NEW YORK, New York (WTVN)--Officials from the City of Columbus, Columbus Crew SC, and Major League Soccer met in New York on Wednesday to discuss the future of the team, and the possible move to Austin, Texas in 2019.
Based on statement from both the city and Precourt Sports Ventures, owner of Crew SC, that meeting did not go well.
PSV says, "Both PSV and the league entered the meeting with open minds, no demands and a complete willingness to listen and entertain concrete ideas or a meaningful proposal from the city’s representatives at the meeting. We were extremely disappointed that no concrete offer or proposal was presented and that the City of Columbus then told us that it would not communicate with us past today."
On the other side, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and Columbus Partnership President Alex Fischer released a statement, saying, "it was clear the MLS and ownership did not come to the meeting willing to commit to staying in Columbus."
In October, a report surfaced that owner Anthony Precourt is considering moving the Crew to Austin, Texas following the 2018 MLS season, if the team does not get a new downtown soccer-specific stadium in Columbus.
Recently, Austin City Council agreed to help search for a viable site for a possible stadium there. Meanwhile, the Crew host Toronto FC in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Finals at Mapfre Stadium on Tuesday.