This NY Cosmos brand is coming back as a minor league team that plays in a small college stadium on Long Island. I am sorry to burst your bubble, but your fantasy of what the Cosmos are and the actual reality could not be more different. They are starting at the bottom and not MLS. And even mentioning them in the same sentence as Real Madrid and Barca is laughable. I will repeat it again. They are a minor league team that plays in small college stadium on Long Island. They are not a MLS team. Once you realize that you should be able to accept what they are. Chris Wingert and Sharlie Joseph are MLS starting quality players. They certainly are not going to head back to D2. Joseph also makes about 500k a year. More than most NASL clubs entire payrolls. Got any other ideas? You don't even need to spend that much money. I don't think people realize how low salaries are in the NASL. jhope, who knows the SA Scorpions as well as anyone on BS, says the Scorpion payroll is around 400k. And they are the best team in D2 and have an old star in Jeff Cunningham. You don't have to spend millions in the NASL on payroll. Just get an ex-MLS coach that knows the league and stock up on some MLS cast-offs that are hungry to get back into the league. A few years ago D2 Miami FC brought in Romario. He scored some goals so he could get closer to 1,000 and then he was gone. At the end of the day Miami FC still were in terrible shape as a club. One of the greatest strikers ever didn't matter. With a lower division team it is far more important to build roots in the community than to splurge on old has-been players. Players who probably rather be doing anything than playing in D2 in North America. D2 and D3 are about young and hungry. Not old and defeated.
Your all too funny and small thinkers, did you think NASL would see Pele in 1975 ? Hell ******** No, but they did, so why not go at it strong again, O'brien has hinted at signing some known players, this all goes back to the AFL-NFL,AHL-NHL,ABA-NBA, the History of the majority of American sports is a rival league to satisfy the other people who don't like MLS and it's ways, so what better way to bring everyone into the fold by raising the Dead with the Cosmos and making them the it team again while having them in another league and by the time there ready for MLS half the teams willl be full of DP's. Every league needs a revolution and for MLS this is that time. get over it and for you numb nuts with out the Cosmos none of the european big wigs would ever have had the blue print to do what the NY Cosmos did and that is the Original Galacticos Mother ********ers and you can say what ever you want that's who the O>G> fans of the team know them as, nothing more nothing less !
There is a big difference between Cosmos of 1975 and Cosmos of 2013, the original cosmos could overspend and basically just make up the rules as they go along. This cosmos team is trying to go to MLS which has a strict salary cap. Its not the same. Are you actually suggesting that Cosmos/NASL should try to become a rival league of MLS? How on earth are they going to do that? I suggested signing a few names but the guys are all basically retired and I only suggested them as part-time players. Basically keep your cost down and use their names to help market the team. But to actually go head to head with MLS would be really tough because D2 teams just won't have major TV/sponsorship revenues.
on a more realistic note here are some American guys with MLS experience that are free right now (and with the near end of both MLS and D2/D3 seasons coming up will also likely be free for next season): Ryan Pore: 28 F; played for both KC Wizards and Portland Timbers in MLS and was also a pretty effective player for the Timbers D2 prior to their joining MLS Jonathan Leathers: 26 RB; a decent fullback who has over 50 MLS caps with Kansas City Wizards and Vancouver Whitecaps. Steve Cronin: 29 GK; decent keeper with both MLS and D2 experience with DCU, Portland and LA Galaxy. Kevin Burns: 27 M; journeyman MLS player with Columbus Crew for 4 years Peri Marosevic: 23 F; young player who never quite made it in MLS but has the talent to probably be a decent D2 striker Aaron Hohlbein: 27 M/D; pretty versatile player who was a decent level starter for the Kansas City Wizards for a couple of years, also spent some time on loan in D2 after he dropped out of the SKC pecking order Anton Peterlin: 25 M; signed by Everton right from college/Ventura County Fusion instead of joining MLS. Never made it at Everton and bounced around some lower English clubs like Plymouth and Wasall. Korey Veeder: 20 D/M; U-17 and U-20 national team player who played for D2 Crystal Place Baltimore and was signed by Columbus Crew but never broke thru. Dominic Cervi: 26 GK; drafted by Chicago Fire in 2008 he didn't sign with MLS and ended up at Celtic but never really broke thru and made just a few starts out on loan in Scotland. Used to be considered a pretty hot prospect at the U-20 level. and dozens and dozens of other MLS guys who will get cut after the 2012 season.
