Major League Soccer. Respect your roots.

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.

Trees are fragile. Branches can break and trees can die. The roots are what grounds a tree. But even one single tree in a field can be ripped from the ground by wind or a storm.

But what about the tallest and oldest trees on the planet?

The famous, giant Redwoods in California.

They can achieve a diameter of 24 ft and become 1.6 million pounds They can live to be over 2,000 years old and have graced the planet for more than 240 million years.

They must have massive, deep roots, right?

Wrong. The roots of these Redwoods only go down about 6 feet into the ground. But these trees can withstand strong winds, earthquakes, fires, storms, and prolonged flooding.

So what is their secret?

The trees grow close together and as they grow, their roots intertwine with eachother. Their roots allow them to grow. The strong hold the new up. And then once the new grow strong, they join the others to hold the weak up. They do it, because they know that they are stronger together. That the only way they can exist, is to help eachother. To remember their roots.

Beneath the surface, the roots act like an army, standing with arms interlocked. Withstanding anything that the world throws at them. And in the process, creating a beautiful symphony of nature, for the world to experience.

That is the crossroads that we have reached with soccer in the United States.

Soccer is still young and it is still as fragile as a bunch of single trees planted sparingly in a field.

But we have an opportunity to grow as strong as the great Redwoods.

We must come together as a nation of soccer fans. Every league. Whether it’s the MLS or NWSL. Or USL and NASL. Or the NPSL and every other league and level of US Soccer. Whether you’ve donned a jersey, watched every game of your team, or just visited once. You are all a part of this ecosystem. You are all a part of this narrative.

We must come together and continue to build the roots of soccer in this nation. Every league and every fan is interconnected to the future of soccer.

So I plead to Don Garber. I plead to Anthony Precourt. I plead to every supporter of soccer.

Do not stand by and let one of the roots of American soccer be ripped from Columbus. From the MLS. From soccer in the United States.

Instead, let’s continue to build and grow these roots. Let’s intertwine the roots that are currently here, and let’s continue to grow soccer in this great nation.

As new markets and new clubs emerge, whether in Nashville, Sacramento, and Cincy. To Detroit. To Indy. To St. Louis. To across the nation. Let’s intertwine our roots like an army of supporters interlocking our arms around them, so that they can grow to strong prosperous clubs with rich history. And then they can join us as we interlock our roots around every other club. Whether the original ten. To new clubs like Atlanta or Minnesota. To clubs that have yet to be. We may be enemies on the field, but off the field, we are one. We can grow and grow and grow and continue to grow. So that every young boy and girl can fall in love with this beautiful game.

So, Don Garber, Precourt, and everyone else out there. I plead to you.

Respect your roots. And let’s see what we can build together.

I explore creativity, entrepreneurship, and everything that life has to offer.

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