The Cincinnati Silverbacks was an

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

club based in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

that competed in the National Professional Soccer League.

History

They performed under the leadership of All-Star goalkeeper Carlos Pena. Other star players included

Gino DiFlorio Gino DiFlorio is a Canadian former professional soccer player who had an extensive indoor career in North America during the 1990s. Since 2001, he has been the director of coaching at the youth soccer club in Eastern Pennsylvania called HMMS. Pl ...

(who scored a team record 10 points in his Silverback debut against rival

Cleveland Crunch The Cleveland Crunch are an American professional indoor soccer club located in Cleveland, Ohio competing in as a charter member of the Major League Indoor Soccer (MLIS). The rebranded Crunch returned to indoor play as a member of the MASL 2 in ...

), Franklin McIntosh,

Shawn Medved Shawn Medved is a retired American soccer forward and midfielder. Currently, he coaches youth soccer. Youth Medved was born and grew up in Issaquah, Washington. His father, Ron Medved, was a noted American football player for the University of ...

, and Dennis Brose. Games were held at the

Cincinnati Gardens Cincinnati Gardens was an indoor arena located in Cincinnati, Ohio, that opened in 1949. The 25,000 square foot (2,300 m²) brick and limestone building at 2250 Seymour Avenue in Bond Hill had a entrance that was decorated with six three-dimensio ...

for their first two seasons before moving downtown along with the

Cincinnati Cyclones The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Originally established in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at Heritage Bank Cen ...

where they would compete at The Crown (now known as

US Bank Arena Heritage Bank Center is an indoor arena located in downtown Cincinnati, next to the Great American Ball Park. It was completed in September 1975 and named Riverfront Coliseum because of its placement next to Riverfront Stadium. In 1997, the fac ...

) for their final year of competition. Despite their performance and fan support, the Silverbacks were discontinued due to not generating revenue. The Detroit-based Nederlander Organization, which manages Riverbend and the Taft Theater in Cincinnati as well as the Crown, was a partner in Cincinnati Entertainment Associates Ltd., which owned the Crown, Cyclones and Silverbacks. Former President Rich Neumann said a contributing factor to the club's demise was a lack of weekend home dates. Of the 20 home games played in an average season, the Silverbacks would need at least 15 to be on a Friday or Saturday night. In their final season, 13 games were played on Friday or Saturday. Roughly 75 percent of Silverbacks ticket sales come from groups, with less than 10 percent—believed to be around 100—season ticket holders. The team was previously known as the

Dayton Dynamo The Dayton Dynamo was a professional indoor soccer team from Dayton, Ohio. The team played in the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA). Founded by former University of Dayton and Central State University coach Jerry Butcher, the Dynamo jo ...

, from 1987/88-1994/95.

Year-by-year

1995–96: The Inaugural Season

Roster

References

S Soccer clubs in Ohio Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) teams 1995 establishments in Ohio 1998 disestablishments in Ohio Association football clubs established in 1995 Association football clubs disestablished in 1998 {{Cincinnati-sport-stub