The Battle For Columbus | Save The Crew | Episode 1

The remarkable story of a fanbase who showed the world that fan action trumps money. The Columbus Crew, a founding member of MLS, was under threat of relocation to Austin, Texas for the 2019 MLS season by their owner Anthony Precourt. Fans in Columbus rallied around the team with the grassroots #SaveTheCrew campaign. This is their film, the only on-camera account of events as they happened in both Columbus and Austin, capturing some of the most fascinating moments in American soccer history.
Ep 1 | Tell Everyone You Know | July 25th
Ep 2 | Austin FC - Parallel Paths | July 27th
Ep 3 | Glory to Columbus | July 29th
#SaveTheCrew #Crew96 #MLS
All money from this project will be donated to the Columbus Community.
A huge thank you to the incredible Sean Kelly (@virtualstatman) who Produced and Directed this story from start to finish:
www.imdb.com/title/tt14911600...
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[@Imperialspy]

And now The crew is 3x MLS champions

[@ryanjohnson6272]

There should be some sort of club friendship between AFC Wimbledon and the Crew.

[@alternatehistorysports]

And MK Dons and Austin FC.

[@kylermckim]

They need play a friendly

[@andrewkunkel468]

Wimbledon did feature a story about this in one of their match day pamphlets!

[@joshquinn4964]

@@kylermckim the survivors friendly

[@evanelliott9880]

@@andrewkunkel468 that’s awesome! We definitely share a common bond!

[@de132]

Columbus has always been a city that fits the ethos of what the game is about. A hard working, working class town. Not glamorous, but a lot of heart.

[@alternatehistorysports]

For me this is the moment the USA truly had football.

[@adidasaddict2023]

Usa has never had football its all fake fans and the quality is 1 of the worst 🙄

[@winspaarkiebarkiebarker]

@@adidasaddict2023 look up Atlanta United. Educate yourself.

[@rowanbrink193]

@@winspaarkiebarkiebarker hardly comparible to the likes of almost every premier league side

[@davidaugustine3686]

Coming from someone whose name is 'Alt History Sports' that statement is incredibly ignorant of actual US soccer/football history.

[@ethanhatcher5533]

@@winspaarkiebarkiebarker Atlanta United is dogshit what do you mean

[@G4GMonty]

As a Austin Fc fan I did not know the extent of the attempted move, as a 13 year old me was only excited that Austin was getting a MLS team. I have the upmost respect to the Crew fans as they show how passionate fans can save a club

[@nofurtherwest3474]

I wonder how Precourt felt after Columbus won the cup last season. Also, just checked the table. Austin's in last place. I have to admit I'm smiling. sorry

[@celebrim1]

Just remember, your owner is a snake that only bought the Crew when he realized the on paper evaluation by Forbes was less than the price of buying a new franchise. On day one he was planning to dismantle the team, and he started systematically figuring out how to do so. By the time he left, almost all the stadium lights were out, because he never saw a reason to replace them. If you think for a second he's interested in Austin as anything but a money grab, you are very much mistaken.

[@tonytonychopper6208]

@@nofurtherwest3474 he’s feeling pretty good now tho

[@rockerfarm6445]

@@nofurtherwest3474 well in the end he got what he asked for, a team in a big market city :/

[@nofurtherwest3474]

@@tonytonychopper6208 haha true

[@valeriolotta]

This is the soccer Endgame, when bosses treat teams as franchises to capitalize from and supporters as customers. But the people are not a passive mob. The team is part of a community, a principle that applies to all teams. Solidarity between fans of various teams secures a healthy and transparent competition and binds soccer bosses to their supposed self-claimed commitments to any community. Respect of the game and the people that are its core value is the fans' ongoing project in modern soccer dystopias. Proud for Crew all the way from Europe.

[@aggrobernd]

Welcome to the american sports model. Look at some NFL/NBA/NHL/MLB teams. So many teams have been relocated and completely rebranded... atrocious to all the people of the city they move away from

[@totallynotalpharius2283]

The people who want to uproot fans teams for a few extra bucks aren’t nameless blobs. They have names and addresses

[@MountainDrew2000]

I wrote my final paper in US History about save the crew movement in my final year of highschool. Pretty surreal.

[@MountainDrew2000]

I forgot all about the Toronto Game It was kinda mental looking back.

[@AKUNJIG]

You better have gotten an A for that!

