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New York-based supporters group backs Cosmos in wake of NYC FC announcement

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By DAN KARELL

The announcement to create New York City Football Club as the next Major League Soccer expansion franchise elicited positive responses from across the city and country.

However, the Borough Boys, a supporters club whose mission is to “assist in bringing a top flight soccer club to New York City,” and to, “dedicate themselves to supporting the club and representing the fans in club and league affairs,” has announced their opposition to NYCFC.

The group released a statement on Friday, saying that while they are happy there will be a club within the five boroughs, they disagree with the Manchester City ownership group’s goals for investing in MLS.

“While we always desired an MLS franchise, what we never desired was being forced to accept a foreign club’s world wide branding ambitions, using New York City as a vehicle to promote a separate soccer club abroad,” wrote the Borough Boys in the statement. “The news that Manchester City will be establishing a new MLS expansion franchise, using “synergies”, cross promotion and color schemes of the parent club can only be described as disheartening.”

In turn, the supporters club has decided to back the New York Cosmos in NASL this season and beyond.

“Over the past three years, we have been working closely with the New York Cosmos, in part because we felt they were the best choice for MLS expansion and in part because they demonstrated a commitment to being an authentic New York club, a club that was born of New York, made its history in New York, and a club who’s very iconic status in this great city attracted countless members to the Borough Boys.”

What do you make of this statement? Do you see NYCFC struggling to recruit fans?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. It’s done. NYCFC, unlike the Cosmos, are gonna be playing in the MLS. The BB need to know that they have no one else to blame but the Cosmos for being disorganized and shorthanded with funds and promises. Good luck with your Soccer Mom fans at Hofstra attendance.

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  2. All of you saying this team is a bad idea are all out of your minds!!!

    1.- Soccer in the US sucks!… MLS teams lack good players (besides the almost retired ones that come here to extend their careers and some even prefer to appear in movies rather than play soccer)… Man City backing them up is a bad idea?… wtf… Bringing all that money and invest in training young talents to take to play in their club is a bad idea???… What’s wrong with you! If they can find talent and create the next Aguero… Sure they’ll take him to the Premier… But there are going to be TONS of players that are not going to have the talent of Aguero or Messi that will stay in the MLS and bring fresh talent to it.

    2.- if the first point turns to be true, it wont only be good for Man City, NYCFC, and the MLS… It’d be good for the US national team as well… Being Europe’s farm for soccer players is not only good… It’s incredible… Training the future generation of soccer geniuses in the US… Ar you kidding me?… How awesome is that!!!

    3.- For the guys wanting the Cosmos to be in the MLS… Don’t argue to the people making the choice… They made the choice to bring the team with the most money and that will definitely be betteranaged…. Instead of bringing a mediocre team… That sounds like the right choice to me… If u wanna argue with someone, argue with the MLS about not opening an MLS B where the winners go up and the losers of MLS A drop to the B… Maybe your Cosmos can earn their spot in the MLS…

    If your team in NY is the cosmos it would be ridiculous for you to follow NYCFC… You can’t switch colors like that…. And noone cares if you dont follow NYCFC… It would be the same to ask DC fans to follow NYCFC… And your motto is a joke and misleading to a lot of people… Wanna do something productive? Change it… Also… If you wanna argue with the MLS about removing that stupid salary cap it would be productive as well…

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  3. It appears there are many many factors to al this. Sounds complicated. Man City, NYCFC, the Cosmos, the fans and supporter’s groups, the Yankees, new stadium location, and NYRB. All i can say is i am glad i am not a New Yorker and the next time i visit the area i would be inclined to see NYCFC first, followed by NYRB (gulp), finally the Cosmos.

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  4. So after waiting all theses years for a team in nyc, I get a team which is a merger between gulf oil money and the Yankees (i’m a met’s fan). Haha! This is even less appealing than then energy drink team across the river.

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  5. I feel for these guys. I remember when mls told Seattle we
    had to vote between Seattle FC, Alliance and Republic. We rallied the troops and added a write in vote, then won. It was a huge victory for supporters over profit. The Alliance is taking the field in New York.

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    • The funny thing is, you guys had the better instinct, even for profit – because YOU were their market. You kept the Sounders name and the results have proven that the suits had no idea what they were talking about.

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  6. Sorry, but The Sons of Ben is an anomaly. Sports franchises aren’t created the way the U was created. That’s what made that special. Not that we love our ownership group all that much. After all, it’s a business that needs to turn a profit.
    And this seems lost on those opposed to NYCFC. I don’t entirely disagree w them, but it’s a good business move.
    It sounds like the fear is that they won’t invest in the supporters best interests, but look at the blue half of Manchester. Pretty sure they’re happier than 10 years ago. Heck, look at the Red half of Manchester. I seem to remember some protests to new ownership in 98 then the treble happened…
    Also, there is very little creativity in US soccer scene, because it’s still new. The Cosmos were named after the Galacticos of Madrid, just like the Galaxy, who also wear all white kits at home…DC United: red and black. Houston Dynamo, who was almost named Houston 1886. Sporting KC. Real Salt Lake.
    I mean, do you think anyone in Indianapolis felt any connection with the Colts or the SF Giants or Arizona Cardinals? It’s not exactly the same, but the point is its business and the MCFC/ NYY group offered better financial stability. You can choose to not buy their product.
    But what happens if they prove to be a great ownership group that really supports the city? Will BB swallow their preconceived notions and eat crow?

