An MLS title is in view for Columbus Crew, a club saved by fan power

11-Dec-2020 10:45:25 | The Guardian

Two years ago it looked like the team would be moved 1,000 miles to Texas for commercial reasons. Now the Crew are showing what supporters can achieve

Comebacks make for great sporting tales and in winning the Eastern Conference, and progressing to the 2020 MLS Cup final, the Columbus Crew completed a remarkable turnaround. But their comeback wasn’t from a goal or two down. No, the Crew came back from the brink of extinction. Or relocation, at least.

Next season will see Austin FC join Major League Soccer as the competition’s 27th franchise and Columbus fans know the new club’s owner, Anthony Precourt, well. It was Precourt who, in his five years as Crew owner, proposed moving the Ohio club 1,200 miles south to Texas. He saw more commercial potential in Austin than in Columbus, where there has been a league club since 1995.