[@willvintage3505]

As A Seattle Sports fan, a city that has had to fight for almost every team's survival with mixed results. I'm glad to see a city fight and win in protecting its team.

[@mattkominsky7308]

The SuperSonics will be back.

[@jediofswtor5738]

It wasn't just our city. It was our state too. We fought hard to keep the crew in Ohio and in Columbus.

[@ericweiler6571]

I’m from Seattle and I’m just going to say it. Not enough respect goes to the Crew. You guys are great.

[@agckirozx4902]

I'm an Argentinian supporter of the Columbus Crew, because once upon a time when i was a child, i see in ESPN recopilation of news when the Crew wins the 2008 MLS CUP with the contribution of Guillermo Barros Schellotto, and as a Boca Juniors Fan, i was really happy. but then for not having much information, i had lost contact with the MLS and the Columbus Crew, until the bought of Lucas Zelarayan, who was playing for Tigres UANL, other north american football team that i follow, then I knew about all the #SaveTheCrew movement, and how the fans of the massive save their team from dissapear and ended up in other place. my totally Respect for you💛🖤

[@michaelwalker7400]

Randy Sims passed away before first Crewsmas this year. Fortunately a tifo of him was in the stadium this year, so at least a part of him was in the stadium for second Crewsmas this December.

[@lalitthapa101]

Don't know much about MLS so excited for this one. If I ever watch MLS,I'm supporting Columbus Crew now..

[@copa90stories]

We definitely back your decision to start supporting Columbus Crew.

[@XLRAshon]

Espn Plus streams almost every mls game

[@natedole8276]

Not a crew fan because I live in Philadelphia. But I do fucking hate austin fc now

[@ethanhatcher5533]

Hope you ended up doing this, cause the Crew were a sight to behold this year

[@SuperhappyMrFoley]

Didn't think this would be something that made me cry, but here I am sobbing at when we all chanted Save The Crew against Toronto.

[@Jack-yj2qr]

As a crew fan this gives me FEELS

[@copa90stories]

Glad it's hit the feels Jack. 👌

[@AssociationGamers]

What a shame they changed the logo for that "modern" rebrand 💩 The circular logo looks so nice!

[@hawkinsstern5356]

maybe one of the best badges in MLS, certainly the best thing that happened under Precourt. Unfortunately it seems just a product of the new owner trying to leave their mark and changing for the sake of change than anything else

[@AssociationGamers]

@@hawkinsstern5356 Yh I feels quite soulless and change for the sake of it, like you say.

[@TheNamesJER]

Most of us Crew fans agree. Circle badge was beautiful.

[@AssociationGamers]

@@TheNamesJER Let it be known in numbers. I hope all of the fans continue to use the circular logo wherever possible. You, the fans, are the most important thing about your club and what you want matters.

[@ianschulze1461]

My friend got me into the Crew. I’m so proud of the efforts to save the team.

[@ibs3036]

RIP Grant 🕊️

[@brandonhubbard8760]

This was a tough watch for me. As a crew fan in the Northern Kentucky area I had just lost my local NPSL the Cincinnati Saints due to FC Cincinnati, and a few years later this happened. It almost made me give up the sport entirely. I’m thankful for the fans and the ownership that saved this team.

[@seaninterpop]

You will find Episode Two particularly interesting.... (!)

[@jaquaviousdasian6857]

Football: started by the poor, stolen by the rich.

[@cauchygang7400]

More accurately, this should read something like "started by the rich, then improved and taken over by the poor, then stolen by the rich". But yeah I agree with your general idea, whether we're talking about US franchises moving from one place to another (or ""MK"" Dons for that matter), the ultra elitist European championships with the biggest clubs considering themselves above the law or the repression against anyone trying to protest this ultra liberal assault on the beautiful game (in France, what the ultras or supporters in general have been facing for the last 15 years is pure madness) money has definitely made football go to pure shite.

[@TheNamesJER]

An important note about the Toronto game is that there were normally 4 entrances to the stadium but on that specific game and on all of the games after, the side entrances were closed and left only the 2 main entrances. Precourt was purposely constricting attendance to fit his narrative.

