The rumors of a New York Cosmos revival have circulated for a better part of three decades, but the first real signs of a potential comeback for the storied club have emerged.
A group has purchased the rights to the New York Cosmos brand and stand poised to capitalize on Major League Soccer's desire to add a second New York team after announcing its return at a New York soccer event on Sunday.
“Our plan has several phases, but if you fast-forward, it’s our aspiration to play at the highest level in this country and that’s M.L.S.,” Joe Fraga, executive director of the Cosmos, told The New York Times. “And we are serious. We want to make it relevant again, we want kids to know what the Cosmos were and are, to bring the soccer dream back to the city.”
MLS commissioner Don Garber has repeated in recent weeks that MLS wants New York to be awarded the 20th MLS franchise after Portland, Vancouver and Montreal take the league's number of teams to 19.
The New York Red Bulls are in favor of the addition of a second team in its home market, with Red Bull global soccer chief Dietmar Beiersdorfer recently telling SBI that a second New York team would help MLS and give the Red Bulls a valuable rival.
So will the Cosmos be Major League Soccer's 20th team? It will if the new Cosmos ownership group can flex the financial muscle MLS likes to see from ownership groups, and if the team can secure a stadium, there is little doubt the Cosmos will be playing in MLS before long.
My thoughts on a Cosmos return? I wondered if Peppe Pinton would ever A) actually sell the team's naming rights and B) if anyone would ever pay the steep price for them. However the final deal came about, when viral marketing evidence started to pop up around New York with Cosmos logos emerging on stickers around the city, you knew something was afoot. A Cosmos return can succeed if the ownership group has the deep pockets and sharp leadership necessary to succed as a new team in MLS.
A second New York team can succeed, even though a less-than-soldout Red Bull Arena would suggest otherwise, but Red Bull has begun to flex its financial muscle and should establish a strong foothold before a Cosmos team would arrive in two or three years. Having two quality MLS teams in New York would tap into the strong soccer fanbase in the area as well as increase Major League Soccer's profile nationally and internationally.
What do you think of this development? Like the idea of the Cosmos returning to the American soccer landscape? Hate the idea of a second New York team?
Share your thoughts below.
Can Red Bulls please give Jersey its team and give NY the Cosmos….80% of the attendance of from Jersey anyway and you cant have a NY derby when one team plays in Jersey.The NY NJ rivalry would be tremendous…NJRB’s are avg 16,500 fans i dont think thats horrible….come talk to me after Marquez plays..New Yorkers stay away from RBulls let Jersey keep this team…..cant stand the bitching already
As far as the Wilpons are concerned, I’ve read where it’s been speculated they took a big hit with the whole Madoff deal and that’s why they’ve lost interest. Not sure if any of that is true.
Johnny Thunders, I loved your work with The Heartbreakers. So sorry you OD’d in New Orleans. We miss ya.
LIC, LIC, LIC, JAckson Ave & 21th St. NY COSMOS. NO FC, UNITEDmaybe Cosmos County
Because for some of us who don’t have satellite or digital cable, more European soccer is shown on TV.
Still no team in the Southeastern US. Sad.
Red Bull Arena is NOT closer to the “CITY” than Flushing. First, Flushing is in the “CITY”. Second, if you mean Manhattan, you are still wrong. In fact, they are nearly the same distance depending on where you are coming from. Finally, the fanbase that the MLS is seeking to attract wont be from Manhattan– it will be the middle class of Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. It will be the Russians and Chinese of Sheepshead Bay and Brighton Beach. The African, West Indies, Hatians, Jamaicans, etc of Bed Stuy, Jamaica Ave., Flushing, etc. It will be “soccer moms” kids from LI, Greeks from Astoria, Italians from Bed Stuy…etc, etc.
true icahn is only accessible by bus or car. also accessible via the 103rd street footbridge. in a way randalls island central to the city since it sits between manhattan, queens, and the bronx and is connected by the triborough bridge.
no subway would be a big hurdle. only solution would be ferry service from parts of manhattan and queens that stop near subways. im sure the ferry companies in NYC would jump at the chance to service so many people.
imagine pre-gaming at the LIC taxi-beach bar then taking the ferry to the game. that would be a unique expirience!
I’ve heard of stupider “derby” ideas. Heritage Cup anyone?
After New York, I would bet the house Atlanta gets a team. Nowhere else is there an investor which is the most important part of getting a team.
And the Silverbacks are coming back.
Cosmos – Galaxy! The 1st Extraterrestrial Derby!
Look, I’ll only like it if they get to build a stadium in urban New York, perhaps the greatest untapped urban soccer environment on the planet. If they can appeal to the kids on the street, have a stadium up the block and around the corner, have it feel real New York. A stadium in South Brooklyn would be an amazing accomplishment.
Bring ’em back. The buzz of the name is well worth it for MLS. Many non-soccer fans even remember the Cosmos.
Is Randall’s Island available?
My career soccer highlight was playing a U12 match on the field prior to a Cosmos game at Giants stadium.
If team is actually IN THE CITY then I am all for it!
Who knows of space available close to public transport?
Isn’t it about time NY got a team?
