AUSTIN, Texas — Soccer fans are excited after Austin leaders took the next step in attracting a major league soccer team to town.

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The move comes as the Columbus Crew Soccer Club is thinking about relocating if it doesn't get a new stadium.

That team has been in Ohio since major league soccer formed in 1996.

On Thursday night, the City Council started the process of looking at city-owned property as a possible place to host an MLS team.

Austin native Sonny Guadarrama played professional soccer in Mexico for 11 years.

He thinks Austin would embrace soccer just like San Antonio loves its Spurs and Houston its Astros.

"Austin would just completely own it. They would embrace it. It would be something the whole city would enjoy — family members, parents, grandparents, kids. It would just be the best thing that would ever happen in Austin,” said Guadarrama, a retired professional soccer player.

Austin's minor league soccer team has come and gone twice.

The Aztex plan to return in 2019 — this time to Circuit of The Americas.