A pack of Crew fans, about 50 or 60 of them, sat next to a throng of FC Cincinnati fans at the MLS SuperDraft in Chicago on Jan. 9. Their causerie lent a certain texture to the event. Caleb Porter, the new Crew coach, enjoyed it just fine.

The “Hell is Real” rivalry, named for some signage on I-71, is suddenly real.

“I can’t wait,” Porter said.

He was smiling. He is not renowned for smiling.

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Two days earlier, when Porter was introduced at a news conference in Columbus, he gave a rousing speech that had Crew fans ready to knit new scarves at unprecedented speeds. Darn!

“The big reason I came is because of the passion of the community and the supporters — the way that they rallied behind saving the team,” Porter said. “Everything becomes more cherished. Every moment now becomes almost a new beginning, and everything is a little sweeter. You almost lost your club, and it makes you appreciate every little detail.”

Make no mistake: Porter also was drawn by a new ownership group led by Dr. Pete Edwards’ family and by Dee and Jimmy Haslam. Reportedly, Porter’s contract will pay him $1 million per over five years. That’s almost Ohio State offensive coordinator money, and it is not the MLS norm.

Together, the new Crew owners are among the wealthiest “investor-operators” in the league. They are working on plans to build a $230 million stadium on what might be best downtown location in the league. When the stadium is online in 2021, work will continue apace to repurpose the Mapfre Stadium site as a training facility and “community sports park.”

This is a fantasy world for Crew fans who for decades were vexed by alligator-armed, absentee owners. The last, Anthony Precourt, bought the club in 2013 with the intention of scuttling the market and dragging his public trust to another city.

The righteous power of the Save the Crew movement had a decided impact on Porter — and on Tim Bezbatchenko, who left a high-profile job with Toronto FC to become the Crew’s chief of business and soccer operations. Bezbatchenko grew up in Westerville, graduated from DeSales and his family has had Crew season tickets since 1996.

“When we won in Toronto, it only mattered because of the people around you,” Bezbatchenko said. “Who’d you share this experience with? And I feel like with Columbus, with these fans and this city — when we win, it’ll be better than anything you can possibly experience in sport.”

How do you really feel, Bez?

Bezbatchenko is convinced that the new owners will do what it takes to compete with the richest big-market clubs.

“I think what you’re starting to see in the league is there are certain owners who really want to set the bar high — and with resources, you can,” he said. “The things you can use discretionary spending on are DPs (designated players), TAM (targeted allocation money), and you can use it on coaches and your academy.

“Everything else is equal, when you think about it. The teams that are able to top their roster with designated players and bottom their rosters with their academy … over time, you’re going to see some teams separate ourselves.”

He said “ourselves.”

“I think Columbus can be one of them,” he said. “It doesn’t mean we’re going to spend the most, but I think it helps to have the resources when the time is right.”

The Crew is known as the league’s first chartered franchise, which is to say it’s the oldest. With the team in its 22nd year, its fans had to organize a massive, rearguard action to thwart an escape. Their cause drew a host to their banner and among the host was a reserve force of new owners, led by the team doctor.

They have hired a couple of hotshots for the rebuild. Can they win here? This can be said: In this, the team’s 24th year of operation, aspiration has a credit line.

marace@dispatch.com

@MichaelArace1