Caitlin Clark’s Big Business Move Facing Serious Competition

Caitlin Clark is growing her portfolio. For the Indiana Fever superstar, this means joining the FC Cincinnati-led group in their bid to bring a National Women’s Soccer League (NSWL) team to Cincinnati.

According to a report by ESPN, FC Cincinnati of Major League Soccer (MLS) issued a statement on Thursday expressing how “thrilled” they are to welcome Clark as part of their group. The objective is to win the expansion bid for a 16th team in the NWSL, which will join the competition by 2026.

At the moment, there are 14 teams in the league. The 15th team was previously awarded to Boston, whose squad will also be making its league debut in 2026. At this point, only one more expansion slot is left, and there are other parties who are determined to outbid Clark and the Cincinnati group.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark

Per ESPN, Clark and Co. are facing serious competition from Cleveland, Philadelphia and Denver, who are all willing to build new stadiums if and when their bid is accepted. Before the stadium is completed, they intend to play in temporary venues.

Cleveland, however, appears to be a step ahead of the pack. They reportedly already announced that they had “acquired the downtown land on which it intends to build a stadium.” ESPN’s sources have also indicated that Boston is considered to have a “strong bid.”

The expansion fee could reportedly reach $100 million, which could prove to be another potential challenge for whoever ends up winning the bid.

At just 22 years of age, it’s great to see Clark, who was a former soccer star in high school, doing what she can to grow her fortune. At the same time, however, the fact that the Cincinnati group is facing stiff competition means that nothing is guaranteed.

What they have going for them, though, is that, according to ESPN, “Cincinnati is considered one of the favorites in the process because of its ownership backing and existing infrastructure… with a stadium already purpose-built for soccer.”