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  7. As a Manchester United and Columbus Crew fan I love that Man City is running the New York team. Gives me a team I can legitimately hate in the league now!

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  8. Red Bull spent hundreds of millions of dollars building a jewel of a soccer specific stadium and has thrown millions more into world class players like Henry and Cahill (and one or two mistakes, but hey) who pour their heart out for the club. The new NYC FC owners just spent tens of millions of dollars just to join the league, partnered with the single most iconic team in US sports history to do so, and will spend hundreds of millions more to build a stadium and field a team with a bunch of superstars. Neither ownership group had to support pro soccer in the US. Both were perfectly fine and obscenely rich before they decided to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in developing the game here. So fine, whine about sports drinks and foreign (shudder) teams, and throw up your well-curated angst if it makes it easier for you to have a rooting interest in something. But all of the vitriol directed at owners who have made the unreal financial commitment they have to the sport in the US is pathological. If you decide to be a NYC FC fan, get upset with the ownership IF they make decisions that aren’t great. If you are a Red Bulls fan, get upset WHEN they make decisions that aren’t great (ok, this year looks pretty good so far). If you have nostalgia for the Cosmos (assuming you are old enough to remember them playing) and/or like the retro-vibe they’ll give off on Long Island, wonderful. Go with your gut like you did when you were a kid. But I’d bet dollars to Dunkin’ Donuts that your fandom regarding baseball, basketball, hockey, college sports, etc. has nothing to do with the ownership group of the moment, that you probably own a shirt from a foreign soccer team that was made in China, and that you’d be complaining if “your” team didn’t spend money. Me, I am glad we’ll have a bunch of super rich owners in New York and I hope Cosmos does join the league someday and their owner has even more money. More the merrier. If you want to start something from scratch, learn to play an instrument, find some friends who can too, and start a band.

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  9. New York Cosmos will buy Chivas USA (obviously rebrand to cosmos) & relocate team to New York. Stay tuned…..

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  10. Anyone comparing this to Chivas USA are idiots. Chivas named their team, Chivas USA, while this team is not named Man City USA. Also Chivas USA from day one,said that this was expanding the Chivas brand, Man City owners and Yankees have said this team will have their own image. You have a Yankee brand that is iconic, and their own TV station. This is not a black eye for the league, its another step forward. I like the NY Cosmos, however they chose their fate. They NY Cosmos owners are foreign Owners who don’t have a clue about US Soccer, which is why the NY Cosmos is doomed to fail.

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  11. Cosmos should buy Rochester Rhinos and rename it NY Cosmos and hope that MLS awards a 3rd team to NYS in the future…..lol. It will certainly be cheaper than building a $300+million Stadium to play in NASL….. LMAO

    Seriously, can someone explain to me why the Cosmos and its supporters feel like they where screwed over?
    1. MLS was 1st in bed with the Coupons ( Oops, Wilpons); Did Cosmos approach the Mets about joining forces to get this Franchise? It seems to me that the Cosmos handlers went about this in a self serving arrogant manner. They did not even have a team, yet they spent thousands of $$$ buying billboard space, selling jerseys, and false marketing themselves as a almost guaranteed near future MLS team and finally, did everything to piss the one person off that could award them a MLS slot. Garber wanted Flushing, Cosmos wanted Belmont Park.
    2. Why is the partnership with Man City an issue? These two teams are thousands of miles apart in countries with vastly different outlook on the sport. Man-City is taking a chance. Which I think is a worth while one to take. While Man-City lack a true tradition of winning cups, their partner the NY Yankees do not. Man-City brings football credibility and the Yankees bring a history of winning in the USA. What else could a real soccer/football fan ask for? I am a freaking die hard Mets fan and I am ecstatic that the Coupons will not own a millimeter of this new team.
    3. The Borough Boys! You mission statement is a true contradiction. Quote- “However, the Borough Boys, a supporters club whose MISSION is to “assist in bringing a TOP FLIGHT SOCCER CLUB TO NEW YORK,” and to, “dedicate themselves to SUPPORTING THE CLUB (What Club? Any club or just NY Cosmos) and representing the fans in club and league affairs,” has announced their opposition to NYCFC. This statement is a contradiction to their now feelings towards MLS and NYCFC since MLS is the highest flight of Football in the country and NYCFC with represent NYC in that league. Another quote, “While we always desired an MLS franchise, what we never desired was being forced (no one is forcing you to accept it….feel free to watch the Cosmos in NASL at Belmont Park) to accept a FOREIGN CLUB’S world wide branding ambitions, using New York City as a vehicle to promote a separate soccer club abroad,” wrote the Borough Boys in the statement. Wake up you guys Cosmos in its recent history has always been FOREIGN. From Saverese, Cantona, Paul Kemsley and the foreign backers like Pele et al. This BB group is simply upset at not getting THEIR team into MLS….which is understandable. Also, the mere fact the BB use the term world wide branding, tells me they are clueless to FOOTBALL, it’s a worldwide game unlike NHL, NFL, and NBA, oops, these organizations do know a thing or two about WORLD WIDING BRANDING…..

