So I get to be the first to start a thread here in the NASL forum! LOL Surprising if you ask me, but Grant Wahl from SI and Soccer By Ives just put it out on Twitter. Talk about a coup for the league, even if it's just for a couple of years as I'd assume it is a presursor to joining MLS. Couldn't ask for a better promotional ad then this for the league. Let the discussion begin!
Exciting stuff. Now they need to shower they can put out a product that's as good as their marketing.
The Cosmos fanboys are definitely going to need a shower. Also, I now demand the return of the Colorado Caribou. Who's with me?
Depends on how big a splash they want to make, I guess. If they're still backed by the Saudis (or whoever it was), they can afford to go big and not play at Hofstra. But I reckon all will be revealed soon.
So Rays....isn't it becoming more and more obvious that the NASL is where Orlando needs to be? You guys need to be all over Rawlins at this point. Now, not only is he missing out on a potentially huge three way Florida Derby, but he'll also be missing out on a chance to have the New York F'ing Cosmos coming to his stadium twice a year to promote instead of...Antigua.....Dayton.....LA Blues.................................
That was in the back of my mind. I wonder how this impacts Red Bull NY. Obviously to some extent it'll depend on where the Cosmos are going to play.
If they play in NY proper, it probably doesn't impact NYRB much. Since its founding, that club has largely been a New Jersey team (or so people who have worked there have told me). And no one knows yet where they're going to play, but they'll obviously have to figure that out at some point. There probably aren't a ton of perfect venues, but there are probably some decent temporary ones.
I'm honestly not familiar with smaller venues in the NY area other than KeySpan Park. What venues for a D2 soccer team are there out there?
Good for them and the league. One down and one to go to meet their franchise requirements for 2013. Also, does this imply that the ownership group doesnt' have the needed funds to go to MLS? Looking forward to a venue annoucement and staff hiring.
I would guess Hofstra is an option. Probably the largest one that isn't [Bryz]Humongousbig[/Bryz]. That was their ancestral home, they could spin it that way, though it's not an optimal setup. They could go big and go Citi Field or Yankee Stadium, I guess. But the mid-range venues? Not a lot.
Did Hofstra have grass back in the day? Because it's all fake grass and football lines now. Icahn may be smaller but at least it has grass.
Here are few that jump in my mind. Belson Field, Queens http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belson_Stadium Ichan formerly Randalls Island, NYC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icahn_Stadium Aviator Field, Brooklyn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviator_Sports_and_Recreation IN NYC ->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_K._Kraft_Field_at_Lawrence_A._Wien_Stadium
Not necessarily. The Saudis very well could have the money to go to MLS, but MLS isn't interested in limiting themselves to a single NY2 ownership group. I'd say it is more an attempt by the Saudis to get their foot in the door and try to preempt the other potential NY2 ownership groups. If the Cosmos are able to get into NASL and pack whatever stadium they are in, I'd have to imagine the Saudi's are thinking MLS will have to go with them regardless of the existence of any other potential ownership group out there.
Call me when they have money, a stadium, and real infrastructure. How are you going to start a season in 7 months without a home venue even set up? This reeks of FCNY 2.0 right now.