About 50 children had just marched in front of the Austin City Hall dais to show their support for Major League Soccer in Austin, and Mayor Steve Adler thanked the group for being part of the public input process. It was about 7:30 p.m. Thursday night during Austin City Council’s last meeting before its summer break. To the adults in the room, Adler noted that soccer discussion would be coming in a few hours, and said both the soccer-related ordinances in front of council were likely to pass. At about 3:30 a.m. Friday morning, council voted 8-1 to accept proposals for the McKalla Place site from groups besides Precourt Sports Ventures and voted unanimously to enter into negotiations with PSV to build a soccer stadium. As Adler had noted, the votes were relatively free of drama. Council members had indicated their positions early in the night, and the hundreds of citizens in attendance to watch the discussion likely knew what the result would be well ahead of the council’s action. The discussion on the dais and from the public included little talk of what action council would take at its meeting. Rather, the talk of the soccer stadium focused on the big-picture issues that citizens said have defined Austin as a city—and whether the MLS would be a potential solution to those problems or a dividing wedge. Opponents of the soccer stadium said the McKalla Place land is one of the few remaining city-owned parcels available for affordable housing, and it should be used exclusively to help low-income Austin residents find a place to live. “If you want to be proud of something, be proud that you improved the quality of life for your constituency,” said District 4 resident Monica Guzman. Earlier in the meeting, council passed a $925 million bond proposal that could go in front of voters in November and features a historic $250 million allocation for affordable housing. However, according to a recently approved housing plan, the city has an affordable housing shortage of 48,000 units, which experts say would cost $6 billion to fulfill. “It is not enough to put affordable housing somewhere else in the city,” said District 1 resident Zenobia Joseph. “Please do the right thing mayor and put soccer someplace else.” Supporters of PSV’s proposal to move the Columbus Crew team to McKalla Place said they see professional soccer in Austin not just as an entertainment option, but as a way to connect the residents of the city to each other. “In a time where so many things divide us, a soccer team in this city can bring us together, no matter our color, our class or our creed, said 17-year-old Camden Scruggs. Soccer supporter Jose Limon said Austin has been racially divided and does not provide enough opportunities for Tejanos and Latinos to celebrate their culture. After speaking with PSV president Dave Greeley, Limon said he feels the MLS will provide that chance. “Many of us with Mexican-American descent, we go to San Antonio to celebrate our culture because there’s not really much here that includes us,” Limon said. After 39 individuals spoke in the public comment session, the broad discussion of Austin’s benefits and its challenges continued on the dais. District 2 Council Member Delia Garza grew up in San Antonio, in a city she said had a strong appreciation for Latino culture, where she remembered attending Spurs games with her father in obstructed view seats behind a stadium pillar. Garza echoed her fellow council members’ view that the deal negotiated by the city manager must be the best possible for the city, and voiced her support for soccer under the right conditions. “I believe this is a great opportunity to unify this community,” she said. Adler said Austin could do better when it comes to the issues of affordable housing and segregation and hoped the soccer stadium proposal could help in that effort. While staff is set to come back to council Aug. 9 with both the proposal from PSV and other proposals, Adler said if a deal could be negotiated earlier, he would be open to releasing that information to the public before the next council meeting. “If together you’re able to deliver soccer to this city, you’ll be able to give the city something it does not have now,” he said. “And that is a grand opportunity for the city to get together for a common purpose in a way that just does not happen now.”