Keep Soccer Weird

For one of his few projects from last semester, my professor assigned the class to write a paper about a local issue that needed to be addressed to the public. As the biggest soccer guy in the class, it was the perfect opportunity for me to start writing about Anthony Precourt potentially moving the Columbus Crew to Austin.

Although this move would not present as an issue that will threaten the local populace, it felt like it was nature's way of giving me something to do in a city that desperately needed professional sports, especially soccer.

When I moved to Austin in the Summer of 2015 for school, I was eager to start following the Austin Aztex as my only way to support professional soccer at the time. My excitement was cut short after the team went to a hiatus as soon as I showed up since their playing field at House Park was damaged by the Memorial Day floods, and then decided to cease operations later on.

Quite depressing indeed, and so I was stuck in a soccer-less town for the next couple of years while watching some World Cup and Champions League in bars around town and going to Houston and San Antonio to cover some matches in the meantime.

But then, United Soccer League would announce their return to Austin in August of 2017 under the Austin Bold FC banner, led by Bobby Epstein and with a shiny new stadium inside Circuit of the Americas set for a 2019 kickoff. Even though it is going to be a 20-minute ride from Foxtrot HQ, I will be looking to welcome the Bold for that soccer that was dearly missed.

October rolls in, and the United States men’s national team would lose to Trinidad and Tobago and effectively miss the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The embarrassment would ignite a national debate among fellow fans questioning the direction of the federation and eclipse the American soccer landscape with doubt.

Despite all this, the worst was yet to come.

A week after World Cup elimination, I was just getting back home from class when Grant Wahl broke the news. I was completely blindsided.

It was like the San Jose Earthquakes moving to Houston more than a decade ago, but with a twist. Austin would be set to get a Major League Soccer franchise by 2021 at the cost of the league’s reputation, the destruction of a historic fanbase in Columbus, and blows to expansion hopes to markets like San Antonio. Soccer in our country arguably came to the lowest point in the span of two weeks.

The news sparked a revolution that was never seen in American sports before. Fans of the Columbus Crew and across the league banded together to Save The Crew, with the hope to stop Anthony Precourt from erasing the first club in league history.

A week after the Save The Crew movement began, Sergio and Jeffrey wanted their voices to be heard and brought this sign to BBVA Compass Stadium in time for the Dynamo's last match of the regular season against Chicago Fire. With the cause quickly catching fire, it did not take long for this picture to be my most liked tweet ever.

And one year later, the movement will pay off. The Crew will be staying in Columbus under a new ownership while Precourt would go ahead and establish his new team in Austin after successful lease negotiations for a stadium at McKalla Place, just North of Downtown Austin.

Both sides would eventually get what they wanted, but some hard truths were learned in the process. Governing bodies in charge, like MLS and Soccer United Marketing, may submit themselves to the agendas of the powerful few rather than to make premeditated decisions based on what could actually be helpful for the growth of soccer in our country.

As a supporter for soccer in Austin, I was not expecting the city to get two professional teams that fast. I am in favor of this city to grow as a vibrant home for the sport, but I could not stand behind a move that was set to tarnish the image of MLS forever. Even though I will not be supporting Austin FC anytime soon, I wish their fans the best going forward.

From here on, we must remember that this can happen again.

I got a 'B' on that paper, by the way.

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