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  12. As the years go by I find myself liking MLS less and less. Now a days it just feels fake and cartoonish to me. Selling out to Red Bull, Chivas and now this Man City team. Its a joke. The wanna be european team names are beyond awful. Half the fans are hipsters that know nothing about the game. They wear ugly scarfs to mid day 90 degree games simply because thats how the europeans do it. They make chants for the sake of having chants and looking cool. Very little of anything is original. The all star game has become a horrible marketing ploy instead of pitting the best of the league against each other. Teams bend over backwards to accomidate Euro teams to play worthless midseason scrimmages. Some how every game is some sort of “rivalry” according to MLS execs.. All of these drafts and allocation have become too much. MLS claims to want parity than comes right back with the worthless DP rule that signs players for the sake of marketing. Raising the salary cap would have down much more effecient than waisting money on has been DP’s.

    The fact that a supporter group gets ridiculed for supporting an authentic team with tradition is laughable.

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    • The league has grown leaps and bounds, and yet I can’t disagree with any of your points. the points you bring up are the black eye of MLS.

      Also, I absolutely abhor the borrowed brands that MLS has allowed in the league. If I were a New Yorker (Borough Boy) waiting patiently and loyally for a local top flight team, I would have felt crapped on this week by the league. I have been a fan of MUFC for twenty years and also don’t like the Yankees. How on earth is a fan like that supposed to support this new NYCFC team? And a five letter acronym? Come on?!

      I have been quite excited about the past several expansion teams. They all have some pretty cool stories and supporters groups. The story of the Sons of Ben bringing a team to Philly is awesome. This seems the exact opposite of what happened in Philly.

      I generally like a lot of what Garber has done for the league and have never bashed him before. However, I feel like the way this NYCFC deal went down compared to how it could have gone down is the biggest blunder he has ever done in the league, after Chivas USA. Here we go again alienating a HUGE group of potential fans because of an affiliation with a brand. Perhaps Garber just wanted to piss of half of NYC to run them over the river and fill up NYRB’s stadium?

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      • Forgive me Chris but is this New York team called Man City USA? Or is it called New York City FC? because last time I check the Yankees own the team as well. Also how is selling a club to Redbull a joke,Redbull Salzburg fans seem to love it. Also do you know the definition of a Hipster? Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20’s and 30’s that value independent thinking, counter-culture and progressive politics. Which mean hipsters stay away for what is popular and follow their own flow, unlike typical European football fans, they have creativity and intelligence. So you need to understand what a hipster is, before you put a negative spin on the term. “They wear ugly scarfs to mid day 90 degree games simply because thats how the europeans do it”. Wrong they put on scarfs because they love their club,it has nothing do with Europe, if that was the case they wouldn’t watch MLS, because MLS structure is so different then Europe.”They make chants for the sake of having chants and looking cool”, what? wrong again, they make up chants to have fun and to create a great atmosphere at the game. The allstar game is the best among spots, and is so original, Australia is copying it. So on one hand, you mock the league for copying Europe, then you hate all the drafts and allocations? “MLS claims to want parity than comes right back with the worthless DP rule, that signs players for the sake of marketing.” The DP rule was to allow clubs to get higher level players, that could add something to the league, and yes as a marketing tool. Without the Beckham rule, this league wouldn’t have been known.
        “The fact that a supporter group gets ridiculed for supporting an authentic team with tradition is laughable”. This ownership of the Cosmos, is using the brand as a marketing tool, which is why they chose NASL and not MLS. The Cosmos are foreign owners with no clue about the soccer environment in America, which is why they are going to fail.

      • “Also how is selling a club to Redbull a joke,Redbull Salzburg fans seem to love it.”
        Not taking away from your larger point, but you might want to check the history on what went down in Salzburg. Wildly contentious – not beloved.
        Currently not well supported. They get schooled by visiting supporters all the time
        Sort of a Chuck-ee-Cheese for fussball

      • Unlike their NY team, Red Bull erased Salzburg previous history, which angered the fans. When Red Bull first bought the team, they were happy, but the erasing of their history angered them. Which lead to the supporter groups separating, They average attendance is 16,000 plus a game, good considering that the Austrian Bundesliga attendance is 10,000 plus a game.

  13. First I want to say I respect the Borough Boys for sticking with the Cosmos. Good for you, you guys hit a rough patch by not getting into the MLS and you didnt abandon ship. I respect that.

    HOWEVER, I am also disappointed in the Borough Boys. I am disappointed because i have been following the Borough boys for a long time through press releases, you tube, and the Borough Boys website from when they had the Brooklyn Bridge logo through when they switched it to the Skull/Cosmos logo. I beleived in what they preached…an MLS team inside New York City aka the 5 Boroughs. As a matter of fact, I just copied their Mission Statement from the Borough Boys website:

    “Established in 2007, The Borough Boys Supporters Club’s mission is to assist in bringing a top flight soccer club to New York City. Our method is to build a grass roots movement to support our goal, and to put the right parties together to make our dream a reality. When a team is announced, The Borough Boys will dedicate themselves to supporting the club and representing the fans in club and league affairs.”