The Red Bull play in NJ and should admit they are a NJ team!
They should be called the NJ Red Bull!
+1.
Florida is not a viable place for a franchise they have shown that there isn’t the support, Atlanta or Raleigh-Durham are both great spots for MLS to get a start the Southeast. The Atlanta stadium would have to be on the north side of town(more money and interest) being located on the MARTA line would be great. Atlanta is the 9th largest MSA in the country and home to many of the US biggest businesses(the people that buy suites and season tix.) Just need the ownership, come on Arthur Blank!
I don’t know. I got to see the Cosmos as a kid. I would love for them to come back to life. And, as a Brooklyn resident, it would be much easier for me to have a team in NYC.
However, I have held tickets for RB/Metro for several years. If you really do love the sport and want a league to succeed here, you have to put up with inconveniences to help make it happen.
I’ve been willing to do that and wish many others in the area would, too.
Red Hook!
Rangers sell out most games. Their attendance was nearly 3K more per game than the Hurricanes. The Canes were 8th from the bottom in attendance last season. The Thrashers are even worse, with only the Islanders and Coyotes drawing fewer to their games. Combine the track record of poor attendance with smaller TV markets and a lack of money being put forth for a team in the Southeast, and I can see why it won’t happen anytime soon.
Agreed. Imagine an MLS Cosmos teams with the likes of Joey Gjertsen and Chad Barrett – way to rape the memory of the Cosmos legacy! Sometimes it’s better to let the past remain history.
Didn’t know it even existed. That might make the Cosmos a very viable option in the short term, with plans to build a SSS with subway access later.
Regarding the southeast issue, MLS should buy the Empire Field Temporary 20,000+ seat stadium from vancouver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qvP9YFtgFQ
and move it to promoted division 2 teams
this would allow a somewhat feasible promotion system
or hell just give it to ne or dc
As someone wrote above, Icahn is only accessible by bus or cab.. They could run more buses for sure, but not a long term solution.
Yeah, I agree about the two Florida teams that flopped. I’ve been DC United supporter since 1996 simply because it was as close to a home team as there was. It just seems to get harder to see games. I had HDNET but can’t see those games any longer. FSC seems to have less games and Time Warner for some reason can’t get the HD broadcast. ESPN has their game of the week and that’s about all I can see. Direct Kick is a joke. It’s like they’re shooting the games with Fisher Price cameras and high school camera operators. It’d just be nice to have a team less than 6 hours drive from me so I could support the league.
Getting to RBA is super easy. Those who knock it are just lazy. They won’t be motivated to go to NYC2, either. “Ooh, the 7 train sux…”
NYC is spoiled with RBA. We don’t deserve it, and I love it!
¡Dale Metro!
Florida is a poor choice of state since it is mostly ex-New Yorkers who make up its populace…
As much as I would love to see a team in St Louis as someone who grew up there, until there are the deep pockets Ives writes about willing to put up the cash needed for a team and SSS in St Louis, there won’t be an MLS team in St Louis. The MLS does not care about the fan base when it comes to expansion, it cares about money. As we have seen with the financial problems AC has had, someone big time needs to step up. Maybe Stan Kroenke could step up?
I don’t think there is something wrong with this philosophy, especially when the league is still trying to increase revenue and expand further, but it is a reality in the sitation
What about Icahn Stadium? Is everyone forgetting that the former Cosmos stadium is still around and could be modernized with a renovation? It’s also pretty convenient for people from all boroughs.
I always laugh how it’s MLS’s fault that certain cities don’t get teams. They deserve it screams some internet genuis! LOL stuff.
Deep pockets, committed owners, fiscally viable stadium soltuion. It’s that simple.
Florida, Atlanta, etc. are all teeming with those. MLS has proven over the last several years that they know how to build from the ground up. They actually shown that they know better…remember the screams for the Rhinos (LOL), St. Lou didn’t have the cash, and Saputo’s whining/demanding did nothing but force him to play ball and wait his turn. I know it will get lost with most that post here, but what the league has accomplished over the last several years has been incredible here in the US.
The only way a 2nd NY team gets done is if someone is willing to throw out huge amounts of money. Huge. Sad, but true. Queens would be perfect, but the chances are slim. The only reason RBA got built is because RB was willing to just throw money at everyone to make it get done. Without that here it won’t happen IMO.
Seeing that criminal Giorgio up there is laughable. At least thye didn’t let him speak. That would have been way to much of a joke.
I wish/hope/pray it happens but reality tells me it isn’t happening unless Wilpon is on board. He has the land in an area the NIMBY’s wouldn’t burden the bid. That and another huge investor.
“Deserve’s got nothing to do with it”….William Muny
Land, cash, politics has everyhting to do with it.
With each passing year that I don’t live in DC, it becomes harder and harder to follow. And yeah, when there isn’t a local interest, it does become harder to follow. At least I can go to a Braves game and watch the Phillies.
Jamez, sure the team is dreadful. You are right about that one.
But you lost all credibility when you dogged my fellow DC fans. Especially when you threw out the Metros card. How are you going to tell me that ESC is any better than Screaming Eagles Or Barra Brava or La Norte.
