, FC and what it means for the community, what it means for the city and region,” Johnson said.

He emphasizes that the beauty, comfort, and intimacy of TQL Stadium will be a major point of interest in MLS.

“First, I would like to give props to Turner Construction; they’re so professional, and being on their team, it taught me a lot. It taught me how experts in their field come together because it took a lot of people and minds to put this together,” Johnson said.

As Johnson puts it, the stadium could’ve been anywhere in the world, but it’s in Cincinnati.

Johnson, born and raised in the West End, tells people when they see it for the first time, think about the vision of FCC President Jeff Berding, take a deep breath, and think, ‘where are you?’

“And they like, West End is not coming to mind, Cincinnati is not coming to mind, you’re thinking you’re in Europe somewhere, and I think that was the look and that was the feel that Jeff and the club wanted to have, to get you out of your norm,” Johnson said.

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