Austin’s long soccer saga "could reach the knockout stage Thursday with two City Council votes," one being a stadium resolution, which if passed would be a "major step" toward the Crew coming to the city next year, according to Kevin Lyttle of the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN. However, the other resolution, if passed, "potentially scuttles the move." Each resolution has "four sponsors, giving the appearance of a tie score late in the game." Crew ownership group Precourt Sports Ventures "aims to privately finance" a $200M stadium on city-owned land at McKalla Place in North Austin in "exchange for use of the property." The council will take a "six-week break after Thursday’s meeting." Crew officials, if the team relocates, would "seek a temporary Austin home" for '19-20 while the stadium is being built. This issue "aligns area soccer fans, Precourt Sports Ventures, the Downtown Austin Alliance businesses and chambers of commerce on one side vs. developers, citizens wary of public deals with private entities, some community activists and at least one neighborhood association." The battle is over a "desolate 24-acre site near the Domain shopping center that’s sat largely idle for the past 20 years after a long history of toxic waste dumps by a chemical company" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 6/23).
LONG BATTLE: In Columbus, Andrew Erickson notes a lawsuit filed over the Crew's potential move to Austin by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein is "more than three months old and will continue for the foreseeable future." The 10th District Court of Appeals "dismissed an appeal filed by PSV and MLS, continuing a 90-day pause in the lawsuit ordered in May by Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey M. Brown." As the "clock ticks in Austin and the lawsuit is pending, many wonder whether central Ohio leaders will be able to put together a plan to keep the team in Columbus." Details on that front "remain scarce." But Columbus Partnership CEO Alex Fischer offered a window into his process, confirming that he is "under a non-disclosure agreement and participating in a valuation of the team" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 6/25).
THE TIME IS NOW: Crew Chair Anthony Precourt in a statement said, "Austin is ready for Major League Soccer." He added, "Whether you were born in Austin or have moved here recently, this team is for everyone." Precourt: "We are hopeful that Austin’s leaders will move forward in working with Precourt Sports Ventures to bring Major League Soccer to Austin at McKalla Place" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 6/24).