[@joshquinn4964]

I have a different view on Americans now. Or some of them at least. Well done supporters of The Crew

[@mattduell3]

The fans of Austin are the exact bad stereotype of American fans you probably had in mind. A supporters group who is basically employees of the club since everything they do is funded by the club. Literally trying to HIRE local musicians to help improve their band in the crowd. Having practices in the stadium. It’s all VERY corporate and inauthentic.

[@GabrielPeregrina]

Seeing Copa90 cover my club is kinda surreal

[@copa90stories]

We're big, big fans of The Crew!

[@littlebrayutd]

@@copa90stories 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Yeaaaaah

[@anthonylong9067]

Im a San Jose earthquakes fan. And i was behind SaveTheCrew from the beginning. Solely because i know how it feels to see a team move when the quakes moved to houston and then won 2 straight titles for the dynamo. Lalas can go to hell for doing that and precourt can join him for trying to do that to columbus. I wish we had the backing that columbus did to save the crew.

[@valpix7007]

​@@anthonylong9067 I don't think the issue with SJ was passion, rather, that it just came up at the wrong time. A huuuuge part of STC was their use of social media, given how useful it is for getting info out quickly and the ease of finding like-minded people. Back in 05 Twitter didn't exist, Facebook was brand new, even Myspace hadn't exploded yet. So the best you could really do was fan forums and such. (Also, that MLS is, or at least felt, bigger in 2017 than it was in the SJ era)

[@anthonylong9067]

@@valpix7007 it’s unfortunate. And that’s why i was always behind the STC movement because I didn’t want columbus to suffer the same fate as San Jose did.

[@loufancelli1330]

As a lifelong resident of Columbus, and a more than casual Crew fan, it is great to see this story continuing to get more widespread attention. I attended the very first Columbus Crew game in April of 1996, and while I don't go to every game, The Crew is a very important part of not just the sports fabric of the city, but the very city Columbus itself. I also am very glad to see you cover the nasty tricks that Precourt pulled with attendance. In addition to slowing the entry of fans into the stadium, he also neglected the stadium, and likely even sabotaged some parts of it to make it look like it was in worse condition than it was. On to part 2, which I expect will equally as well told!

[@chrissao_502]

This needs to be shown to every ATX FC fan that immediately hoped on without checking on Anthony Precum and his back stabbing, and every single Eurosnob that continues to say that every MLS team is just a tinpot with no history. There are now college graduates whose parents were original STH, it may not be 100 years, that's enough history for me.

[@hurtin0108]

The original Crew logo was sick!

[@metrofilmer8894]

Agree. Ironically enough, it was Anthony Precourt who dropped that original badge

[@raungelmarlance8208]

Agree, it all reminds me of Bayern Munich logo

[@eboethrasher]

@@metrofilmer8894 The Hunts are the ones who got the ball rolling on the redesign.

[@stevenrose86]

I hate how freely American sports teams are allowed to move. The team is based in and supported by the local community. The varous leagues should (but never will) look to put provisions in place to stop this from happening so much

[@11thdimension1986]

Like, there are no lakes in LA... Or Utah is not famous for Jazz...ridiculous!

[@HarryWessex]

17 Years later & I'm still hoping for MK * * * * to fall out of the football league.

[@kingofkings725]

Its actually criminal that your videos get so few views. Your channels gotta be my favourite football related one out there. Massive props for churning out one amazing work after another

[@AKUNJIG]

I grew up in Maryland so I knew the History of the Baltimore Colts and how The Browns was stolen out of Cleveland. So I was invested into the "Save The Crew" Movement. I moved to Atlanta in 2014 when Atlanta United was announced and watched as the Thrashers moved out to Winnipeg. So when Atlanta United hosted their first Playoff Match against Columbus we invited the Visiting Supporters to give them our Support to the Cause. *DannyT Radio* did a great Video of this too as well. Thanks for the Video Copa 90.

[@XLRAshon]

Oh boy this is going to be good. Also KZbinr DannyTRadio did his own version of save the crew on his channel. Worth a watch

[@AKUNJIG]

I see that you're a Man of Culture as well.

[@MrMmnngghh]

Thanks for the extra suggestion. I'm an Arsenal supporter from way back, before Wenger, before they left Highbury. The Kroenke family have gutted the soul of that club, I would hate to see that happen to a true blue chip MLS institution like Columbus.

[@natealvarez9979]

As a San Jose fan who had their team taken away from them with no fight, I was so excited to see the fans fight back and win! I eventually got my team back but the scars still reamin.

