Columbus leaders vow to fight to keep Crew SC in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Austin, Texas’ city council voted to approve a soccer stadium deal for Precourt Sports Ventures 7-4 Wednesday afternoon.

The vote is seen as a first step in Crew SC owner Anthony Precourt moving the team to the Texas capital city.

"We're thrilled to move forward. The work starts now, and we're bringing Major League Soccer to Austin, Texas so thank you all,” said Precourt following the council’s vote.

While Precourt and supporters of MLS to Austin are celebrating, people in Columbus are vowing to fight.

Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein is suing Precourt Sports Venture and Major League Soccer to keep the team in Columbus.

Klein said it’s about enforcing the city’s rights.

"That's exactly what we're going to do here in a couple of weeks in September is go to court and explain to the court why we believe that the Modell law is valid. It's constitutional and it should be applied right here in the City of Columbus,” explained Klein.

Daniel Etna, a partner with New York based law firm Herrick Feinsten, LLP and co chair of the firms Sports Law Group, explained the stadium deal includes a risk for Austin.

"Once you start going down the path of building these stadiums, it's not very easy to pivot from that project into something else,” explained Etna.

Save the Crew’s Tobias Roediger also reacting to the Austin vote.

"They're entering into an agreement with someone who is embroiled with legal troubles in Ohio and may not actually be able to fulfill those agreements for a contract they have yet to see,” said Roediger.

Roediger said Save the Crew is fighting back on efforts to move by proposing a soccer stadium in the Arena District and getting 11 thousand season ticket pledges for next season.

The hope is to show Columbus cares about soccer and get Crew SC under new ownership.

"A, this is not over. And B, we're going to come out if this in a far better position than we are,” said Roediger.