Columbus Crew could leave Ohio for Texas

Credit: Jamie Sabau

Credit: Jamie Sabau

If you woke up this morning wondering why Columbus Crew is trending on Twitter, here's your answer: Sports Illustrated reported late Monday night the team might be moving to Austin, Texas, after next season.

Team owner Anthony Precourt released a statement Tuesday morning claiming “the current course is not sustainable” for the team to remain in Columbus, where it began play in 1996 as one of the first franchises in Major League Soccer.

He reportedly wants a new home in downtown Columbus to replace Mapfre Stadium, the two-decade-old structure a few miles north of downtown on the Ohio State Fairgrounds.

The team’s exit may or may not affect FC Cincinnati’s bid to move up from the United Soccer League to MLS.

That also relies on the team being able to move out of the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium, where it has enjoyed record crowds, to a team-controlled stadium elsewhere in the city or Northern Kentucky.

MLS commissioner Don Garber, who visited Cincinnati last year as part of the shakedown effort there, said via a statement he supports Precourt's exploration of his options as far as moving the Crew.

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