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Report: Cosmos agree to terms with former Real Madrid star Raul

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raul-zimbio

 

By RYAN TOLMICH

Months after rumors linking the two parties initially began, it appears that Spanish legend Raul is finally set to join the New York Cosmos.

ESPNFC reported Monday that the former Real Madrid star has finally come to terms on a multi-year deal with the Cosmos after months of speculation regarding the player and NASL club. Raul, who visited the team earlier this month, will reportedly take charge of the Cosmos’ youth academy which is expected to launch in 2015, in addition to playing on the first team.

The Cosmos declined to comment on the report.

The 37-year-old forward most recently played for Qatari club Al-Saad, for whom he last appeared in March. 

Raul spent 16 seasons with Real Madrid, where he won six La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League before departing for Schalke 04 in 2010. In addition, Raul remains Spain’s second all-time leading goalscorer behind only New York City FC forward David Villa.

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What do you think of this report? How do you see Raul performing with the Cosmos next season? What does this move say about the Cosmos?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  5. I love the Cosmos for one reason.

    They have a real chance to be the pain in the ass that will make

    MLS clubs take the Open Cup seriously

    The douchier, the better

    Reply

    • I think the Multi-year deal with the Academy position is more important than playing. Let’s not forget that Real Madrid wanted him to comeback to Coach and if he was going to sign with the Cosmos they wanted him to only sign a 1 year deal so he could come back to coach. So he turned down Real Madrid to join the Cosmos Organization… That means something. Perhaps the decision to join the Cosmos had more to do with his wife’s career than his career. Regardless it’s a big deal regardless of what the Anti-Cosmos crowd has to say. As for the folks in Manhattan, I thought they only watched Euro leagues anyway. I was shocked to learn that anyone there even knew what MLS was unless they worked in the league office.

      Reply

      • +1 Raul also has an exceptional reputation as a professional. While it’s hard to know what this actually means or if it’s true, I do remember when I was on vacation in SE Asia — where Real Madrid TV is about the only channel I could understand at all — in 2007, Raul was on an insane amount of the progamming, doing all kinds of live work (even interviewing the basketball team). Cool to see, as he was still a pretty big deal in the first team back then.

        I agree the Cosmos have a good asset, regardless of what he can achieve on the field.

  7. The Cosmos are a small club. We average about 5k, as low as 3k and as high as 7k. Almost 10k for the derby against Red Bull. We’re a small club, but we’re also only two years into the reboot. The club is modest in marketing because we don’t have the stadium, but it’s coming. Maybe we’re a blip, but we will grow.

    Also, joke on his age all you want, he will perform at this level. Di Vaio and Henry perform in MLS at 37, Raul will be the same. Even if for some reason he doesn’t, he’s not just going to play, he’s going to be head of our academy. He could never play a game and still prove to be vital to our growth.

    Cheers.

    Reply

  8. Serious question for those in the NYC area: Are the Cosmos even a blip on the radar there? Do they have a real fan following, or are they struggling?

    Reply

    • Team plays in the middle of nowhere in a college stadium and draws about 4k a game. And that’s without NYCFC competing in the market. With the owners’ deep pockets, they can hang around indefinitely but I’m not too sure what the point is. I guess for families out on Long Island who just want to bring their kids to a soccer game and don’t care about quality, it’s an option.

      Reply

      • Hempstead is “the middle of nowhere”? The Town of Hempstead (a weird NY designation for non-NYers) has more people than Charlotte and the immediate surrounding area has about the same number of people as Dallas, and that’s before you even get to the eastern parts of Queens or Brooklyn. Even New Yorkers sometimes forget how many people live in the metropolitan area outside of the 5 boroughs. As for the point, they just won NASL last year, so I guess as long as that league has a point then they have a point. As for quality, they beat Red Bulls B team just this year. No, its not MLS level, but that’s to be expected. There is plenty of room for them for the same reason there is plenty of room for AAA baseball. I suspect Cosmos owners are more ambitious than that though. I’ve seen more ads for them in the Queens subways than for Red Bulls.

