It didn’t seem possible. A grassroots effort to save the hometown soccer team may have resulted in a winning solution.

Major League Soccer is now negotiating the sale of Crew SC to Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, and Edwards Companies chairman Pete Edwards, to keep the team in central Ohio.

The families of Haslam and Edwards are part of the prospective local ownership group seeking to purchase Crew SC and keep it in Columbus.

The plans also include building a downtown soccer stadium in Columbus, and potential locations have already been discussed.

“MLS is committed to keeping Crew SC in Columbus,” MLS announced, “should we continue to make progress on these critical components and agree to key terms with the investor group.”

#SavedTheCrew

Owner Anthony Precourt announced last year he intended to move the Columbus Crew to Austin, Texas.

The news came suddenly, and it smacked of betrayal.

Over 2,000 people rallied in front of Columbus City Hall less than a week after Precourt announced the potential move.

A petition urging MLS commissioner Don Garber and the league’s investor-operators to prevent this from happening collected thousands of signatures.

The Ohio legislature passed a law to slow down the Crew’s potential relocation. That led to months of litigation.

And the “Save the Crew” campaign caught on across the country.

The news today is that Precourt could be finally leaving Columbus, and will have the rights to a team in Texas.

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

The fantastic news is that the Columbus Crew could remain where they are under new ownership.

Haslam, 64, is the CEO of Pilot Flying J, a truck stop chain.

He and his wife, Dee, have owned the Browns since 2012, when they purchased the team from Randy Lerner for a reported $1.05 billion.

There are still details to work out. Will the Columbus team technically be an expansion team?

It seems certain that if the deal is finalized, the Crew will keep their name, players and identity, and will play in 2019.

However you slice it, this is a HUGE win for the Crew fan base in Columbus. They made it happen!

The Crew has deep roots in Columbus.

The first two seasons the team played at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

On May 15, 1999, the Crew opened Crew Stadium, the first stadium built specifically for soccer in the United States.

The Crew won the MLS Cup with a 3-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls in 2008.