MLS commissioner Don Garber has insisted no decisions have been made in the Columbus Crew's potential move to Austin.
Columbus owner Anthony Precourt confirmed his club is considering moving to the Texas capital in a club statement on Oct. 17, saying the team needs a new stadium to stay competitive.
Though Precourt has stated no decisions have been made, it is widely expected he will attempt to move the team to Austin.
Precourt Sports Ventures is currently sponsoring "MLS2ATX", described as a "community of supporters working together to bring Major League Soccer to Austin, TX."
Speaking at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit in New York, Garber made his first public comments about the Crew's potential move.
Garber took a question from a moderator who said that Precourt wants to move the club to Austin and the commissioner stated, “It’s not proper to say that they want to move.
“What they’re doing is evaluating what their options are to determine whether it makes sense to move to Austin or whether or not it makes sense for them to have factors that will improve their performance and stay in the city of Columbus, so no decision has been made to move to Austin.
"Sitting as a commissioner, no league, certainly no leader of a league, wants to move a club.”
Garber said he will meet with Columbus Partnership (a group of local business leaders) CEO Alex Fischer and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther to further discuss the team's situation.
“There are times that you make these traumatic decisions that long-term they could be beneficial for the sport and the league overall,” Garber said. “The good news here is people are talking.
“We’re gonna have a meeting with the mayor, we’re gonna have a meeting with the Columbus Partnership to see what kinds of things need to happen for the Crew to work with the city and stay."