    By the Borough Boys OWN WORDS their mission is to “assist in bringing a top flight soccer club to New York City.” New York City, is the 5 Boroughs, meaning Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx. for those that are unaware, the Cosmos are planning to build a stadium in or around Belmont Park. Belmont Park is a horse race track in Hemstead, NY that is located in Long Island. Long island is NOT New York City. It doesnt matter how close it may be to the city limits, that is still OUTSIDE the city limits. If you really want to be true to your word, Borough Boys, then convince the Cosmos to build inside the 5 Boroughs, otherwise you are betraying your own mission statement.

    Another point on the borough Boys’ mission statement is “When a team is announced, The Borough Boys will dedicate themselves to supporting the club and representing the fans in club and league affairs.” A team has been annouced boys. Keep your word and support NYCFC. I am not saying to abandon the Cosmos. not at all, but for now the Cosmos will play in NASL while the NYCFC will play in the MLS. You should keep your word and support the NYCFC in the MLS and honor your commitment and support the Cosmos in the NASL.

    As for me, I am excited over the NYCFC announcement. I keep my ear to the ground for future announcements, including and especially, the new stadium (WHICH I HOPE WILL BE IN FLUSHING MEADOW PARK). And i will be there on opening day with my sky blue kit. Yes i like the sky blue kit and hope that NYCFC uses it.

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  14. Way to many cry babies. I’ll be in NYC watching star players play for NYCFC while the “Borough” Boys (all 15 deep) will be at Hofstra watching the Cosmos take on FC Edmonton.

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    • You write that as if it is some insult? Is having starts all that matters to you? Do you care nothing for what it is you support, why you support it? Are you just purely consumer driven and are willing to turn you head and ignore the fact MLS just signed off on the biggest expansion in league history to a foriegn brand who’s stated goals are form their brand in NYC?

      Enjoy the matches there if you are into that, but please spare me and others your petty swipes at our dignity. I’d rather stand with 50 people fighting for something better than 1000 copy paste fans there just to see Tevez while wearing my Sky Blue as if i am oblivious to what it means

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    • Oh, and when will that superstar-quality team viewing be again? Not this year….not next year…. but maybe the year after that; unless it gets pushed back or thought out or relocated.

      By then, New York will have had three successful years with… The NY Cosmos. Maybe you can talk about a team when you have one!

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    • Thank you, ugh, for making the point so well. You can watch the team with the “stars” and an adapted image from another more high profile league. 10 times out of 10, I’d rather watch my own little team that respects the fans and reflects our city’s soccer traditions play FC Edmonton. It’s called having a soul.

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    • YOU, sir, are a shallow yuppie. The Borough Boys are hardcore footy fans. Have fun watching your over the hill “stars”.

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  15. I’ve been a Metrostars/Red Bull supporter since 1996. I’ve met/known some of the Borough Boys. The movement started with their disenfrenchisement with the way the Metrostars were run. Most of the group also lives in NY so a NY team would be more convenient. When the Red Bulls bought the Metrostars the borough boys grew even more disenfranchised with the team. I could see why the Borough Boys would resist Man City owning the new NY team. Man City has hinted that they want the NY team to be a development team for the England team. So a group of New Yorkers founded a movement for an authentic NY team, the Man City NY idea could be looked at as a contradiction. I’m not sure how large the Borough Boys is. I would guess at best a few hundred members. I’m sure even some of those members will disagree with the leadership of the group and choose to support NY FC if they put a good product on the field.

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  16. As a Chivas USA supporter, I appluad the statement of the Borough Boys. I am a “expert” in supporting a borrowed brand and I can tell you that this will present challenges not forseen by the top brass at MCFC.
    Anyways, I’m all for supporters supporting their city (all 5 broughs) and not jumping on a bandwagon looking for quick, simple branding.

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  17. First le me say i respect the Borough Boys for sticking with the Cosmos. Good for you, you have come up against a really rough patch by not getting into MLS and you didnt abandon ship. It’s admirable that you will stick with them.

    HOWEVER, I am disappointed in the Borough Boys. I am disappointed because I have been following the Borough Boys for quite some time. Through press releases, youtube videos, and the Borough Boys website. I beleived in what they preached. I just took the following words off of the Borough Boys mission statement:

    “The Borough Boys Supporters Club’s mission is to assist in bringing a top flight soccer club to New York City. Our method is to build a grass roots movement to support our goal, and to put the right parties together to make our dream a reality. When a team is announced, The Borough Boys will dedicate themselves to supporting the club and representing the fans in club and league affairs.”

    By the Borough Boys own words they want to bring a top flight club to New York City. For those that are unaware, the Cosmos are planning to build their stadium in or around Belmont Park. Belmont Park is a horse race track in Hemstead, NY, whichis located in Long Island. Long Island is NOT New York City, It doesnt matter how close you may think you are to the city limits, you still are outside of the city limits. That is just as bad as the Redbulls. They too are close to New York, just across the river, but they too are also outside the city limits. If you really want to stick by your mission statement convince the Cosmos to build in the 5 boroughs, otherwise you are betraying your own mission statement.

    Another Point of the mission statement is that you said “When a team is announced, The Borough Boys will dedicate themselves to supporting the club and representing the fans in club and league affairs.” I team has been announced boys….stick to your word and support NYCFC. I am not saying abandon the Cosmos, not at all, but for now, the Cosmos will play in the NASL, while NYCFC will play in MLS. Why can’t you keep your word and support the NYCFC in the MLS and the Cosmos in the NASL.

