When the Austin City Council approved a preliminary agreement Wednesday with Precourt Sports Ventures and Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt, most outside of Columbus took it as a sign that the end is near for Major League Soccer’s first team.



The vote allows Precourt and PSV to move forward with a deal that would move the Crew to Austin, where Precourt has said he believes an MLS team under his leadership can thrive despite his underwhelming track record at operating a sports team.



When asked after the meeting whether he had a message for Crew fans, Precourt said nothing. He even boldly said the process of planning the team’s move had been “emotionally taxing” on him.



But back in Columbus, Save the Crew leaders like Morgan Hughes and John Zidar saw the decision in a different light.



“The only thing that’s changed between 24 hours ago and today is that Anthony Precourt is no longer our problem,” said...