Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber defended his, and the league’s, handling of the once-potential move of Crew SC to Austin, Texas, while expressing confidence in new ownership and the new stadium plans for the club.

Garber was the most recent guest on Sport Illustrated’s Planet Futbol podcast with reporter Grant Wahl and was again asked about Columbus.

“Sitting here with you about a year ago, this was a pretty black cloud hanging over things. It’s in a different place now,” Wahl said to Garber. “I thought the Crew was out of Columbus. Did you?”

“No, I didn’t,” Garber replied. “I knew that was a distinct possibility. Again, I think at times when guys like me talk, not everybody hears because they form their opinions based on their judgment as to what decisions are made and how those decisions are made. And that’s fans, that’s social media driving that. And in many cases it’s the influential media, not all media. But it’s the ones that are influencing debate.”

Garber was last seen in Columbus on Jan. 9 when the club introduced owners Pete Edwards and the Haslam family, Caleb Porter as Crew head coach and Tim Bezbatchenko as club president.

On the podcast, Garber repeated on his “parallel path” vision about finding a resolution where the Crew stayed in Columbus and former owner Anthony Precourt was given a franchise in Austin, Texas.

“We said from the very beginning that we were going to have a parallel path, and everybody sort of dismissed it. There was a parallel path,” Garber said. “We never ever, ever took our eye off, while Anthony Precourt was looking at what he potentially could do in Austin, what did the league need to do to ensure we had an effective solution in Columbus.”

There were three things, Garber said, that needed to happen to save the Crew.

There had to be new local owners, a downtown stadium project that has become more commonplace with expansion teams across the league, and a more engaged fanbase “because low attendance and low corporate — it was not because anybody did anything wrong. There was just a confluence of a bunch of things that were not working.”

He also criticized the city for being “dismissive of the league for many years,” but praised the people for working with MLS to keep the Crew, specifically the Columbus Partnership and Mayor Andrew J. Ginther.

Garber said the Crew have record season-ticket sales for the 2019 season, though the club has not disclosed official numbers.

Garber also said the league needed to give Precourt a couple years to get his stadium project up and running in Austin.

Austin FC’s stadium at McKalla Place is about 10 miles outside of downtown Austin.

Columbus City Council approved plans on Dec. 10 for a new $230 million soccer stadium in the downtown Columbus, just west of the Arena District in an area being called “Confluence Village.”

Austin FC is scheduled to join MLS in 2021, when the Crew are aiming to move to its new stadium.

“Here we are today,” Garber said, “at least the table is set for a new beginning in Columbus and a more effective launch of a new team in Austin.”

jmyers@dispatch.com

@Jacob_Myers_25