By Okon Ekpenyong

When former Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt announced plans in 2017 to relocate the Columbus Crew to Austin, Texas, hashtag #savethecrew started trending. As time progressed, the team won the 2020 MLS Cup, and today, it announced it would host the 2024 MLS All-Star on July 17, 2024, for the third in franchise history, putting the city and state on edge once again. Woohoo!! The last one was hosted in 2005.

The old crew stadium, now known as the Historic Crew Stadium, hosted two All-Star games in the city in 2000 and 2005. It may also host some of the activities associated with the all-star games in 2024. The incredible season in 2020, which ended with an MLS Cup win over Seattle Sounders FC, would have failed to take place if the club had relocated.

As intriguing as MLS All-Star games are, you never know who they will play, but they have played a few English Premier League teams for the last couple of years. For example, this year’s game in Washington, DC, will be against Arsenal FC on July 19. And this means that the league remains committed to gaining international viewership since many of its players are foreign-born, and it continues to grow, especially with Messi’s upcoming signing for Miami FC. Messi may play in that game since he’ll officially join Inter Miami on a multi-year contract in July of this year.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who fought to keep the Columbus Crew in Columbus, attended today’s announcement at Lower.com Field at the Columbus Crew’s stadium. Johnson of Haslam Sports Group, Mayor Andrew Ginther, and Ohio Governor DeWine also participated.

The team remained in Columbus with the backing of Private-Public firms and a lawsuit filed by Mayor Andrew Ginther and Governor Mike DeWine, the state’s attorney general. A 1996 state law says that any sports teams wishing to relocate to another city after receiving benefits from the city or the state must provide at least six months’ notice.

One reason Precourt cited for wanting to move the franchise was the lack of funding or securing a new stadium in downtown Columbus. Under Precourt’s Twin Oak Ventures’, Austin FC launched in 2018 and began play in 2021. Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and other inventors and backing from the city of Columbus and the State of Ohio invested $314 million into the Lower.com Field stadium. So ultimately, both Austin and Columbus became winners.

“It is a global game, and since Central Ohio is home to a large immigrant and refugee community, we hope that it will inspire soccer fans, especially those who do not attend the games regularly, to look forward to the 2024 all-star game and experience the beauty of the stadium”, said Columbus Crew executive.

As MLS Commissioner Dan Garber stated, the all-star is an excellent opportunity for fans to participate, as it offers a variety of activities for everyone. In 2021 and 2022, MLS All-Stars competed against Mexican professional club, so it was an incredible experience for fans to watch one of the league’s biggest games on an international stage.

Although Columbus Crew missed the 2022 Playoffs last year and did not renew the contract of their longtime coach, New Coach Wilfried Nancy is building an exciting team to watch in his first season.

“In everything we do, the Crew is dedicated to excellence on the pitch, creating engaging experiences and memories for our supporters and serving as leaders in the community, and hosting the 2024 MLS All-Star Game accomplishes all those goals,” said Crew Owners, Dee, and Jimmy Haslam.

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