    As for me, I too wanted a team in New York City. I wanted something to call my own. I have been following the NYC2 expansion plans since it was first talked abotu in 2006-2007. i was so happy to hear of the announcement oof NYCFC. I cant wait till opening day. I will be there with my sky blue kit on!!!! I happen to like the kit and hope the NYCFC uses it.

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    • Although I am a New Yorker who will continue to support the Red Bulls, I totally agree with your comment. As for the foreign ownership, the Cosmos are being run by a European with Saudi money. Yeah.

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    • Dude, preach on. A lot of what the BBs said today is hypocritical. If you look at what they said previously, this was entirely okay. I have a theory. One that will surely get knocked down my BBs, but I’ll stand by it:

      I’ve encountered the head of BBs online and he’s basically a diehard Man United and Mets fan from Queens. BBs emerged when Wilpon was interested in bringing in a club. After years of brewing interest, NYCFC (a name they dubbed on BigSoccer in 2008), they realized the team will be from Man City and the Yankees…and probably not in Queens (or anywhere on the Island). If NYCFC had Man United as the head and owned by the Mets, I bet they’d be working with NYCFC right now…trying to make it have it’s own identity. But since the team won’t be on Long Island (which includes Queens and Brooklyn), the head wasn’t willing to put support behind this team. And more willing to put support behind the Cosmos. I bet if RBNY was in Queens, the BBs would be behind that club. This would explain why the head was against Pier 40, a great downtown NYC stadium option. This nitpicking isn’t making anyone empathize with the BBs.

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  18. Truly despise the posers of the Borough Boys. Their arguments are irrational and all of them seem to forget that the Cosmos success history was made in the great state of New Jersey.

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      • The Cosmos started on Long Island. We’re using the same stadium we started with the first time.

        Try and relax.

      • But if they are the “Borough Boys” why are they trying to get behind a team outside of the Boroughs so bad???? Cosmos is owned by foreign investors as well and aside from their upcoming debut in NASL they are really a corporate gimmick up until they start playing from which the owners have tried to market the brand and logo….They aren’t willing to put their stadium in the City of NY meaning maybe closer to Manhattan or at least in one of the Boroughs…and MLS wants that as RBA and even the Giants Stadium before that have suffered to get attendance…. I hope they Cosmos do well…NASL is proving to be competitive…lets see how they do vs the Railhawks, Scorpions etc etc…and in terms of attendance lets see if they can beat San Antonio’s great NASL numbers of right above 9K in the new Toyota Field…otherwise..they have no place in MLS for now

      • They aren’t, I don’t think (I’m in Sagan’s Army and outside the boroughs) but I think they just realize that MLS isn’t serious about putting a real team in the boroughs. They watched them negotiate with the Cosmos, and even lobbied for a Queens stadium in the hope MLS would really make a team with its own presence in the city.

        I think, personally, with the MYCFC thing, they realized: this is a cynical ploy to “just keep NYers following along”. And it was better to follow a storied team for NY which played its first seasons in Long Island in actual soccer competition than watch MLS mess with their heads.

        We have two months to the opener. The “(crap), we have better things to do” reason isn’t plausible in the least??

  19. it certainly seems possible that all three could exist one day if MLS continues to grow. you’d have:

    Red Bulls – New Jersey area
    NYCFC – Queens/Manhattan/Brooklyn
    Cosmos – Bronx/Manhattan

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  20. I had never heard of the Borough Boys, but I like their spirit. If you hate NYC FC, come on over and support RBNY! We’re a lot closer than going out to the as-yet unbuilt Cosmos stadium. And if it makes you feel any better, we have 250 boroughs in New Jersey.

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    • Nope, Borough Boys have stood by the wayside for many years watching us struggle to build anything MLS in this area and did nothing. They are not welcomed here.

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  21. Frankly, I am sooo tired of this hip Cosmos nostalgia. Same as acting like PBR is actually good beer rather than swill, just because it’s retro. I actually was a NASL fan and saw the Cosmos play many times…usually on crowned American football-lined crappy carpet astroturf fields. Oh, and with cheerleaders at most stadiums. And with commentators helpfully explaining what off-side is every five minutes. Give me a break. Chinaglia’s ego screwed the brand years ago, acting like it was worth millions when it is nothing but a retro clothing line. Yes, it was an important moment in US footie history. But the whiners need to lose the too cool attitude and actually look at MLS as a growing league, finding it’s footing. Right, the hallowed EPL would never countenance “foreign” ownership, except for virtually every team in the league. Look at Portland, Seattle, and KC. Those fans don’t give a sh*t about the Cosmos brand. Bring on NYCFC and the oil money- hate sells too. After all, NYC fans supported Steinbrenner and Dolan, and you absolutely can’t get any worse than that for ownership.

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      • Not insulting anyones beer choices per se, just poseurs…from the screen name (Tom Waits reference) you might surmise I’ve been around a while. I live in DFW and am a FCD season tix holder (and Dallas Burn and Dallas Tornado). Saw lots of Chicago Sting games at Wrigley Field (Karl Heinz-Granitza!) while in college, and a few Cosmos games in NJ. Be a critic, but get behind your team and the league because that’s the only way it will grow and get better.

