Inside Minnesota Soccer — Austin Aztex Likely to Announce Move to Orlando, Florida

It’s likely USL will announce next week that Rawlins has found new investors from outside the US and will move to Orlando and join the USL Pro League. They will also form a relationship with Steve Donner, formerly with the Rochester Rhinos and the Orlando Titans Lacrosse team.

As previously stated (more than once), I don’t deal in rumors here. However, the frenzy that quickly broke out on blogs, Twitter and the Aztex BigSoccer forum was met with deafening silence from the Aztex front office all day.

Until, finally, this content-free statement:

“The organization is aware of the rumors that have been circulating about the future direction of the Aztex. In these difficult economic times, the ownership group has been working hard to pursue additional investors to secure the long-term future of the club and continues to do so. At this point in time, there is nothing concrete to report on that front, but we will continue to pursue all of our options and will make an announcement as soon as anything is solidified.”

Without actual, concrete news to report, I hesitate to further spread the panic many of us feel at the prospect of losing pro soccer in Austin. But while nothing is official yet, that non-denial statement from the Aztex cannot be ignored.

I fear the worst, and am plumbing new depths of the phrase “gutted” tonight. Rumor has it that an official announcement will be made on Monday, so I either need to move on to the next stage of grief or seriously stock up on liquor for a long weekend.

I’ll refrain from writing more until I have more (any?) facts to bring you.