Not as far fetched as you might think. Millions of people in this country believe much more far fetched lies. This is a drop in the bucket and you couldn't script a better rebrand if you tried.
Owners have done literally everything right with this team and come out looking good because they did the "right thing". They had built plenty of goodwill for the investments they had made. If this really was the plan all along, there is very little risk because hardcore fanatics who complain the most will come running back like an ex-girlfriend because you dropped the "SC" from the name.
Hardcore fans coming out looking like heroes because they "saved the team" again.
Teams still gets a rebrand with a whole lot more media attention than a simple new logo would generate.
I'm not saying this is actually what happened but people absolutely know how to manipulate fanaticism for their own gain.
There's a key player in this you've left out that would lend at least a little more plausibility to your theory....
The MLS itself and Don Garber.
I don't think local ownership is as crafty and/or dumb (depending on your perspective) as you suggest. Again, the logical, straight-line thinking would be just listen to the fans in the first place and tout that rather than piss them off and THEN make a show of listening.
Buuuuuut ... what if this was never really the local folks idea? What if MLS and Garber were the ones pushing for it and local ownership is just being good soldiers and taking the hit? I don't know that that is the case but it certainly feels completely plausible to me. I don't want take the local owners totally off the hook as they went along with it and I'm sure at least somewhat bought into "hey, yeah new merch sales!" but MLS essentially owns all the teams and very clearly has a heavy hand over everything.
MLS: Do this.
Crew owners: Eh, ok, but fans aren't going to like it.
MLS: Do it.
Fans: BOOOOOOOO.
Crew owners: We told you.
I didn't even have to waste a shred of tin foil to come up with this one!