      • “Your team… and the league”….

        … This is the problem, isn’t it, and MYCFC just proved it. MLS owns trademarks and controls the team’s existences. You can brand your cookie-cutter “team”, but it’s really not “the team” you’re supporting, it’s “the league”. This is Chivas USA 2, and we all know how that went down.

        I’m with a different Cosmos supporter group, but I am very proud of the BB’s today. They took a stand. They supported a team in New York, and when MLS told them they were gonna get someone else’s franchise instead, they said “see you later”, leaving the door open once MLS learns their lesson.

        Cheesy franchise teams don’t sell in NY and that’s why Red Bull Arena sometimes has lower actual attendees than, say, the San Antonio Scorpions on a good day.

        Thank you for your opinion from the past. I’d like to speak to the other 70,000 people who showed up to Cosmos games who aren’t watching MLS now and see how they feel.

    • So basically you’re saying “shut up, sit down and enjoy MLS”.

      That’s what people say in Soda stadium.

      I’ll pass.

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    • I was a NASL fan, too. I am a Portland Timbers fan now. The Timbers, the Sounders, the Whitecaps, etc. demonstrate the vital importance of continuity in football clubs. I would love to have had the Cosmos in NY.

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      • Correct me if I’m wrong….but you guys up in the Pacific Northwest KEPT the names and saw those teams getting reincarnated in the many different competitions and leagues in which the Timbers, Whitecaps and Sounders played in correct? I mean I recall Portland having a game against Vancouver as their “LAST” game before the big move to MLS as a big deal….because you had been facing each other still but will now do it in another level and under the capacity of MLS franchises…

        I have yet to year or read about the NY Cosmos sticking around in any way?

  22. So the Borough Boys won’t be supporting two local NY-area MLS teams? How can anyone sympathize with them? Would you expect this to happen in Miami, Orlando, Minneapolis or San Antonio? Of course not. They want what they want without billions of dollars. Grow up to “Boys”

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    • I’m sure the Borough Boys would agree that if this is what MLS was going to offer NYC then those other markets deserved to be given a team first. Surprised how a few posters here seem to feel fans should be forced to accept something they don’t like simply because its given to the,.Fact i this expansion branding is insulting…if people in those cites would be okay with a foreign club imposing their brand on their local culture…well fine. It is not going over well here.

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  23. good for them. MLS’ creation (NYCFC) was centrally planned and developed without their input and is no more “their” team than the Red Bulls are. I don’t know much about this group, but most supporters groups want to build their own team culture and not have it handed down to them from the league’s central office.. Hope they stick with their club (Cosmos) and build it their way from the bottom up.

    I think that once NYCFC open up their fancy new stadium and show off their expensive roster they will have fans, there are a lot of ppl in NY, a lot of ppl who are not already involved in a club.
    No doubt about that!

    Reply
  24. Where are the self-styled Antifa / Alerta / ultra types?

    Sheikh Mansour is the Deputy Prime Minister of UAE. He is directly culpable for the execution of homosexuals, the violent subjugation of women, and an Indian guest-worker program that is de facto slavery.

    Wearing a St Pauli scarf is easy when fighting imaginary fascists.
    It’s harder when they offer you a well funded club in exchange for your silence

    Reply
    • I don’t know the ins and outs of what Monsour does or does not believe or his involvement in inhumanity . But I do know, his wife is, who’s name escapes me, was/is the President of the Dubai Women’s Establishment. They have long advocated and lobbied for equal women’s right in business, politics, education, and sport throughout the Middle East. I’m making an assumption here, so bare with me, but I suspect Monsour is far more accepting and “Westernized” than his constituents. I could be dead-wrong and Monsour could be the scum of the Earth but I don’t think it’s far fetched to think he’s not like many of his constituents based on his global success. people are more willing to turn their backs on bigots now then say 5-10 yrs. ago.

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  25. Yes, this anti-foreign ownership vein is, quite honestly, xenophobic. Clubs all over the world have or had relationships with parent clubs. There are no NYCFC fans because the team has but barely begun. In time, I’m sure they will find some fans.

    Disclaimer: I’m a die hard Manchester United supporter and have been ever since I learned to love the game as a college intern living in Asia. Consequently, I hate Man $ity, and will root against NYCFC.

    Reply
    • It is not xenophobic to want to celebrate American soccer culture and an identity independent from Euro teams. It is also not xenophobic to want a team to represent its fans and the history and character of a place. This is what sports are all about in many respects.

      MLS undervalues authenticity period

      Reply
    • Nice try, but playing the xenophobe card ain’t gonna work. No Cosmos fan will be guilted out of their support by this BS.

      Reply
      • Han, I’m not saying you can’t support the legacy of the Cosmos.

        g-dub: No, that is exactly xenophobia. You talk about “American” vs “Foreign” in New York City? Almost every ethnicity/tribe/people group the world over lives in the Big Apple. It is a city with a legacy of immigration.

  26. An affiliation with a European club in a city that already has a team isn’t what people should be focused on. The expansion fee and the total amount of money the ownership has invested in the team is what people should care about. Cosmo supporters can be as mad as they want but this is such a good move for the MLS to progress as a league.

