Major League Soccer May Come to Austin: Your Texas Roundup

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“This man in the Oval Office is a soulless coward who thinks that he can only become large by belittling others.”

—San Antonio Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich to The Nation on Tuesday. Popovich also called President Donald Trump him a “pathological liar” who is “unfit intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically” to hold office.

BIG NEWS

World’s Game
Austin may finally land a Major League Soccer team. Sports Illustrated reported on Monday night that the MLS franchise Columbus Crew, one of the North American Soccer League’s original teams, will move to Austin in 2019 unless the team reaches a deal for a new stadium in the Ohio city. Crew owner Anthony Precourt will reportedly announce his plans to move the team in a press conference on Tuesday. Austin has looked for an MLS team for years: It’s the largest city in the nation without a professional sports team and is considered an excellent market for soccer, as the Austin American-Statesman notes. MLS Commissioner Don Garber said at SWSW last spring that Austin “is a special place, and in many ways it mirrors the incredible value and dynamic that exists in soccer in America.” He added, “it’s what’s driving MLS—this young, this diverse, this energetic, this tech focus, this globally connected group of people living in a city. That’s what we’re trying to capture in our country.” Austin doesn’t have a soccer stadium big enough for an MLS team yet, so the new franchise would likely play in a temporary facility for a few seasons before a soccer-specific site would be unveiled in 2021.

MEANWHILE, IN TEXAS

Guilty Plea
Three months after police found dozens of immigrants—eight already dead—trapped in a hot trailer in a San Antonio Walmart parking lot, the truck driver pleaded guilty to smuggling. James Bradley Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death and one count of transporting aliens resulting in death on Monday, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The 61-year-old faces up to life in prison, and will be sentenced by a federal judge in January. A total of 39 undocumented immigrants were found inside the trailer on July 23. In addition to the eight found dead at the scene, two more people later died from heat-related injuries. The deceased were from Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Immigrants later told investigators that anywhere from 70 to 200 people were crowded into the hot trailer, with only one small vent for air.

Court Date
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott should find out the fate of his challenge to the NFL’s six-game suspension for domestic violence this week, as attorneys representing the second-year star will get an emergency hearing in federal court in New York on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press. The NFL suspended Elliott in August after a yearlong investigation into domestic violence allegations involving several incidents in 2016 with his then-girlfriend. He never faced criminal charges, but the NFL found his actions warranted a suspension. A federal appeals court ruled last week that the NFL could begin its suspension of Elliott, after a series of legal challenges resulted in a temporary injunction that allowed Elliott to play the first five games of the season. Elliott’s legal team filed a request for a temporary restraining order on Monday, and will have a hearing Tuesday in the Southern District of New York.

Dreaming of Google
Google is honoring one of Texas’s most famous singers with a Selena-themed “Google Doodle” Tuesday, according to the San Antonio Express-News. The Google Doodle is a custom-designed version of the company’s logo, appearing on the Google.com homepage. The company regularly features unique doodles, and Selena gets the honor to celebrate the release of her self-titled studio album 28 years ago, on October 17, 1989. “We thought that it would be the perfect time to celebrate both Selena’s legacy and Hispanic Heritage Month,” Google spokeswoman Charlotte Smith told the Express-News. The GIF logo shows a cartoon child Selena changing into the star musician. There’s also a featured online exhibit at the Google Arts and Culture website, showcasing photos of Selena’s outfits, her Grammy, and fan artwork.