[@eboethrasher]

Yeah Garber promised you guys within months that you would get a new team, with us, there was no such promise. Instead, we had Alexi being a douchebag and saying "Well, they could always get a USL team and support them" which we would have done if it happened, and we would have supported the shit out of them and eventually fought to get owners who would try to get the team to be an expansion side in MLS, and recover the name and history of The Crew. But that was not what we should have had to do, with that trapdoor backdoor fuck Precourt.

[@brohdez8857]

What team was it ?

[@supersasukemaniac]

@@brohdez8857 the Original Earthquakes, now Houston Dynamo probably

[@andygarcia3246]

Good job Copa 90 for making this story and ESPN should be embarrassed that they haven’t made a 30 for 30 on this yet.

[@seaninterpop]

Only one person had all this insider footage…. :)

[@jonpata9869]

Still can't believe savethecrew worked. Gives me hope good can sometimes prevail Can't wait to visit the new stadium sometime soon

[@Slafgoalskiy]

I'm NETID and I'm proud to say still, Save the Crew.

[@patricksp71]

Precourt only went to 2 Crew games. Every Upgrade for the team Precourt Paid for could be loaded onto moving Trucks Precourt was on the expansion committee and was able to read everything that San Antonio summited to MLS about joining MLS, San Antonio included Austin as a fan base to draw fans to games, Rumor is that is why They had to rush the Austin move. Rumor is that Precourt "took" out all the Columbus Sponsors to dinner and at the end of the dinner he game each a bill for the dinner, which really pissed off the sponsors.

[@eboethrasher]

And I shamefully have a picture of myself with him from what was probably the only time he came out to the tailgate. I didn't know the douchebag he was at the time, unfortunately. I photoshopped that picture RUDELY as soon as the announcement happened and used it as my profile picture for quite some time.

[@benedictwallis5820]

Big fan of the mls from the UK, loving the coverage for this story!

[@charlesclayton17]

GREATEST FRANCHISE IN MLS HISTORY

[@cristhiandelrosario5023]

I love Columbus Ohio and I love the Crew

[@JacobQ97]

I know that things turned out for the better, but no matter how much time passes whenever I think back to this time, the gut wrenching feeling still remains. I just remember seeing the article and running downstairs to show it to my two brothers. We just sat there in complete disbelief and despair. It was like losing a member of the family. Thank God for #SaveTheCrew

[@Lucas-ho9hj]

A reminder that if you were against the European Super League, you should be against Austin FC. They both represent the same corporate greed that is taking over the beautiful game.

[@gamemasteroffun]

No if your against the super league you should be against the mls and the closed system. They are actively ruining football and are the reason why it’s taking football forever to develop in the US. US need Promo and Relegation.

[@gamemasteroffun]

@Benj Smith Productions cf has already been one. Massive programs like Oklahoma and Texas deserve to play on the better conference. Both have amazing football and basketball programs. Can’t say that about the rest of the big 10

[@eboethrasher]

@@gamemasteroffun clearly you don't understand that if MLS had been open from the jump, there would be no MLS right now. They could and should move towards pro-rel but when teams can't fill stadiums regularly, you will see teams go under frequently. People are not investing sums of money to simply then be kicked down to the USL level. Maybe if people would actually come out and fucking support the game here, then there would be a better chance of it. But see, in other nations, they had support before it was a multi-million/billion dollar business. Not so much in the US. After the NASL folded, when they did everything the wrong way, they knew they had to do it differently to ensure the league lasted. So they did what they did. Now that there are individual owners for every team, they could move towards it slowly. But still, the money involved at the jump makes it prohibitive compared to other leagues. You seem to think it is ok to have sheiks and Russian bag men owning teams, there is evidently no conflict there, hmm. That's not what we want here. Sorry.

[@a.j.petrarca2268]

Watching this brought up so many old emotions. I can't wait for the rest of this series!

[@AssociationGamers]

It should be illegal for Football (Soccer) teams to be relocated to other cities. Maybe you need 50+1 fan ownership like in Germany. I wish we had that in England.

