Cincinnati is now home to its eighth professional soccer franchise. The Cincinnati Excite, a men's indoor team, will be introduced Monday at the Tri-County Sportsplex. Although no previous team has lasted more than five years, owner Dave Galus thinks the area is ready for another try.

Galus recently answered questions from Enquirer reporter Ryan Ernst.

Q. How did you get the franchise for Cincinnati?

A. It sounds kind of silly, but the way the American Indoor Soccer League works, I was surfing the Web and it caught my eye. Or I got an e-mail from the league. Really, I don't honestly remember. It's like one day I woke up and I owned a professional team.

Q. So many soccer franchises have failed here in the past. Why do you think yours will succeed?

A. I think we're different in the fact that we've chosen to play at a much smaller venue (Tri-County Sportsplex). And we're also very focused on the soccer community here in Cincinnati and the kids themselves. The staff we have is very focused to provide a pro soccer team and work with the soccer community. I think that's where we'll be successful. We'd like to see the Ken Griffey Juniors and Sean Caseys, real fan favorites, come about in soccer.

Q. Tell me about the American Indoor Soccer League.

A. The league is actually a small league that exists on the East Coast. The commissioner planned the league with teams from there, but he saw the vision of wanting something bigger and better. The teams they were playing against were very unprofessional, but he took it to the next level and began soliciting franchises from all over. Right now there are four teams in the league.

Q. Is there going to be a push to fill the roster with local players?

A. All of our players will be from here. Our goal is to stay that way. With Cincinnati having great talent and coaches, the talent has really been developed. Some have gone out and played Division I (college soccer), but if they're aspiring to play at a higher level and want to come home, now they have a place to play.

Q. When will the season start?

A. We are planning on our first exhibition match taking place some time in late September. The official schedule will be released Aug. 1. The unofficial schedule right now has us playing Dec. 18 against the New Mexico Storm.