When the owner of the Columbus Crew announced this week his plans to move the Major League Soccer team to Austin, Texas, soccer fans in San Antonio were shocked. News Radio 1200 WOAI reports hat included Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff.
"I have no idea what MLS is doing. I don’t know if even they know what they're doing," he tells Newsradio 1200 WOAI.
While not on the level of traditional sports, Major League Soccer has quickly been gaining in popularity. In 2015, the league announced an expansion to 28 teams, and they would each pay a whopping expansion fee of $150 million. The Spurs were considered frontrunners, with a stadium, Toyota Field, that could be expanded.
In interviews, MLS repeatedly voiced support for the Spurs, which they saw as one of the best ownership groups in pro sports. Now, Judge Wolff says fans that had dreams of cheering a major league soccer team of their own should be concerned.
"(MLS) is not going to give the Spurs a franchise if they move a team to Austin. That's not going to happen. So, I don’t know what they're trying to do. I'm disappointed with the way it's worked out."
Austin does not have a pro soccer stadium, yet, and a dubious history of support for soccer. The Austin Aztecs formed in 2011 as a minor league team. The owners moved the team to Orlando where they quickly folded. A reborn team was on hiatus until they could find a stadium, and this is where the tie-in began with the Columbus Crew franchise, which is now planning to move to Texas.
"Despite our investments and efforts, the current course is not sustainable,” Anthony Precourt, chief executive officer of Precourt Sports Ventures and chairman of Columbus Crew SC, said. “This Club has ambition to be a standard bearer in MLS, therefore we have no choice but to expand and explore all of our options. This includes a possible move to Austin, which is the largest metropolitan area in North America without a major league sports franchise."
Judge Wolff says a team that includes city leaders and the Spurs will meet with MLS in the next 30 days.
"We're going to see what they have to say and give them the benefit of the doubt. We'll see what they're doing. I just don’t know."