MLS Club FC Cincinnati Suspends Reporter For Seemingly Just Doing Her Job

In just six years in Major League Soccer, expansion club FC Cincinnati has had quite the run.

The club made the jump up from the USL in 2019 and struggled mightily, winning the Wooden Spoon for worst points total in the league in each of its first three seasons.

But 2023 was a revelation, as the club vaulted to the top of the table and took home the Supporters’ Shield for the best record in the league. Unfortunately, it appears they’ve quickly undone all that goodwill.

The club released a statement on Thursday revealing it had revoked the media credentials of Queen City Press reporter Laurel Pfahler.

“Laurel has failed to act in accordance with the standards and practices of the Society of Professional Journalists and the MLS Notice of Credentials Use Conditions,” the statement reads in part. “She refuses to accept responsibility for her actions, despite multiple conversations and attempts at working together to forge a productive relationship between her and the club. Out of professional decorum, we will not be sharing the details publicly.”

FC Cincinnati Suspends Reporter For Reporting On Team

However, it does not say exactly what Pfahler did to violate the MLS Notice of Credentials Use Conditions.

Pfahler then took to social media to share her side of things.

“I will not stand for bullying, but for now this is my lone response to FC Cincinnati’s statement of attack on me in response to others standing up for me,” Pfahler began.

She then claims she was told that her credential was revoked because she “spoke to sources outside of the facility or team approved interviews.”

If that’s true, it’s an awful look for the club.

Independent coverage of teams and organizations relies on the type of reporting Pfahler claims to have been punished for.

A similar situation occurred with the USC football program this past season and was later resolved. But in both cases, the revoking of credentials made bigger news than the stories the reporters had been writing.

So both teams might want to rethink the way they handle these situations going forward.