Category: SaveTheCrew
Memorandum of Understanding Released in Advance of Pivotal Columbus City Council Vote
Tonight sometime between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time, the Columbus City Council will take up a vote to ratify the proposal to renovate Mapfre Stadium. This is but one piece of the puzzle to ultimately Save The Crew. The final piece involves the construction of a new stadium to house the team. The prospective ...
SaveTheCrew Announcement Live-Blog
Might as well do it live (!) and cover the announcement! Reports are we'll see an announcement on new stadium plans and training facilities, among other things. As I reported last night, Austin looks to have the lease agreement to be done this week, with an announcement next week if all goes well. This isn't ...
SaveDTheCrew Smoke Signals
Serious rumblings that we could get a formal SaveDTheCrew announcement this week. After the chaos on October 12, I reported the deal was "largely done." Of course, that didn't mean all of the signatures have been affixed to the proper documents, or that MLS was planning one of their customary events to announce the sale. ...
Sure Looks Like the Columbus Crew are All But Official for 2019
H/t to DrDeckle on Reddit. Some people just can't keep secrets. The offseason planning for 2019 is well under way, with MLS releasing their offseason calendar, and teams who have been eliminated from the playoffs planning for next year. Part of the planning for the 2019 season includes preseason camps. These days, teams usually escape ...
Cat’s Out of the Bag: There Will Not be an MLS Team Playing in Austin in 2019
Forbes is out with their valuations for each Major League Soccer team, and buried in the story are some quotes from an interview with MLS Commissioner Don Garber. Aside from the usual platitudes, there was a discussion about expansion. With Cincinnati coming online in 2018, Garber was asked about the future of MLS expansion. That ...
Exclusive: With 2018 Season Over, What’s Next For the Columbus Crew?
The Columbus Crew suffered a tough defeat at the hands of the New York Red Bulls Sunday evening, ending their 2018 season after losing 3-1 on aggregate in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. But the good news for fans of the club is that the 2019 season is just around the corner, a fact that a ...
SavedTheCrew: What Now?
So, the Crew have been saved. Well, not quite, but it's looking good. There's actually a lot of work left to do, and plenty of unanswered questions. From not knowing when this deal will be finalized (and whether there will be a new stadium), to the background behind the attempt to move the team in ...
SavedTheCrew: Deal to Keep Team in Columbus “Largely Done” [Updated]
It appears to be done. I've received reliable information that, almost a year to the day when Anthony Precourt announced he was exploring the opportunity to relocate the Columbus Crew to Austin, the Columbus Crew have been saved. Requests for comments from MLS have not yet been returned; the plaintiffs in the Modell lawsuit declined ...
Schedules and Standards: “Parallel Paths” Likely Creating Headache for MLS in 2019
One of the outstanding questions in the SaveTheCrew saga (aside from the question of whether they'll be saved) revolves around how MLS will handle the 2019 season with the fate of the team not resolved. PSV has been processing ticket payments from Crew fans, in anticipation of playing at Mapfre in 2019, though the fine print ...
Save These Dates
With the oral arguments for the PSV/MLS Motion to Dismiss in the rear-view mirror now, we can look forward as the Modell lawsuit continues on its track towards a potential trial in March, 2019 (although that is not a firm date as of yet). However, there are number of upcoming dates which could impact this ...
ESQ2CLB: So, What Did I Think?
Become a Patron: Note: I covered some of the following in my Periscope after the hearing. Well. I'm home back in Seattle after something of a whirlwind four-day trip to Ohio to check out Columbus and cover the Motion to Dismiss hearing. I was hoping to do more of a daily diary, but Tuesday ...
PSV/MLS v. Columbus/Ohio Motion to Dismiss Oral Arguments [Live Blog]
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: Got the best seat in the house: One that is close to an outlet. As always when I'm doing a live blog, excuse the typos, ...
Preview (and Required Reading) in Advance of PSV/MLS Motion to Dismiss Oral Arguments
We're almost at that time: The oral arguments for the PSV/MLS Motion to Dismiss are set for September 4 at 2:30 p.m. local time. Each side will have 45 minutes to present their arguments. As the moving party, the defendants (PSV/MLS) will likely go first, followed by the plaintiffs. Within that 45 minutes, the parties ...
ESQ2CLB: Day 1
Whew! After a 12-hour ordeal, I finally got into Columbus around 1:00 p.m. local time Sunday. I checked into to my room; thanks to German Village B&B for the set up. I'm staying in the German Village ('natch) which is located right on the edge of Downtown Columbus. It's a pretty nice area, and I'll look forward ...
Why Alexi Lalas’ USL2Columbus Proposal Won’t be a Thing
Alexi Lalas, former MLS player/GM/President-turned soccer pundit, tossed a couple of logs onto the SaveTheCrew fire, opining in a commentary during halftime of the game between D.C. United and New York Red Bulls, that Anthony Precourt and MLS should "rip off the bandaid" and make the move to Austin official. Further, he suggested that as ...
Breaking: 90 day Toll Extended; Oral Argument for Motion to Dismiss Scheduled
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: We've got a big procedural update. The 90-day toll has been extended and the Oral Argument for the Motion to Dismiss has been schedule. First, Judge ...
SaveTheCrew: For Whom the Bell Tolls (Or, Will Time Keep on Slipping)
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: Right now everyone is focused on the council meeting in Austin this Thursday, where we should (presumably) find out if MLS2ATX will become, from their end, ...
Austin Versus Columbus: Or, Why Can’t We Have Both?
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: Don Garber dropped a bit of a mini-bombshell last night, revealing some interesting information about MLS' "ongoing" talks with the Crew. Anyone who reads this site already knew ...
Term Sheet Released Outlining Proposed Agreement Between PSV/MLS and City of Austin
A Friday news dump for the ages. The City of Austin has released a Term Sheet for discussion which outlines an agreement between PSV/MLS and the City to build a soccer stadium, and presumably relocate the Columbus Crew. I'm sitting here in a bar having a drink and trying to review a 25 page document ...
PSV, MLS File Their Initial Witness Lists for Trial
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you’d like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: I mentioned on Twitter that this may be a slow week for news in #SaveTheCrew v. PSV/MLS. Well, I'm filing a motion of my own to ...
