The Columbus Clippers made news – and new fans – last September when they offered free admission for their final three games in the Governors' Cup playoffs. The Clippers will offer the same deal this season, team president and general manager Ken Schnacke said Wednesday, provided they meet their regular-season attendance goal. Speaking at the annual Morning Sports Report held by the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, Schnacke told about 800 attendees in the Greater Columbus Convention Center that 2016 playoff tickets again would be free if the Clippers reach 600,000 fans before the end of the season.

The Columbus Clippers made news – and new fans – last September when they offered free admission for their final three games in the Governors� Cup playoffs.

The Clippers will offer the same deal this season, team president and general manager Ken Schnacke saidWednesday, provided they meet their regular-season attendance goal.

Speaking at the annual Morning Sports Report held by the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, Schnacke told about 800 attendees in the Greater Columbus Convention Center that 2016 playoff tickets again would be free if the Clippers reach 600,000 fans before the end of the season.

Columbus, comfortably in first place in the International League�s West Division, stands fourth in the IL in attendance with a total of 471,447 fans. The Clippers would need to 9,182 fans over their final 14 home games to reach 600,000.

�It�s nice to have a benchmark,� Schnacke said. �It�s a goal, and we might do it anyway even if we don�t get there. It really did make a difference last year. It energized this place.�

Schnacke also announced that the Clippers are negotiating to host the Triple-A All-Star Game as well as the Triple-A National Championship game in 2018. The events would coincide with the 10th anniversary of Huntington Park.

�I�ve positioned it so that it�s ours if we want it,� Schnacke said. �There are some financial thresholds we�d have to guarantee, but we�re working on it.�

Also at the Sports Report, Andy Loughnane of Crew SC announced that Columbus is nearing an agreement with U.S. Soccer to secure a 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Mexico in Mapfre Stadium.

The United States men�s national team has played Mexico in World Cup qualifying matches in Columbus in each of the previous four World Cup cycles, the Americans winning each time by a score of 2-0 in 2001, �05, �09 and �13.

The U.S. has not yet qualified for the CONCACAF �Hexagonal� round of World Cup qualifying but is expected to advance after Group C matches next month at St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Sept. 2) and home against Trinidad and Tobago (Sept. 6).

If the Americans finish first in Group C, they would host Mexico in round-round play onNov. 11. If the U.S. finishes second in its group, the home game against Mexico would be playedMarch 29.

�We don�t have a signed contract yet,� said Loughnane, Crew SC�s president of business operations. �But the work we�ve put in appears to be paying off.�

The featured speakers at the Sports Report were Fox golf analysts Paul Azinger, Curtis Strange and Brad Faxon, who are in Columbus for this week�s U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club.

rstein@dispatch.com