I don’t believe the fate of Columbus is tied to Cincinnati. Precourt had his move clause in place long before FCC existed and his plans are not necessarily the plans of the other MLS owners. Several of those owners did not seem pleased when the news first broke. I have several theories on why Cincinnati? Did they want to slow USL growth? Did they want a good support story? Did they want the Cincinnati ownership? The fan fever? I’m willing to bet it is partially all of those and more. MLS knows it can make Cincy vs Columbus sell in a big way due to USOC. If Precourt sells they win in the Midwest by a revived Crew and gain a Seattle/Portland ish rivalry. If he moves to Austin, they keep Ohio and gamble with a 3rd Texas team but it would be the 1st pro team in Austin. Cincinnati and Nashville’s inclusion also means the East is sealed for a bit. I expect the next two MLS spots to go west.
-Boston (CST)