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  27. All this anti-foreign ownership stuff and the appeals about the Cosmos being ‘authentically, born from New York’ while this new team is just a marketing opp for a foreign team? The Cosmos were co-created by two sons of a Turkish diplomat (obvs. Steve Ross was American) and had a British GM overseeing the first iteration of the team. How is NYCFC now disqualified from ‘authentic New Yorkness’ because foreign money is creating it?

    This team will be as authentically New York as you can get nowadays. The most recent “new” franchise to enter the city (BKN Nets) also had to rely on foreign money to make their in-city stadium/move happen. I fail to see the huge loss in not revitalizing the Cosmos’ 40-year-old brand when there’s an opportunity to build an entirely new franchise with a new identity. It’s the first completely new pro sports entity in 40 years, yet is getting penalized for not being a retread somehow. Amazing.

    Reply
      • Maybe you should read up on the history from 1971 before Pele…it was a local NYC soccer team from the grassroots.

      • dude, come on…

        “The club was founded in 1971 by Warner Communications executives Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun and company president Steve Ross”

      • The proof of them being a carbon copy of MCFC, after existing for a whopping 3 days, is what exactly? That they’re going to be using the club’s color in some way? Big freakin’ deal. It’s your right to prematurely jump the gun in a gigantic way about them being ‘mini-Man City’ and draw your own conclusions without any actual evidence. But it is also flat-out wrong to say they won’t create any sort of new identity considering it’s all of 3 days into the club’s existence.

      • HEY HEY we’re the Mankeees!
        People say we Mankee around…

        Lol awesome nice one Han Solo Burger

        I support this new club and using this chant

        Also very surprised at how many people on SBI who see the future

    • Well written points.

      Money is money, when it comes to sports investment international lines are blurring, and a well funded club in NYC is good by anyone’s standards.

      Reply
    • you all can suport whomever you want. No saying not to support RBNY or NYCFC..
      BB chose to support Cosmos, I am glad they have intregrity, that’s why I support 100%

      Reply
  28. I am biased….but i love that statement. MLS just assumed this group which has a sizable following for a group that has yet to step into the stands, would just go along with whatever they decided…MLS made this bed now they must lie in it…allowing a foregn club to co-opt NYC for their own designs and committing the same mistakes as in the past is an insult to NYC soccer fans. I applaud the BB for staying true to themselves and the fans. It would have been much easier to just through support behind MLS because its MLS..bold move…

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  29. I love the Comments but not one NYFC fan has commented yet, why u might ask? Because there are none, no fans , no supporters groups that are more than 3 days old, no stadium, no stadium plans, no paper work filed. NOTHING. The Boys have been at this a long time and i think they see through this like many real New Yorkers would. This was done without any thought to the fans, total money grab by MLS and it’s owners. NYCFC = Epic Fail !

    Reply
    • i’m pretty sure they took all that into consideration given the $500M they are investing. they have two years, lets see how they do. it’ll be interesting to see.

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    • I guess if BB was phony they would drop supporting Cosmos & support NYCFC. I agree w/BB 100%.
      I’m w/ them, BB 100%, Cosmos all the way. We’re not phony, so we won’t support phony clubs ( RBNY & NYCFC).

      No outsiders should determine who we should support.

      Reply
      • How is NYRB phony …we play in the league in the cup , have reall support , and your cosmos never played a game and you think you better …get the f out of here . Big difference in our clubs our is Austrian money yours is Arab money , you hire our rejects . We are energy drink club you are clothing company . You need to ern respect to be respected , and you are far away from that .
        As for BB standing with Cosmos it’s great , as you show that you not a total flip floper changing alliance every season ( most of BB were Metro or RB fans )

      • I agree, no need to insult Red Bull fans…as a former Metro guy i can respect their fans (most of them). I am very much anticipating next year’s Open Cup though.

      • I feel for Metro fans. I’m not trying to be insulting, but you guys worked hard to build a name to have it replaced by a soda. They do no marketing except to use players to market their products.

    • also noticed everyone is really saying support MLS, seems like single entity ownership is also single entity supporter’s group. single entity fandom. It’s ridiculous. Chiding a grassroots supporter’s group for supporting their team.

      I wonder when Chivas US moves, guess their supporter’s group, will be incorporated into LA Galaxy supporter’s group. This think is so fake.

      No one’s gonna make me support a club I don’t want to.
      My $$, my time, my choice, Cosmos

      Reply
  30. Well worded, well reasoned response from people who don’t approve of an international sports power running a local team. Makes sense to me. Really wish MLS hadn’t let itself be co-opted by foreign soccer teams. Besides, of any city in the country, NYC is deserving of its own brand. Transplanted Chivas and Man City brands don’t make for loyal locals.

    Reply
    • Hell yeah Boys. Someone needs to be saying this.

      So depressing not to have any fan group in place to support the corporate shell of a team. ManCity’s JV squad

      Reply
      • Um, the irony is that the “Cosmos” are almost literally a corporate shell, a bunch of investors who bought a name/logo just because they thought they could profit off of it by confusing someone into thinking there’s history behind it instead of a Hollywood stage lot veneer.

        Which, apparently they were right…

    • they’re like sneaker heads… the support a brand and thier own image… they have NO TEASM, NO PLAYERS, NO MOMENTS TO REMEMBER… how can they have and support without fabricating it?

