The Columbus Crew Soccer Club’s owner Anthony Precourt announced that he is set to move the team to Austin, Texas in 2019 if a new stadium is not built in downtown Columbus.
Austin is the largest market in North America without a major league sports franchise and the team would be widely accepted if they were to move.
However, many loyal fans in Columbus took to Twitter to express an overwhelming amount of displeasure with the news.
“How does it feel to be the Art Modell of the MLS?” crew fan Richie Lee tweeted at the owner.
How does it feel to be the Art Modell of the MLS @APrecourt?#CrewSC
Another fan, Gage Magoto, also took to the popular social media site to let his voice be heard.
“Hey renew those season tickets, come support the team in the playoffs, oh and we might be moving the team in 2019,” Magoto said.
“Hey renew those season tickets, come support the team in the playoffs, oh and we might be moving the team in 2019.” #CrewSC
Crew fans and students alike were left with jaws agape upon hearing the news.
“I was very upset and angry, because the crew are an MLS original franchise and have a great fan base,” first-year biology and anthropology student Drew Hardin said. “It was very upsetting because the owner is trying to move a franchise for a profit.”
Despite the Crew making it to the playoffs this year, attendance has not been meeting their level of play.
Many in Columbus agree that they have outgrown the stadium and that being four-miles north of downtown is too far away from the central commerce of the city.
Columbus mayor Andrew Ginther said he is committed to saving his city’s soccer team.
“We are resolved to do our part to keep the Columbus Crew in Columbus,” Ginther released in a statement. “Over the weekend, we made contact with Columbus Crew SC owner Anthony Precourt and MLS Commissioner Don Garber. We reiterated our views to each very directly and have requested in-person meetings with both to discuss options for keeping the team in Columbus.”
“I have met with the owner and business partners of the Columbus Crew SC and shared our thoughts on ways to find the best solutions to keep the team in Columbus,” Ginther tweeted. “Unfortunately, we did not receive full engagement from the team’s ownership.”
However, with a possible move in the near future, many fans have begun to wonder what this means for FC Cincinnati.
While the United Soccer League team is only two years old, they have already outperformed many original predictions and have begun to compete for fans with the Crew, who are less than two hours away.
With record-breaking attendance at Nippert Stadium, FCC has been considered for an upgrade to a Major League Soccer team.
If the Crew were to move, this could possibly increase FCC’s chances, as the next closest MLS team would then be the Chicago Fire.
“It makes Cincinnati more attractive to become a MLS team because there is a gap in teams in this area, and because it will be the only one around, it will increase interest and potentially attendance even more,” second-year electrical engineering student Mark Beaulieu said.
However, some fear that this could mean that FCC moves to Columbus, since Cincinnati still lacks a soccer specific stadium, and there would be a vacant stadium in the state capitol. However, nothing has yet been discussed.
At this point, all predictions are left to speculation, as FC Cincinnati president Jeff Berding has left no comment at this time.
Fans will just have to wait and see the fate of their beloved teams in the upcoming years.