As soon as the news hit that Anthony Precourt was exploring a move to Austin for the Columbus Crew, I’ve been having trouble bringing words to it. I have been a fan of the Crew since I was a little kid, and now I’m living in Chicago. I felt like a part of me was being ripped from my existence. From the story of who I was.

I grew up watching the Crew. From being a kid in Ohio Stadium. To falling in love with soccer watching Brian McBride wear the black and gold. To cheering Eddie Gaven as he ran down the sideline. Or Carroll and O’Rourke landing tackles in the middle of the field. Or bowing to Lord Guillermo as he took a corner. To praising every ounce of effort that Frankie left on the field. To the excitement every time the ball lands at Federico’s foot. The list can go on and on, but this is not the time for this narrative.

No, we are going to talk about roots.

Lamar Hunt dedicated himself to building soccer in the United States. And he continued to do that til’ the moment that he passed.

What we have here today in Columbus and in this nation when it comes to soccer, can be traced back to him and every person that has helped build soccer at that early stage.

We are now at a crossroads though. And I’m going to take a minute to talk about roots. Specifically one type of root.