Players on the fringes of MLS teams and the better players of USL and NASL are who the Cosmos should be realistically looking at. The Cosmos we are talking about will be a MINOR LEAGUE team, nothing more. Then again they may end up playing as many games as the previously announced Cosmos PDL team.
COREY HERTZOG College and Amateur Hertzog attended Antietam Middle Senior H.S. scoring 107 career goals before enrolling at the Pennsylvania State University in 2008. He started 5 games and played in 17 his freshman year. In 2009, during his Sophomore year he played in all 22 games for the Nittany Lions, starting 17 and notching a team high 11 goals.[1] His performance in his junior year led him to receive national attention by Major League Soccer. In 2010 he was the NCAA leader in goals (20), points (46), and points per game (2.09).[2] Hertzog played with Reading United in the USL Premier Development League during his 2010 collegiate off-season.[3] [edit] Professional On December 22, 2010 Hertzog announced his intention to forgo his senior year at Penn State and become eligible for the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. He also announced that he signed a Generation Adidas contract. Generation Adidasis a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young soccer talent in the United States.[4] According to Soccer By Ives, Philadelphia Union tried to sign Hertzog to a Homegrown Player contract but were unsuccessful. Instead Hertzog decided to enter the draft.[5] He was drafted 13th overall in the2011 MLS SuperDraft by New York Red Bulls. He made his professional debut on March 26, 2011 in a 0-0 draw with Columbus Crew[6] On June 28, 2011 in his first start for New York, Hertzog scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 victory over FC New York in the US Open Cup.[7] Hertzog was loaned to Third Division side Wilmington Hammerheads in May of 2012. On June 2, 2012 he scored two goals to lead his new club to a 3-1 victory over Orlando City Soccer Club.[8]
too bad he is under contract with RBNY, a GA contract which means he doesn't count against their cap so there is no reason whatsoever for them to drop him ... and after his very successful loan stint in the lower divisions it is even less likely.
yes but he is under contract with MLS/RB meaning Cosmos would need to pay a fee for him. It is possible I'm just not sure they'd do it. Now this is a bit off topic from naming specific players but more about strategy, if Cosmos were indeed willing to pay MLS level wages or maybe better then they could use the MLS single entity against itself. MLS doesn't start signing college players until the new year before the draft. Cosmos could in theory sign the best NCAA player in November right after their season while MLS is still in their season and not signing college players yet. Imagine if Cosmos started last year and they were able to poach Wenger, Mattocks, Rowe, Silva, DeLeon, Berry, Meara, and Hedges before MLS had a chance to sign them? It would be an agressive and shocking move on Cosmos part, but it would allow them to not only put together an MLS-level team but it would allow them to sign these guys in D2 and then put claims on them as they move up to MLS.
The issue would be players with Adidas contracts, I believe the league pays most of the salary for those players so they can be signed for high money (close to 100K) and the team owners are only responsible for the league minimum (42K). That means The cosmos will have to offer 100K+ to sign those college players.
Yes they'd need to outbid MLS contracts and Gen Adidas contracts are competitive, but these would probably be the most agressive contracts on the roster. If your highest contracts are around 125k and the majority of contracts are about 40-80k, you'd end up with salary budget around 1.75M which for NASL standards would be highly agressive. If indeed Cosmos are preparing a 400M expansion/stadium bid then a 1.5-2M NASL player budget isn't outrageous especially if it gives them a advantage when they come into the league. If they poach NCAA stars this fall for the 2013 season, then they could bring them with them to MLS as discovery claims. It may help Cosmos avoid the quality issues that come with expansion teams if they can find a few quality young players while they are in NASL and bring up with them.