      • Wow, I guess if we have a “number of subway ads” world cup or something, Hempstead Cosmos will be champions. Then they can bring back Pele because they don’t mention him often do they?

    • Coming from a neutral living in Manhattan, the Cosmos would hardly qualify as even a blip on my radar. I’ve literally never seen any press coverage of the team anywhere other than SBI, and I don’t believe they have a local TV contract. As slowleftarm pointed out, they’re playing in a college stadium (on turf with football lines, no?) and getting a few thousand fans from what I understand. Beyond that, not a factor. I’m no RBNY fan, but I’ll make it out to RBA a couple times a year with some of the guys I play in a league in the city with. I’m probably the biggest MLS fan of that group, but honestly I’m not sure the bulk of those guys know that the Cosmos exist. There is some excitement about NYCFC coming next year though. There’s a debate as to whether that will cut into RBNY’s support, but honestly don’t see it as much of a factor for the Cosmos – I don’t think they’re big enough to even bleed support from. No bone to pick, just the way I see it.

      Reply

      • Not sure how that qualifies as crying. Just saying that from my perspective (as a local player and avid fan) the team and league as a whole aren’t on the radar. I have no problem with the Cosmos having big ambitions, just don’t see a team playing in the minor leagues with a bunch of MLS cast-offs and some aging Euros as something. But I’ll also say this, as someone who works in local politics/economic development – there is no traction on that Cosmos stadium you guys keep referring to. NYCFC is having real negotiations with the City to secure a deal for theirs – it’s complicate, and may take a some time, but the will and resources are there, on both sides. Nothing brewing with the Cosmos fan – that was just a proposal presented to the state for local economic development planning, nothing more.

      • To be fair, none of the current pro soccer teams in this area register a blip on the radar in NYC. I would agree the Cosmos are less known due to not having the hype and PR machine of MLS behind them and being in NASL but generally speaking real fans of soccer in the area are aware of them, the guy/girl that started liking soccer after the last World Cup, prob not so much.

        Like any club, growth and attention is linked to success and providing the public what they want. A new stadium for the Cosmos, new academy system, continue growth of NASL, signing known players and good local players, and generally just running a good soccer club will get them forward.

        The biggest quiver in their arsenal is they are the only NY/NJ professional soccer team that isn’t an absolute bastardization of either a commercial beverage product or a blatant farm team/ FFP workaround. Of the 3 they are far and aware the most authentically NY team right now. As time goes on and the club gains more notariaty, i think that will take on even more notable importance.

    • Hey Hey!! Lady’s!! Please!!! No more stadiums drama!!

      FYI MLS started without stadiums!!! Think before u lady’s start to cry!!

      This is how real soccer teams are born!!

      Plus!! They are helping the community! Help the college & local area!!

      Go Cosmos!!!

      Raul Welcome to New York!!!!

      Reply

  9. I wonder who will get their stadium first, nycfc or cosmos, given that red bull plan to stay with MLS and it seems cosmos won’t buy them.

    My dream scenario would be cosmos buy red bull or cosmos get their stadium around queens, nycfc stays around the city and red bull rebrands to empire united or empire metros.

    By the way, I was also surprised cosmos didn’t get ronaldinho.

    Reply

  10. well…..based on the fact that Senna has been with the club for 2 years, its the same signing.

    Anyways this is good for the club, and good for the league.

    I think the Cosmo’s realize that there time is ticking on establish the Cosmos as official team in NY with the coming arrival of NYCFC.

    Reply

      • Ok, I’m not sure that I “get it either”.

        When I. Read your comment around here, I’m still not sure if we’re supposed to take you seriously. Are you playing around with us, doing the incredibly overexxagerated “I drank the Cosmos/NASL Kool Aid” thing?

        Or are you being dead serious? Even with the way that you incorrectly spelled “dumbas”…

        There’s gotta be a lot of sarcasm thrown in…

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