Dr. Peter Edwards is part of an incoming Crew SC owners group that has a long to-do list, including hiring a coach. [Joshua A. Bickel/Dispatch] ▲

On Oct. 12, news broke that the Haslam family had joined the Edwards family in a bid to purchase the Crew from a San Francisco venture capitalist. It was said then that the Crew was "all but saved."

Earlier this month, when plans were unveiled for a new-stadium development in Columbus, and an old-stadium redevelopment in Columbus, it felt like a rubber stamp. Done deal.

It is not — not quite yet.

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Usually, it takes take months to close on a purchase of a pro sports franchise. Usually, it takes years to chart a plan for a stadium. The Edwards and Haslam families have been asked to accomplish both of these tasks in six to eight weeks. It's boot camp for rich people.

The rhythm of Major League Soccer demands it. Free-agent season is already here. The first international transfer window opens Jan. 1, the player combine is in Orlando, Florida, from Jan. 3-9, the SuperDraft is in Chicago on Jan. 11, and training camps open the third week of January.

The Crew's new owners are operating in a nebulous, unofficial capacity until their purchase is completed. When will it be done? It has long been surmised that an official announcement won't come until just before or just after Christmas. Such is still the case. The thing might even drag into early January.

As the paperwork is processed, soccer operations remain bottlenecked. Presumably, the new owners don't want Crew Cat selecting Johnny Futbol in the first round of the SuperDraft. They want smart people in place and they're working on it. It is increasingly likely they will be compelled to make some important announcements before their ownership is finally documented. Circumstances demand it.

Former coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter, who on Dec. 2 departed for the U.S. men's national team, had sweeping power over Crew soccer ops. On his way out the door, he did yeoman's work in preparing the club for its transition. Mensch.

Berhalter, Dr. Peter Edwards and Dee and Jimmy Haslam have been intimately involved in the process of taking The Next Steps. The new owners can fix the bathroom doors later — they need a new coach tout de suite.

The Dispatch on Thursday confirmed that they're closing in on hiring former Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter, long rumored to be a candidate.

That came after reports that Porter was deep in negotiations with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Porter apparently did talk to the Galaxy. The Los Angeles Times reported that the sticking point was the contract term. Porter then re-embraced Columbus. The man has a good agent.

On Thursday night, a well-informed source indicated to The Dispatch that Porter-to-Columbus was a virtual lock. Then in the wee hours of Friday morning, yet another highly placed source told The Dispatch to hit the brakes on Porter-to-Columbus. Say what?

That is how things are breaking here in Limbo. The new owners are not yet owners and, until they are, they can't sign anybody. Not officially. It is a weird place, but it is better than McKalla Place.

The rundown:

Porter, Crew assistant Josh Wolff and the incomparable Guillermo Barros Schelotto have for weeks been the top contenders for the coaching job.

It seems as if it's Porter's job to lose right now. Something could snag the hiring process between now and whenever the Crew sale is ratified. Shoot, something has already happened between Porter and LA — after he was seen with Galaxy brass at a Lakers game. Courtside.

I liked the idea of Wolff, who could provide a smooth transition. He has done excellent work as Berhalter's right hand (just as a Kamara or a Zardes). He has interviewed for a number of head-coaching jobs and he is ready. It wouldn't be a terrible thing to give him two years, see how he does, open the new stadium and go from there. But Porter is the man at this point.

Schelotto is the dark horse. His candidacy has complications. Although he has parted company with Boca Juniors — the legendary Argentine club for which he played and coached — the timing of the split was not optimal for Crew purposes. Schelotto has also spoken with Atlanta United and the Galaxy, and the smart money is on Atlanta. The man has a good agent.

I have heard that there will be two managers placed above the coaching position. What does this mean? Hard to say. It might be very Euro-like, what with all the sporting and the technical and the directing and the programmes. If we're lucky, someone will be "GM."

Respected former New York Red Bulls sporting director Ali Curtis and longtime MLS and men's national team coach Bruce Arena have reportedly interviewed with the Crew. Another name that has popped up is Tim Bezbatchenko, a well-regarded Toronto FC VP/GM who, if nothing else, can flat-out work a transfer deal.

Arena's name has for a month floated about Columbus. For what position, exactly, is not clear. It's likely there are other candidates floating around for the management job(s), however the job(s) might be defined. It's hard to tell because there are non-disclosure agreements papering the process.

Soon, the bottleneck will be cleared and things will happen quickly.

marace@dispatch.com

@MichaelArace1