[@AssociationGamers]

@Benj Smith Productions Thanks for the video link, it was very interesting. I hope that Football(Soccer) can be an exception in the US. Because although that's the history of other sports in the US, it's certainly not the case for Football(Soccer) around the world. It goes against core fundamental values of the game. The foundations of the game. Community pride and a sense of identity. Real value and meaning in history. If that can all be changed and taken away to another city, it completely kills the value and identity that community had through their team. Which is so sad. Imagine Liverpool/Manchester United/Barcelona/Real Madrid/Glasgow Rangers/Celtic/Ajax doing that. That's unbearable. Sorry for the rambling, but it's something that football fans around the world feel so strongly about. #SaveTheCrew

[@soulspace9088]

They use the franchise model throughout all the major sports in the US which I absolutely despise because it allows for stuff like this to happen. To pick up and relocate like that is so disrespectful to the city and fans of the team as well as the history of the club and what they represent. This cannot be allowed to take place.

[@celebrim1]

At least one small market team in the NFL, Green Bay, has fan ownership to keep this from happening. Green Bay is sort of the founding team of the NFL, but it's in a comparatively small town in a comparatively small state (Wisconsin). The fans knew that to keep the team they had to buy a majority stake in it.

[@BxlHoppr]

This is a masterpiece ! Weird that this vid has so few views... I can't wait to see the next chapters :)

[@balham5606]

I’m glad Columbus crew didn’t move to Austin Texas and Austin now have a MLS soccer team. i liked the old Columbus crest logo badge. Texas now have three MLS teams.

[@shortcake926]

Thanks for this,! As a NY Redbull fan, I was saddened to see what was happening in Columbus.

[@EveningEcho89]

This is really great content guys and thanks for bringing this story to light.

[@ethanhatcher5533]

Dude. A+ Work. Glory to Columbus

[@HarcusCGTV]

Brilliant stuff... real football fans bring me to tears.

[@pieceofeden182]

This has similar vibes like Wimbledon FC. Unlike Columbus, Wimbledon FC did eventually succumb to moving to Milton Keynes and became MK Dons. And Wimbledon fans created their own club AFC Wimbledon and started from the bottom all the way to League 1, Tier 3 of English football pyramid. While MK Dons had the easy way out and didn't start from the bottom of the pyramid. Luckily, Columbus didn't have to move and Austin have their own MLS team. From what we can learn about this is, never underestimate the power of soccer/football fans. Football is for the fans, and they need to know that.

[@markusvienna231]

it's still weird to hear the american dialect but it's about football. But well done crew fans. i can't imagine that if my team didn't exist anymore, a piece of me would be torn out.

[@TANOFTZ]

I was at that game against Toronto and it was probably the most emotional game I have been to in person. That night was magical even with finishing in a tie.

[@ivanmalanquini625]

Football in Brazil at that time was a sport for the elites, and Vasco da Gama's racially diverse squad didn't appease them. In 1924 Vasco da Gama was pressured by the Metropolitan League to ban some players who were not considered adequate to play in the aristocratic league, notably because they were black or mulato and/or poor. After Vasco refused to comply with such a ban, the other big teams, including Fluminense, Flamengo and Botafogo created the Metropolitan Athletic Association and prohibited Vasco from participating unless it complied with their racist demands. The former President of Vasco, José Augusto Prestes, responded with a letter that became known as the Historic Response, (Resposta Histórica),which revolutionized the practice of sports in Brazil, because the team refused to exclude their players to please the League. After a few years, the racism barriers fell. Vasco da Gama had led the move toward a more inclusive football culture, forward-thinking not employed by leaders from Fluminense, Flamengo and Botafogo. Even though the club was not the first to field black players, it was the first one to win a league with them, which led to an outcry to ban "blue-collar workers" from playing in the league - a move that in practice meant barring blacks from playing. In 1925 Vasco was readmitted into the "elite" league, with its black and mulatto players. After that, as Vasco da Gama won the championship again, and it was again banned to play the league for the same others teams (Fluminense, Flamengo and Botafogo) because "the team didn't have a own stadium" (Vasco played in another club field). The supporters, all of them humble people gathered money and they built the BIGGEST stadium of American Latin called São Januário, who was open to the public in 1927. That same year that the team returned to play, Vasco da Gama was champion again. This is more than just football. "As long as there is a childish heart, Vasco will be immortal" Go Vasco! Go Columbus!

[@sammohanlewin145]

Fantastic video, thanks for covering MLS.

[@MichaelJarrae]

Thank you for acknowledging U.S football. It means a lot to us.

[@chrishammond2537]

As a sounders fan. Love this!

