A proposed new soccer-specific stadium for the Crew "won't be ready for the start" of the '21 MLS season, according to Jacob Myers of the COLUMBUS DISPATCH. Crew President Tim Bezbatchenko said there is "zero chance we're going to be opening" by the beginning of the '21 season. However, he said that the stadium "will be open" in July '21. Bezbatchenko: "It'll happen middle of the season. We're going to be in the summer, probably July 2021 at the earliest." Myers notes this marks the "most concrete opening date the club has offered" since new team Owners the Haslams and Dr. Pete Edwards "unveiled plans for the new stadium" when they bought the team last year. Bezbatchenko said that there is "still some paperwork that needs to be finished with the city of Columbus and Franklin County." He added that he "expects the groundbreaking for the new stadium either late this summer or early in the fall." He also said that the current tailgate experience for Crew fans "will change, but it will be much more community-oriented." Bezbatchenko said that he "envisions a march to the stadium through a plaza," which is "common at other MLS stadiums" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 6/7).
