What? There is no conflict here. Austin is an expansion team, obviously. The "expansion fee" is for ownership. Haslam is a new owner, and thus has to pay an expansion fee. Austin FC will be an expansion team and get an expansion draft. This shit is not complicated.
Not sure why you are saying anything to me. I am being completely cordial and having a discussion and am far from the only one engaging stanger.
Umm he quoted nobody and replied immediately after my post with "you two". so if it isn't about me then he did a very very very poor job communicating. A moderator should understand how to quote and understand if they post right after someone else they are going to assume it is about them. My posts couldn't be more cordial or un-aggressive to a poster that has been attacking almost anyone even when they completely agree with them.
Or you have a guilty conscience.. It should be pretty clear to anyone reading this thread who he was aiming that comment at.
You get a lot of slack on this forum is you have a Columbus Crew logo next to your name. You'd think the moderators would try to reign some of these people in now that Columbus is keeping their team, but alas...
Just a reminder that you were one of the two people that were told to knock it off. So.... knock it off.
Well, as one of these Columbus people, we have a familiarity and a level of insight with Austin’s owner that many don’t have. It’s not our fault if our insight is uncomfortable for you. That said, this is the MLS:General forum. Let’s be a little more civil, and let’s steer the conversation towards what Austin’s presence means for the league moving forward. The semantics of relocation vs expansion don’t really do that.
LOL no. The league formally put out a process and time frame for expansion bids. They've not redone, restated the process nor have they opened up another time frame officially. As for Austin FC moving forward they are an eyesore and sore thumb. They are the poster for everything that every detractor has said about the league. They are the proof of concept that Don, the league, and the owners don't give a flying turd about anything. They'll be hated and unfortunately that'll probably work out for them for a while.
Having an opinion and also being from Columbus does not somehow give you credibility over developments in Austin. We know Columbus fans want to see Precourt fail, and we see right through the confirmation bias that happens daily. We also know fans in Columbus haven't actually been dealing with that ownership for at least a year, and at least a few of those hires you guys were praising not too long ago. Truth is, Precourt's been making steady progress in Austin, but there is still a lot of work left and its too early to make any presumption of success/ failure. Individual opinions should not be limited, and that includes opinions of Columbus residents. I encourage more open conversation and less moderation, but what you said here is the wrong precedent to set.
It is safe to say that MLS, for better or for worse, will never be the same after this debacle. I for one think it has done a lot of damage, and my interest in the league has dropped off significantly. But hey, I'm just one fan. I will quickly be replaced by a new generation of fans that will surely hop on board.
I feel for what Crew fans went through, having a bit of a soft spot for the team myself given I was at their very first game. Still, teams moving is a part of American sports. If it happened it wouldn't have altered my interest in MLS, and nor do I have any ill will towards Austin or their fans.
The whole episode was a shitty mess and a black eye for the league, but by and large it's been the exception as far as expansion has been handled. The league as pretty well stuck to it's criteria of requiring strong owenership and a viable stadium plan, even if it's meant some unconventional decisions like Cincinattii and Nashville. They may also talk about a strong fan base, but that's impossible to assess, as Atlanta has exemplified. Austin may have got in the back door, but it's an up and coming city and a decent bet for success. I do wonder whether the US is quite ready for a 30-32 team professional league. Most of the clubs are less than ten years old and may still be buoyed by novelty and new stadiums. In the next 10 years the novelty will have worn off and the realization that there are only two meaningful trophies (or three if you count CONCACAF) to share among 30 plus clubs set in. It wouldn't surprise me to see some franchise contraction or relocation between about 2025 - 2035. That said, welcome to Austin! We in DC have experience in dealing with less than perfect ownership.It's not ideal, but a hell of a lot better than being on the outside looking in.
Both teams, fans and owners, now have to go prove that despite all of this mess to get here it will be worth it. - CBUS- kept your team, getting a new stadium downtown , a new owner saying the right things. NOW the fans really have to fill the place and prove it was the prior owner that was holding your team back. If you don't fill the new place, then I am going to be really concerned. - AUSTIN- new market, similar problems as CBUS as you have a huge college team in town , you also have a USL-P team for gods sake, you have an owner that alienated many MLS fans from around the country. You have to step up and fill the house, not for the sake of your owner or the league, but simply to show that AUSTIN is worthy of a professional league sports team (although you could argue the Longhorns in years have come close )
I don’t think Austin will have an issue with support, especially at the beginning. Austin’s real challenge is to overcome its inept owner. I can see multiple ways they don’t even get to the point of playing.
Not a fan of the way it went down but now that the Crew is staying in C-Bus I'm happy for Austin. They did circumvent the expansion process and hurt San Antonio's bid but I am not nor was I ever opposed to Austin getting a team. They seem like a worthy city and I think they will have fan support. Whether they have owner support we will see. Some of their fan on BS have been dicks about the whole process in regard to Columbus. I hate the relocation process and is a big reason I barely pay attention to the NFL anymore being a former San Diego resident but on the other hand I want my hometown of Virginia Beach to get a major league team one day and the only way is probably relocation. I would have a hard time being opposed to it and would feel bad for the losing city.
More than just the soccer, MLS supposedly billing themselves as "different" (not just a business) is a big part of why I became a fan in the first place. The league itself insisted on referring to their teams as clubs, not franchises. And they preached the bond with the local community as what would make this league special. The fact that that was all PR bullshit is very disappointing.
Can't say I ever picked up on that marketing despite the "club" usage. The way I see things we've already seen an MLS team move as well as multiple significant rebrands. I don't like what Columbus went through but I was neither that surprised or outraged that it happened.
Do you feel any differently now that the new ownership is having unprecedented success in making connections with the community? That should be how the attempted murder of the club is viewed long term.
I'm not aware of the unprecedented success under the current owner. That's great if it's happening, but a team nearly moving and coming out stronger after finalizing a deal to stay is a story I've seen before in American sports before. Like I said I never viewed MLS as that different compared to the other American leagues.
Without boring you with all the details, the team was supposed to be moving because of a lack of commitment from the government, businesses and fan base in Columbus. In a 6 month period, new owners were found, a new stadium is planned with money already allocated for infrastructure from the city, state and county, and the owner has said publicly they are on pace to sell more tickets than they had ever imagined and there is a waiting list for suites. Pretty unprecedented to go from dead in the water to wild success. Looks like the issue was with the previous ownership and not the market.