[@copa90stories]

Sounders 🤝 Crew

[@isamen540]

Yes! Loved it keep it coming!

[@jonathanlogan3060]

You fight for us. We fight for you. Together we SAVED the Crew.

[@charlesteeters6736]

Thank you for this. Go ahead and try to take our club. You won't 🖤💛🔥

[@ChizFM]

I don't know how anyone can watch this and still confidently say that American fans don't have passion for their teams.

[@jaquaviousdasian6857]

I would love to see more videos about league one or two English sides. Especially another wtf is happening here. Love your stuff!

[@anthonylong9067]

When i saw what anthony precourt wanted to do with columbus, it only brought me back to when my san jose was relocated to houston in 2006. I refuse to forgive alexi lalas for doing that. And i could not fathom to witness another team move out of a city they were built in. And i do not forgive anthony precourt for trying to do that. It’s reminiscent of what MK Dons did to AFC Wimbledon. It’s unforgivable and ruins what football is meant to be.

[@Nerdznewznow]

Being an Orlando City fan it’s nice to see MLS content

[@coreycaustic2133]

A death in the family was an understatement, the night of the tweet I didn’t sleep, I felt physical pain for weeks after the announcement.

[@TheNamesJER]

I still remember texting you and our group chat all night about it, not sleeping a wink and being miserable that whole week.

[@eboethrasher]

My depression went through the roof. I was already dealing with my spouse's mom having had horrible strokes earlier in the year, and then she died in Feb of 2018, and to top all of that off, I was in the midst of filing for Social Security Disabiity, and having examinations, and waiting for my hearing, etc. To say that this fucking sunk me was an understatement. Some people would say "it is just a team". Nah. That place is my home way from home, a place to forget all of the other bullshit in my life. And then you try to do this? But also, the JOY of the day that we were saved, I will never forget, so glad I actually went to endeavor that day as I normally don't go to such things. But that was so special to be there with "family" for that announcement. It was like getting married, having kids, and grandkids, and winning the lottery all in one minute. I will NEVER forget it.

[@scotts685]

Will this be released on DVD or blu-ray? If not, it should be because I would love to add this to my library.

[@depekthegreat359]

Colombus Crew are one of my favourite soccer teams daily in my life forever and every generations that we would be born,good friends!!!This fantastic club must be saved from the owner's greed to tarnish their heritage and history just to make more money and I am extremely so strict in this matter as I am fully supporting this campaign against him to save them once and for all,good friends!!!

[@faid421e]

There are 2 more episodes coming. Keep watching, **spoiler warning** we saved the Crew!

[@cdubs9918]

No sports franchise with a long history and a generational fanbase should be allowed to relocate. Im a Browns fan. I know from experience. I didn't watch an NFL game for 3 years. It was then I became a dedicated Liverpool supporter. Now I have my Browns and LFC.

[@lahsport9259]

Love to see mls content on Copa90!

[@kenlymendoza3708]

This is amazing.

[@fisherbrashear6894]

As a crew fan, I remember that Toronto game I got I. The stadium early and knew it was a sellout, I remember talking to my dad about why it wasn’t full and he said the same thing precourt wanted people to think that we didn’t actually sellout and people didn’t care

[@james-cq4bn]

They wouldn't dare try that crap in England lol. Imagine if they tried to move Millwall or Leeds or someone. We love the crew much respect from the uk. I'm a Bournemouth fan in England. But crew has been my mls team since then. There plans to kill the crew only made the crew stronger respect

[@liamfedrizzi5121]

woah woah woah new england's logo isnt thaaaaaat bad

[@goldeneagle87dy]

🤣

[@eboethrasher]

Now the crayons are gone too.

[@jab487]

You should have shown the College GameDay from ohio st-penn st in 2017. It looked like ohio state was playing the Crew. Overall great 1st video

[@ChristopherFrancis_]

I wish you guys (COPA90) could do a story on how San Antonio got passed up, because of Anthony Precourt in the MLS expansion. I'm sure that the Mayor of San Antonio Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolf along with our Soccer Support group the Crocketteers would be happy to oblige

[@celebrim1]

Precourt the snake screwed three cities.

