FC Cincinnati maintained its position as one of the highest-profile clubs in the USL in 2017, reaching the USL Cup Playoffs for the second straight season and making a dream run to the Semifinals of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in front of consistently high crowds at Nippert Stadium. After the high of the cup run, however, the curtain came down on the season in the USL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals for a second consecutive year, leaving FCC still without a postseason victory to its credit despite high expectations when the year began.

The club's victories against Columbus Crew SC and the Chicago Fire in the Open Cup showed what Cincinnati could be at its best, though. More than 30,000 fans filed into Nippert Stadium for all three of the club's meetings with MLS clubs as FCC became the first lower division team since the USL's Richmond Kickers in 2011 to reach the tournament's final four. While there are changes on the horizon, nights like those will bring renewed expectations for Head Coach Alan Koch's second season in charge in 2018.