Cleveland's new men's professional soccer team has a name: Forest City Cleveland.

Kicking the news: Set to begin play in the MLS NEXT Pro league in 2027, the club unveiled its brand identity yesterday after a yearlong design process led by Cleveland Soccer Group.

Why it matters: The launch marks a milestone for CSG's multipronged effort to bring pro soccer to town, and signals the start of ticket sales, merchandise drops and community events ahead of the team's debut.

Context: MLS Next Pro, created as a bridge between MLS and MLS youth academies, is a third-tier league that debuted in 2022.

By the numbers: More than 3,000 people participated in surveys, focus groups and interviews that helped shape the name and crest, CSG said in a news release.

Zoom in: The club's name repurposes Cleveland's historic nickname, "The Forest City."

• The crest portrays the 350-year-old sycamore in Cuyahoga Valley National Park known as the "Die Hard Tree."
• The brand was developed by Cleveland native Alex Kocher and strategist Mo Fitzgerald, who have experience in professional soccer branding.

💭 Sam's thought bubble: It's odd that they don't say so, but I assume the name is a play on "FC" — football club — as in FC Barcelona or Juventus FC.

• Unfortunately, "Forest City Cleveland" is syntactically bizarre. Nonsensical, in fact.
• "Windy City Chicago," "City of Brotherly Love Philadelphia," "The Big Easy New Orleans." These are not team names. They are city nicknames followed by the name of the city itself.
• The obvious move here would have been to call the team Forest City Football Club (i.e. Forest City FC/FCFC), and then rely on the fanbase to concoct nicknames. Alas.

What's next: The club will host watch parties and community events throughout 2026.

• The brand identity for the local women's team is set to launch May 4.

The biggest MAC men's basketball tournament in more than 25 years kicks off tomorrow at Rocket Arena.

Why it matters: The Miami University RedHawks' undefeated run could land two teams from the Mid-American Conference in the men's NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999.

State of play: The MAC tourney begins with No. 1 seed Miami taking on No. 8 seed UMass at 11am. The victor will face the winner of No. 4 Toledo vs. No. 5 Bowling Green (1:30pm).

• The other side of the bracket features No. 2 Akron against No. 7 Buffalo (4pm) and No. 3 Kent State vs. No. 6 Ohio (6:30pm).

The intrigue: Miami went 31-0 during the regular season and will likely earn an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament regardless of what happens over the next few days.

• Should Miami lose, it would open the door for the MAC tournament winner to earn an automatic trip to the big dance as well.

Flashback: The last time that happened was in 1999, when Miami and Kent State both made the NCAA tournament.

• Kent State lost in the opening round, while Miami — led by star Wally Szczerbiak — made it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen.

Rocket Arena is also hosting the women's MAC tournament, which starts today.

• Miami's women's team is also a No. 1 seed.

If you go: Tickets for the men's tournament are at a premium.

• Prices start at $42 for tomorrow's opening round, with floor seats going for $255.

🧑‍🧑‍🧒 Cuyahoga County finalized 261 adoptions in 2025, the most in at least a decade, far surpassing the previous high of 198 in 2024. (Cleveland.com)

⚽️ A proposed USL soccer stadium on the Wolstein Center site — not to be confused with the "Forest City Cleveland" and potential NWSL stadium south of Gateway — is now on hold. (NEOtrans)

🥞 Pastimes Café in Lakewood is the newest addition to Cleveland's booming breakfast-and-lunch dining scene. (Cleveland Scene)

👣 There has been an "unprecedented" surge in Bigfoot sightings in Portage County, with five "high-credibility" reports in 96 hours. (The Bigfoot Society)

Former Cleveland City Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer is joining Mayor Justin Bibb's administration as a senior adviser for lead accountability.

Why it matters: Cleveland continues to grapple with childhood lead poisoning rates. City Hall is under pressure to better coordinate enforcement, remediation and prevention efforts after a series of embarrassing headlines in recent weeks exposed cracks in the system.

What they're saying: "Protecting Cleveland's children from lead exposure is one of the most urgent public health challenges we face," Bibb said in a news release.

• He said Maurer's experience and expertise made her an ideal candidate to lead a "cross-departmental team to strengthen coordination, increase accountability, and accelerate our progress toward safer homes for Cleveland families."

Catch up quick: Maurer previously worked as a Legal Aid attorney and helped draft an early version of Cleveland's 2019 lead-safe housing law.

• She represented Ward 12 on City Council from 2022 to 2025, co-chairing the Lead Safe Advisory Board.
• Last year, she authored a report arguing that Cleveland's lead safety system needed a reset.

More than a quarter of the Ohio homes listed for sale in 2025 came with homeowners association fees, and those dues climbed from a year earlier, Realtor.com data shows.

Why it matters: HOA fees add to the already high cost of homeownership.

By the numbers: 25.9% of Ohio homes included HOA fees for maintenance and amenities like pool, gyms or snowplowing.

• The median monthly fee stood at $125 in 2025.

The big picture: Nationwide, roughly 44% of homes listed for sale on Realtor.com last year had HOA dues, up from 42% in 2024.

• The median monthly fee rose to $135 from $125 in 2024 — and dues can even stretch beyond $500.

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