[@eboethrasher]

I wish that the person who shot this had spent some time there but he was doing this all in between his normal work filming races, and he was not filming this for any particular company or network or anything, he was filming it because of how monumental it was. He just knew, from the jump. He happened to be on the ground floor in Columbus for some reason, I don't even remember why. As it says above in the description, Sean Kelly (@virtualstatman) is the guy who made it all happen. He had an early cut of it that he screened for us in Cbus that ended in the middle of part 2ish. But it had so much extra footage, interviews with former Crew players like Alejandro Moreno, etc. I hope that someday this sees either physical media release with extra footage, or a longer cut, or some of that footage released somehow on a channel. But yeah, my father and stepmom and brother all live in San Antonio so I followed what happened to you peeps quite a bit, and you got HOSED HARD.

[@drugobianconero91]

Support from a Juventus Ultras 🤍🖤

[@Jordan-lk8ry]

COLUMBUSSSSSS 💪🖤💛⚽️

[@Berlin-Amerikaner]

amazing

[@TuncOzturk]

i would like to see more mls stuff guys

[@stefanusprins]

The entire US way of organising pro sports, having teams instead of clubs means that the teams are, by design, less connected to the communities than elsewhere. I can't imagine that my club could move because it's not just the first team, it's also the academy, youth teams, womens teams and an amateur branch. You can't just take the first team out of the organisation and move it... Unlike America where the first team is all it is.

[@David-pf9xe]

Our clubs have academies and youth teams. Many have women's teams as well...

[@stefanusprins]

@@David-pf9xe Oh, i was under the impression MLS teams were structured like NBA and NFL teams. So then this "move" to Texas would've just meant disbanding the whole club and using their MLS liscence to start a completely new club from scratch in Austin?

[@David-pf9xe]

@@stefanusprins they are very similar. If the move had been done the entire operation would've been moved. Basically they would have disbanded the academy and started fresh on that level. Only signed players would've been able to be moved to Austin.

[@celebrim1]

@@stefanusprins Basically, yes. All the youth academies associated with the Crew stopped operation as soon as they announced the move.

[@musicformedicine]

Wow, I remember them not letting people in vs. Toronto at the start so it looked empty. What an absolute monster Precourt is. I mean seriously how insanely evil is that.

[@celebrim1]

Our family always takes a seat early, grabs some popcorn and that sort of thing. And we could see the line outside just getting longer and longer.

[@HazeGreyAndUnderway]

Oh fuck, Copa finally covering MLS more.

[@danlee6504]

For those saying the crew aren’t selling out the new stadium, ticket prices for the first free matches were either EXTREMELY difficult to get Bc they were too exclusive or too overpriced. Most of the tickets for the first few games were released less than a week before the game occurred. Once the hype dies down and the season goes on and hopefully the playoffs, now seats will be filled. Sellouts don’t determine if a club is successful or not, yes it looks cool on tv but it’s not the full story.

[@danlee6504]

Look at Austin rn. Sure you sell out your stadium, but your in LAST PLACE. No one gives af about sell outs if you can’t win. Not to mention their record at home is horrible.

[@andrewkunkel468]

They’ve been near sellouts too regardless, 18/19k+ with those prices is a win in my book. If they bump the prices down a little and as interest in the team grows with every game they should be selling out easily.

[@eboethrasher]

From what I have heard, NYCFC's tickets are so much cheaper. And you know their cost of living is so much higher. Greed is a bitch.

[@gregorysmaldino6947]

With the rebrand and involvement of the city of Chicago, you guys gotta do something like this for the Fire

[@andymullen]

I like the Revs logo

[@benjaminwerbovetz2492]

Fast forward to today, the club has won its third MLS cup and season tickets are sold out, with a lengthy wait-list.

[@TheMothdemon]

Truly a fairytale come true 🥺❤️

[@full0nz0mbie52]

I don’t care about soccer I’m just watching this for Scott Sigler’s narration. Where my junkies at

[@MrTonycoughlan]

And now they’re champions of the United States.

[@galenirias]

🔥🔥🔥🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

[@brandonpuckett8868]

17:18 Dr. Pete Edwards spotted in the lower right corner of the city hall rally.

[@VivaLaVerde512]

Met some Crew fans after our Match here in Austin at Q2 and they were friendly. I'm glad y'all guys were able to save the Crew. But don't forget the only ones that got screwed is San Antonio FC. I don't see why the Crew has so much hate for Austin FC. Precourt I understand. That being said. Thanks for the logo idea 💡 it really tied into everything. #GrowtheLegend #Listos #Verde #Black #AustinFC 🇳🇫

[@eboethrasher]

Maybe you were not one of the asshole fans who were basically rooting for our team to be stolen. But many actively were. And taunting us about it on social media, etc. Being utter dicks. And you wonder why there is hate or bad blood?