      Reply
      • The absence of pro/rel dooms the whole concept to irrelevance. In England if some money and a hardcore of fans get behind a new Manchester team, it can be moving towards League play and even getting a FA Cup draw with ManU itself, within a few years. The whole mission statement obsessiveness can actually be justified because you can wish reality into being, in a way.

        But in the US Cosmos is more or less stuck. The SG will be dependent on other fans’ attendance just to keep the team alive, and unless they get accepted in another league, winning NASL gets you another league in NASL. Hamster in a wheel. Whoop de do.

  31. Not that I really like the Cosmos idea, but definitely agreed that the Man City affiliation is very suspect. NYCFC will always be a secondary team to Man City, inhibiting growth.

    Reply
    • MLS has been waiting a decade + for NYC to put something together. For all the money that sloshes around there, nothing ever got done.

      In the meantime, it was getting increasingly difficult to ignore groups like Orlando. And the case for something in Miami (southeast in general) became increasingly hard to refute.

      Obviously Garber and MLS want a team in NYC. If the plan is not to expand beyond 20 teams for the foreseeable future, they had to get something done in New York right now, even if that means kicking the Wilpon’s and BB’s to the curb to do it.

      Reply
      • Given this, the BB’s and NYC should be pragmatic enough to be happy to have something rather than nothing.

        Maybe they can work as an ombudsman for the organization, keeping them in check.

    • Doesn’t the team cross town disprove that very argument? It could be argued the Salzburg team is the paterfamilias but the Red Bull people and RBNY would never admit it. Chivas is the obvious counterexample but I don’t think being the Brand Echo dooms them to sucking. 3/4 of MLS would be happy to make it as far as Red Bull do every year.

      Reply
    • Agreed. There are many instances of teams using lower leagues (face facts) to create farming teams. New York City FC is a perfectly legit name, unlike a certain NJ neighbor’s… I could understand if they were going to be called NY Manchester City. But really?

      NY is an extremely expensive market. It was always going to take big bucks to get something to work. These owners back-roll Man City like giving candy to a baby – you’re guaranteed big DPs. If all you can complain about is that they are going to use the team to send younger players or cross-brand, then I know many MLS teams who’d gladly exchange.

      I’d happily go with DC City United if they were going to build a $300 stadium in downtown DC. Yes, I just sold out. No, I wouldn’t do it if we lost our red, black, and white kits.

      Reply
      • That is fine, and your prerogative…but this group is not willing to compromise integrity for the sake of some DP’s and pushing a Manchester city brand. Its an honorable position to take, even if some think its petty.

      • They have no integrity. They contradict their mission statement in their decision to back to cosmos over NYCFC.

      • Not nearly as much as you apparently care about everything I have to say. How much does your butt hurt? I’m genuinely curious.

      • grow up, child. reading these comment boards you are coming off as a preteen troll. not a good look.

      • Guys, the Cosmos ended thirty years ago. And it wasn’t even that good. Let’s move on. That seems more “honorable” and certainly more logical than supporting a brand – a brand whose best days are entirely in the past.

      • You can protest the big league Houston Astros’ personnel approach and go watch the unaffiliated Skeeters play baseball in the suburbs, but a lot of good that will really do you.

        To me it smacks of some xenophobia because Red Bull and City are no more “branded” than Cosmos. There hasn’t been a team for years so by definition it’s just a logo, a color scheme, and a name. It has local history, but it’s also been defunct for years. It was being revived for probably less than pure purposes, ie, someone wanted to make money with a Cosmos team even though they just bought a name. So how is it that much purer?

        It is noble and loyal in a way but I think the franchise is headed off a cliff. This window is gone and not enough people will care by 2015. Once City is a reality, Cosmos is a hopeless vanity project that will probably only stain the name by crashing a second time.

        They can go be the loyal Cosmos SG but when it’s just them plus friends and family in the stadium, reality will sink in and they’ll disappear without a countervailing press release.

  32. The Borough Boys are just but hurt the Cosmos aren’t going to be in the MLS but they have no one to blame but the Cosmos. Their whining is more than a little self serving a pathetic.

    Reply
    • How are they butt hurt? They chose a team to support and gave their reasons. There is no whining about how they didn’t get MLS. Stop being an internet tough guy.

      Reply
      • Their decision to support the Cosmos DIRECTLY contradicts their mission statement. They need to just admit that they weren’t fighting to bringing a second MLS team to the 5 boroughs and just admit that they wanted the Cosmos in the MLS (but the Cosmos didn’t have the money and then made up some BS to save face when they were forced to choose a lower league)

    • I’m shocked the guys tha won’t support a team be ause it is a short trail ride away would also be not picky because they don’t like the mega rich owners. Shocked I say! I guess it makes another excuse for why the teams can’t sell tickets, Garber better hurry up and reward such a great soccer city with a third team, this one locally owned and built a short walk from everyone’s house!

      Reply
    • People that use the phrase “butt hurt” should not only learn to spell it correctly, but also move out of their parents’ basement.

      Reply
    • Man, after reading the comment wars on the Internets, I can’t wait for the friendlies and Open Cup matches. Forget about the Red Bulls. This is going to be the real rivalry.

      Reply

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