David and Kelly Foust woke up at 5:45 a.m. Saturday to celebrate the dawn of a new era.

David Foust, 30, quickly ate his Frosted Mini-Wheats and the couple threw on their Crew SC attire before driving out to join a crowd of about 50 in the parking lot of Mapfre Stadium for a sunrise toast with one of the Crew's new owners, Dr. Pete Edwards, known as just "Dr. Pete" to Crew fans.

Together, the group shared a few glasses of champagne to celebrate the first opening day of the Columbus Crew under its new ownership.

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The couple came back home to rest before the 4:30 p.m. game, returning to the stadium parking lot before noon with a "Crewsmas Tree," an artificial tree adorned in black-and-gold Crew memorabilia, with yellow presents to celebrate the big day with their "second family."

"It's the time of year everybody looks forward to," Kelly Foust, 30, said. "The first couple (of) chants when we get in there are going to be really emotional. It's done. (Crew SC is) staying."

Edwards and the owners of the Cleveland Browns, Dee and Jimmy Haslam, reached an agreement with Major League Soccer in December to purchase the Columbus Crew and keep the team in central Ohio. The team's previous owner, Anthony Precourt, had begun talks to move the Crew to Austin, Texas.

Supporters rallied to keep the team in Columbus and the group #SaveTheCrew was launched, quickly becoming the leaders of a social-media mass movement.

The parking lot at the North Side stadium on Saturday afternoon was filled with more than 10,000 Crew SC fans jubilant that the season would be underway. Kids kicked soccer balls around and beat a pinata with a black-and-gold bar while adults grilled with friends, enjoying beers and taking warmth by the fire pits.

Announced attendance at Saturday evening's game was 17,435, which ended in a 1-1 tie between Crew SC and the Red Bulls of New York.

"It's really incredible to see kids growing up with soccer in the U.S.," said David Miller, #SaveTheCrew spokesman. "My wife and I, we don't have kids, but we are Columbus till we die. My future children will grow up with the Crew and with Crew fans."

Edwards met with Crew fans at bars near Mapfre Stadium on Friday, appearing at both the Fourth Street Bar and Endeavor, and again with fans at Saturday's tailgate, said Kunal Yajnik, who runs the Black & Gold fan group known as 3-1-Crew in Chicago.

"There have been more community appearances by this new group (of owners) in the month and a half they've owned the team than in five years with Precourt," David Foust said.

The group has plans to build a new stadium for Crew SC in the Arena District, which fans at Saturday's tailgate said will continue to drive fan engagement.

Ryan Sullivan, 40, of Cleveland, said "no one knows Columbus" better than Edwards does. Combined with the Haslams' success with the Cleveland Browns, there is a lot of excitement for what the group can do with the Crew, he said.

This year's season-opening tailgate was more emotional than in years past, Sullivan said.

"It's just been a party. This community loves this team," he said. "Look around: Everyone has a smile on their face. It's just such an incredible community. Everyone is looking out for one another. You don't see that with other sports."

esutelan@dispatch.com

@EdwardSutelan