[@grantgonya8574]

🖤💛

[@SanJuanCreole]

Crew 4 Life.

[@ChristopherFrancis_]

I'm so very, very, very happy for the city of Columbus keeping the CREW. This is such a GREAT CLUB who had a horrible owner in Anthony Precourt, but I'm also sad and disappointed for my home town of San Antonio WHO PUT A LOT OF WORK AND EFFORT with Bexar county, the City of San Antonio, and the SAN ANTONIO SPURS who submitted a bid for expansion along with 11 other cities to be considered as the next MLS expansion club. SAN ANTONIO HAS PROVEN THAT IT HAS a HUGE SOCCER FAN BASE, but it was passed over for Austin (who BTW didn't submit an expansion bid) and that SHADY AND NON-TRANSPARENT ANTHONY PRECOURT who sat down and had influence in the MLS expansion committee. San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the US and 2nd largest city in Texas and the SPURS WORKED HARD TO BRING A MLS FRANCHISE HERE. I'm hoping that San Antonio can some how bring in a Liga MX expansion club since the MLS passed on the city of San Antonio and ONE OF THE GREATEST SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COUNTRY THE SPURS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT. THIS WAS A HUGE CONFLICT OF INTEREST and SHAME ON THE MLS for letting this happen to San Antonio. SAN ANTONIO FÚTBOL CLUB (SAFC) would have been a great Club in the MLS.

[@ChristopherFrancis_]

I wish you guys (COPA90) could do a story on how San Antonio got passed up, because of Anthony Precourt in a MLS expansion. I'm sure that the Mayor of San Antonio Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolf along with our Soccer Support group the Crocketteers would be happy to oblige

[@seaninterpop]

@@ChristopherFrancis_ Hi Chris, film director here. I was aware of the San Antonio situation throughout and I did shoot some sequences about that story arc, but ultimately they were cut because they weren't relevant to saving the Columbus Crew, and obviously the film is called "Save The Crew". Honestly I could have made about 8 different films with the amount of footage I shot!

[@ChristopherFrancis_]

I totally understand. If there is anyway you can reach out to Judge Nelson Wolf, Mayor Ron Nirenberg, and the Spurs Sports & Entertainment in the future that would be awesome. It would be a great story.

[@ChristopherFrancis_]

I really enjoy COPA90's work you all do a great job.

[@JohnAnderssonTV]

Oh this is gonna be good

[@miamideep7642]

Don’t forget that the MLS and precourt were in this together. They told him he was doing this when he bought them

[@eboethrasher]

He asked for the clause to be in his contract, they didn't tell him to put it there.

[@GeliCarlosJ]

Thats what makes football football, connection to the city & community. Only in the US sports leagues do u see teams up and move to a different city just cuz. Hopefully the MLS doesn't become like the rest of American sports

[@albertochavez573]

What I liked about the banner is the fact they used other team's shields, including them. Kind of saying "this could happen to you". And it does happen all the time across the different leagues and also México, most recently a historic club like Morelia. It's fckn infuriating.

[@k.n2574]

Yeah, also the prohibition of promotion/relegation, the Liga MX is becoming mediocre with the pass of time.

[@awol_evan]

I hate that they changed the logo again. The 2nd one was the best.

[@TykeYT]

I came here to listen to our FDO - where's my fellow Junkies at?

[@Jagwave]

Is this narrated by Scott Sigler?

[@seaninterpop]

It is

[@scottsigler]

That's me!

[@markbakerii920]

GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE!!

[@antifugazi]

Imagine moving Liverpool FC to London or Manchester United to Leeds or whatever, this just could not and would not happen, there would be riots, the last team to do this was Wimbledon when they moved to Milton Keynes, to say it went badly would be an understatement. You can't just move teams to another city, it's not the same fans, every clubs fans have distinctive traits, Millwall's fans are are up for a scrap (or they used to be) Man City fans are known for not creating any atmosphere, Liverpool fans are known for being very passionate about their club and city... and so on.

[@JdDiehl]

Anyone know the song @ 14:55?