I can’t stand a lot of the ESC fans that I have met (a lot of annoying, immature clowns looking to start stuff–kinda like what other people say about some of the DC supporters)–but I gotta give the devil his due. ESC brings it. I have seen them travel down the turpike to support their reserves play a USL2 (Baltimore) side at a high school. Yes we were happy to see them go home (like I said, too many annoying clowns trying to be wannabe hooligans) but at their best, they brought more flavor to the game and they showed how to really support a team.
Props to them but you need to put down the pipe if you want to be taken seriously if you are going to say that they are somehow “better” than DC fans.
Indeed. Staten Island might as well be Jersey. But luckily there is no chance in hell that would happen and the only person who ever mentioned it was in these comments.
Single entity revenue sharing, in the short term builds the game throughout the US.
Who said I’m not a Red Bulls fan? Just that, for some, when Red Bull erased the name, jersey and history of the club, Metro died a little. I can’t with good conscience chant “Come on Red Bulls.” I’m sorry…but my morals never seem to waiver…even after the stadium, Henry, and Angel. I’ve been to about 5 games this year, so I’m definitely not the absent NYC MLS fan. But that Red Bull was never my ideal.
Not to mention, I’ve been pro-Cosmos-in-MLS for years.
I used to live in DC and I don’t think RFK sucks nearly as much as people keep saying.
Sure, it’s a really old facility, but it’s super easy to get to by public transit and there’s always a good view of the field.
I’d hate to see DCU leave. The history of DCU is really the history of the MLS. I read somewhere that they are seriously considering moving to Baltimore which would be a shame.
Preferring a New York team that actually plays in New York doesn’t make you a Eurosnob. I can’t believe that actually needs saying, but apparently it does.
“My take is #21 & #22 are Atlanta and Miami and #23 & #24 are San Diego and Phoenix.”
They need to try and balance the East & West Coast conferences. Hence, why a new NY team makes a lot of sense. The addition of a deep-pocketed Cosmos team will help an East Coast conference that’s struggling right now.
I think after 20 they’ll try to move some financially unsuccessful teams to new markets.
Agreed, the team would have to be located on the eastern end of NYC or even Long Island in order to have that cross town rival feel(but with L.I. you would have the same problem as RBA). I would love to see the “new” team use either citi or the new yankee stadium if they can’t afford/find a proper location of their own to start.
I agree. MLS wants to be uniquely American as much as they can, hence the reason for All-Star games, playoffs, and conferences. Thus, in order to be more uniquely American, they must expand beyond 20. I think for most of the rest of us in the Southeast, we understand this fact. Thus I feel its not really a question of if, but when. Arthur Blank was financing a bid, but is not anymore I guess. There is a new group that is determined to place Atlanta on the international soccer scene, so I imagine something will come out of that.
Thierry Henry didn’t seem to have a problem making it on the train. I’m just saying…
I would love to see the Cosmos back on the scene, but agree with all those that say it should be:
a New YORK team
How about a SSS in Queens or Brooklyn? It doesn’t need to be huge… 25K perhaps. The rivalry games with RBNY could be at a larger neutral (perhaps pointy ball) venue.
I live just southeast of Nashville, 3.5hrs from Atlanta. If there were a team in Atlanta, I’d buy season tickets the day they were released. I might not make every single game, but I’d make a majority. I follow the LA Galaxy a little bit, but only because they played a friendly against a mexican team in Nashville like 8 years ago or something. Other than that, the MLS to me is only relevant to check up on any potential MNT players.
Ha. Bring the Cosmos on. My RB New York will stomp them
Although if they did change the name to NJ insetead of NY (which they never will for marketing reasons, who knows if Henry would’ve came if it was NJRB) I think the rivalry would actually intensify. Their is a strong rivalry between NJ and NY (specifically people from NYC). Just check out a NJ Devils vs NY Rangers game.
First, NYRB is averaging over 16K a game this year, and that average will go up following the Galaxy game which is sold out. That seems like pretty solid support.
As for a team in Queens–The trip to Harrison is pretty easy if you live in Manhattan, but if you’re out in the boroughs, it gets cumbersome. I really doubt many from Queens or LI are trekking to Harrison for a game. A team there would tap into that market. Also, I think many here are underestimating how famous the Cosmos brand is worldwide. A New York team branded as the Cosmos is going to sell a lot of gear. If MLS does put the second team in Queens, it makes a lot of sense for them to pony up for the naming rights.
I work in Newark, NJ and really want to get behind the Red Bulls, but I also wish they would be the Metrostars sponsored by Red Bull. Also, I was at the Barclays challenge and the Harrison PATH stop just couldn’t handle the crowds. The hour long wait to get crammed through the station doors soured the night for me and, more importantly for my girl. It will be impossible to get her out there again even though she enjoyed the game.
I lived in Whitestone, Queens for many years so I feel your pain.
I am a fan of bad jokes, so nice one!
There was a time when I wanted the Cosmos name and team back, but after watching Once In A Lifetime, I am cool with the Cosmos name and folklore remaining in the path. Bringing it out of the moth balls and putting the team in Queens, doesn’t seem right. Let’s move on.
St. Louis will be #20 or #21.