Crew on the move?

[UCFBfan]

Crew SC owner considers relocation to Texas

Just saw this.....do we really need a third team in Texas? Is soccer really even that popular down there outside of the Mexican population? Seems to me like a bad move, especially considering the Crew were the first MLS club.

 

[UConnDan97]

I saw this and was a little surprised, almost sad. Columbus has been a very supportive soccer community for so long. It would suck to see them lose their team, especially since they suck most years (with the occasional breakthrough)...

 

[UCFBfan]

I saw this and was a little surprised, almost sad. Columbus has been a very supportive soccer community for so long. It would suck to see them lose their team, especially since they suck most years (with the occasional breakthrough)...

From what I read it seems attendance has been poor for a bit so owners are looking for new place to gain support. Don’t follow MLS closely but if they have sucked for awhile I would imagine that would be the cause of low support and not because the fan base isn’t there. A team that’s been around since MLS’s inception is pretty impressive and probably has a decent support base. It’s not like there s a close enough MLS team to take away the support that was there.

 

[UConnDan97]

From what I read it seems attendance has been poor for a bit so owners are looking for new place to gain support. Don’t follow MLS closely but if they have sucked for awhile I would imagine that would be the cause of low support and not because the fan base isn’t there. A team that’s been around since MLS’s inception is pretty impressive and probably has a decent support base. It’s not like there s a close enough MLS team to take away the support that was there.

Well, they're in the lower half for attendance, 17,200 or so per game, but that's still almost 4,000 people per game better than FC Dallas. I'm guessing this is a play for a bigger, cheaper stadium by the ownership.

In terms of this year, they are actually in fifth place which isn't horrible. My Revs seem to struggle to even get to fifth place, so...

 

[Waquoit]

This situation reminds me of the Whalers. The guy bought the team to move it. The real scummy move was to make the announcement after he collected next year's season ticket deposits. Non-refundable, of course.

 

[UConnDan97]

This situation reminds me of the Whalers. The guy bought the team to move it. The real scummy move was to make the announcement after he collected next year's season ticket deposits. Non-refundable, of course.

Karmanos. If I ever see that guy on the streets, I swear.

He told the folks of Connecticut that if we averaged over 11k, he would stay. We averaged over 12k, and he took the money and ran to Charlotte. Bastard...

 

[LIuconn]

https://deadspin.com/the-columbus-fiasco-shows-that-mls-is-no-different-1819720554

 

[WestHartHusk]

Karmanos. If I ever see that guy on the streets, I swear.

He told the folks of Connecticut that if we averaged over 11k, he would stay. We averaged over 12k, and he took the money and ran to Charlotte. Bastard...

I'm having a hard time reconciling your passion to lack of knowledge about where the team moved.

 

[UConnDan97]

I'm having a hard time reconciling your passion to lack of knowledge about where the team moved.

Yeah, I know. Greensboro first, then Raleigh. Screw them. I don't care, and I hope the entire state gets blown up...

 

[SAMCRO]

It's a smallish and very outdated stadium. It would be great if they could work out a way to have a new stadium in the Arena District/Short North (closer to downtown). I went to one of the US/Mexico Dos e Cero matches there back in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 WC. Great crowd support,

They appear to be Austin bound, or so it seems. Apparently San Antonio is/was in the running for an expansion team, so if they do in fact move there... San Antonio would be out (no way they out 4 teams in Texas. Cincinnati and Detroit will be pushing for consideration in expansion to fill that void.

Bummer if they do move. Cbus is a good sports town.

 

[LIuconn]

Austin doesn't want a team

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Yeah, I know. Greensboro first, then Raleigh. Screw them. I don't care, and I hope the entire state gets blown up...

Not as much in the Hartford area, but most of Connecticut and particularly its' traditionally strongest hockey counties never really gave too much of a shat about the Whalers. Raleigh just inherited Karmanos' folly.

Moving forward to today, too much of Connecticut sure appears to be Russian Rouletting itself quite well if not potentially blowing itself up while Raleigh is booming. Relationship? Unlikely any ...

 

[UConnDan97]

Not as much in the Hartford area, but most of Connecticut and particularly its' traditionally strongest hockey counties never really gave too much of a shat about the Whalers. Raleigh just inherited Karmanos' folly.

Moving forward to today, too much of Connecticut sure appears to be Russian Rouletting itself quite well if not potentially blowing itself up while Raleigh is booming. Relationship? Unlikely any ...

Is Raleigh really booming? It's an honest question, because in my field of chemistry, they are suffering. The "Research Triangle" in North Carolina was really big in the pharmaceutical industry 20 years ago. It is decimated now. Not that CT is doing great there either, with losses of BMS, Bayer, etc. But with the giant losses of big pharma to Raleigh, what do they have left? Big tobacco??

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Purportedly, the Crew's existing contractural relationships only permit staying in the Columbus area or a potential move to Austin. Even if the owners are open to financing their own new stadium in a more optimal urban Columbus location versus the current less than ideal site, they'll still likely seek significant considerations.

Acknowledging Columbus' national team successes and the Crew's periods of relative success, Austin's potential difference-making high tech corporate support, population demographics (edgy millenials, relative affluence, Latinos, etc.), and other attributes are attractive. However, prior lower level teams have not experienced great success. It will be interesting to observe what evolves, but a possible Austin franchise would likely learn from and avoid suburban stadium locations mistakes or challenges experienced in Columbus, Dallas (Frisco), Houston, etc.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Is Raleigh really booming? It's an honest question, because in my field of chemistry, they are suffering.

Can't speak for pharma, but high tech, relocating financial services, and other companies still appear to be growing significantly in the Research Triangle area. Hartford, unfortunately not so much.

 

[ZooCougar]

It's a smallish and very outdated stadium. It would be great if they could work out a way to have a new stadium in the Arena District/Short North (closer to downtown). I went to one of the US/Mexico Dos e Cero matches there back in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 WC. Great crowd support,

They appear to be Austin bound, or so it seems. Apparently San Antonio is/was in the running for an expansion team, so if they do in fact move there... San Antonio would be out (no way they out 4 teams in Texas. Cincinnati and Detroit will be pushing for consideration in expansion to fill that void.

Bummer if they do move. Cbus is a good sports town.

Austin has a terrible track record for soccer.

If this happens the NASL should put a team in Columbus ASAP.

 

[kibblesnbits]

The funny thing is that UT doesn't even have a men's team. They do have a women's team but even with all their $$$ it's not worth having to fund additional women's sports in order to have men's soccer.

 

[ZooCougar]

This Columbus thing is peak MLS.

This leaked the same day non refundable season ticket deposits were due.

All of the MLS owners are behind this. MLS is not so much a league with clubs in competition with eachother as it is series of “franchises” with Star Players strategically distributed.

Places like KC and Portland would never get a big name player because they sell out anyways. They have maxed out those places. SSo when Columbus becomes a drain on league finances, instead of fixing it, they move. The league can’t survive without revenue sharing.

Personally I can’t totally blame them. Columbus is an eyesore. The stadium is old, the crowds are sparse even if they have a very loyal base that is 10,000+.

But why doesn’t MLS be more forthright about the real reasons why they are doing this? This isn’t about the Columbus owner, this is about the other 23 owners.