Hogsett expected to attend MLS All-Star events this week in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett plans to travel to Columbus, Ohio, this week for the Major League Soccer All-Star Game as part of an ongoing effort to land an expansion club for the city.

Hogsett and Dan Parker, his chief deputy mayor, are expected to arrive in Columbus on Tuesday morning and stay through the game on Wednesday night, a city official told IBJ.

Details of Hogsett’s plans during the trip—which is centered on stirring up support for Indianapolis to join MLS—have not been finalized. A league board of governors meeting and reception, scheduled for Tuesday, will feature several discussions related to the future of MLS. It is was uncertain whether Hogsett would be attending either event.

Hogsett officials have highlighted MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s news conference as an event of interest for Indianapolis-area media. That event is scheduled for Wednesday evening, a few hours before the 8 p.m. game begins.

So far, Hogsett and Parker are the only Indianapolis leaders confirmed for the trip. It is unclear whether Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir plans to attend. Visit Indy and Capital Improvement Board leaders have said they will not be participating.

Hogsett’s trip comes as the city continues to move forward on efforts to finalize a funding mechanism for a potential stadium that would be constructed at the site of the Indianapolis Downtown Heliport.

The administration in the coming weeks is expected to receive a completed feasibility study and fiscal analysis for the site from Chicago-based Hunden Partners, which will be submitted to the State Budget Committee for consideration as part of a request to finalize a new professional sports development area, or PSDA, taxing district.

City officials have said in recent weeks that they believe a would-be investor-operator group will be announced before the administration’s submission to the state is finalized.

Longtime soccer executive Tom Glick is leading the city’s efforts to secure an investor group. There also continues to be speculation about the involvement of the Herb Simon family, which owns the Indiana Pacers and Fever franchises.

Danny Lopez, executive vice president of community and external affairs and corporate communications, told IBJ the Simons do not plan to be in Columbus this week. Glick did not respond to an inquiry about whether he will be attending the events.

Pete Edwards, a minority investor who has been involved with the MLS club Columbus Crew since its founding in 1996, said he’s “thrilled” Indianapolis and other cities are making an effort to pursue their own teams.

“Soccer is growing in the U.S., and and if you don’t have an MLS team and you’re a good-sized city, you probably want one,” he told IBJ on Monday during a meal-packing event at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

“We’re thrilled that there’s interest from cities and individuals all over the country … but I know the league is committed to evaluating opportunities that make soccer more available to more people,” Edwards said. “And [the Crew] couldn’t be more excited if Indianapolis is one of those teams. I’m excited to explore that.”

Edwards, along with the Ohio-based Haslam and Johnson families, purchased the Crew for $150 million in 2019 to prevent the club from being moved to Austin, Texas. He said he thinks Indianapolis would be a good fit for the league from a rivalry standpoint, as it could fit well with Columbus, Cincinnati and Nashville in creating a strong regional competition group.

“We love rivalries, and I think sports [fans] love rivalries,” he said. “If you can drive to a game that’s three hours away, bring it on. We would love to have Indianapolis be in MLS, from a competitive standpoint—we just love having rivals that are close, whether that’s Nashville or Cincinnati. I can see how much fun that would be to have that: an Indianapolis, Cincinnati Columbus triad of teams that are all geographically so close, so it would be a great natural rival for us.”