local boy Gabriel Ferrari ? (currently without a team) Early career Ferrari started with Blau Weiss Gottschee where he won four New York State Championships. Ferrari played high school soccer at Saint Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey.[1] He then continued his youth career in the system of Major League Soccer club MetroStars, now known as New York Red Bulls. Gabriel was the captain of the MetroStars side that captured the U-16 North American Championship.[2] He verbally committed to play college soccer at the University of Connecticut, but elected to sign a professional contract with Sampdoria instead. [edit]Italy Ferrari signed with Serie A club Sampdoria on January 17, 2007, in a deal that kept him in Italy until 2010. Gabriel made his Sampdoria debut on February 1, 2007, in a Coppa Italia match against Inter Milan, coming on as a substitute. He did not make any appearances in Serie A, the Italian top flight. In July 2008, Sampdoria announced that they loaned Ferrari out to Lega Pro Prima Divisione side Perugia.[3] He moved on loan to Serie C side Foggia for the 2009/2010 season. [edit]Switzerland In September 2010 Swiss Super League club AC Bellinzona announced they had signed Ferrari on a permanent transfer. He then went on loan with FC Wohlen in the Swiss Challenge League. [edit]United States Prior to the start of the 2011 Major League Soccer season Ferrari went on trial with Chicago Fire SC. After impressing during his trial stint, the club signed Ferrari on March 24, 2011.[4] He made his Fire debut on June 18, coming on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw at the New England Revolution. Ferrari was released by Chicago on December 7, 2011.[5]
If the Cosmos are trying to convince MLS that they are the ownership group for NYC2, then it would not be in their best interest to thumb their nose at the league by outbidding MLS for GenAd players. Which potentially could screw up how MLS does business with high school and college players. It is bad enough for MLS when a Mattocks can use Europe as leverage for a better GenAd contract. The average NASL club payroll for players is somewhere between 300k to 600k. So 1.75M is overkill. Pay MLS salaries when you are in MLS. Not before.
At the rate that Minnesota Stars ownership is going, look for a good batch of those players to be available for the Cosmos in 2013.
My Player suggestion for the Cosmos is striker Etienne Barbara, golden boot winner last year with the Carolina Railhawks and now on the MLS Vancouver Whitecaps where he never gets to play with the big boys. He did play in the Canadian Championship vs FC Edmonton this year and looked good, then subbed into a MLS game and looked good, and was injured shortly after and out for a while. He's healthy now and would look good next year in a Cosmos uniform.
Great suggestion. Perfect type of realistic player that can play and star for a future NASL team. Even the Cosmos.
This is not a player suggestion per se, but if you own FIFA13, I made a New York Cosmos on the creation center filled with some of the better players not on clubs in FIFA. Drogba, Anelka, Willian, Veloso, etc. I put some local guys mentioned on this thread as well as filler. Look for the '13 version created by gunthermali (my easports handle is my "Ron Mexico" name if you remember that meme). For real player suggestions, I love the Etienne Barbara idea - best realistic one yet. I also like the mentioned ideas of guys like Matt Kassel and Sacir Hot, and other former Red Bulls academy guys who need more time before they are MLS ready. Giorgi Chirgadze? Maybe even see what Danny Cepero is up to as he was serviceable. It's probably too much to hope Ryan Meara doesn't have a place with the RBs with Robles and Gaudette in place now, as I'm sure some other MLS team would want him.
The problem is I don't think you can get him. I believe he has a multi-year contract starting at 87K and Rennie might give him a pass this year since he knows him. It might not be fair to judge him on this year. Still a very good choice and the type of "stars" the Cosmos should look at. Players who might not be able to hold jobs in MLS, but who could be quality players at the D2 level. Not a chance. Given that he has caught the attention of Ireland and they attempted to call him up to their U-21 team, that is not happening. This is someone who might be starting in the EPL in a few years. The RBs aren't giving that up. Nor would Meara look to take a huge step back and play in the NASL at this point in his career.
The bulk of the players mentioned are all very realistic. What they need to do is a combination of finding current NASL/USL players looking for a move or out of contract for experiance. Sign a couple foriegn players with nice upside but who are a little under the radar right now. Maybe spend a few bucks to sign some sort on "name" guy that can generate interest but who you don't have to get into a bidding war for. Finally, loan loan loan. Not sure if there is a limit on loaned players in NASL...but there are a ton of contracted MLS players that have talent but not the path to consitant minutes with their clubs (Hertzog for example) that can contribute in NASL. The team does the MLS side a favor by getting real match experiance and training for their palyer and in turn the Cosmos get hungry talented players looking to prove themsleves to both the Cosmos and their parent club. As long as the Cosmos are willing to go out and sign some of the better talent available to them out there they can put together a competitive roster, and at the end of the day that is what we want...a team in NASL that can compete for the title.
a lot has been talked about the fact that the Cosmos aren't subject to a salary cap in NASL but there's also another lame MLS rule that they don't have to deal with: the allocation of USA internationals rule. i could see Cosmos going after some Americans who play in the lower divisions in Europe and aren't having a lot of success, but would be subject to allocation if going to MLS. the Cosmos might be an attractive option for players like Robbie Findley, Robbie Rogers, Conor Doyle, Zak Whitbread, Frank Simek, Mike Grella, Devann Yao, Quentin Westberg or Dominic Cervi. i like the Anton Peterlin and Gabriel Ferrari suggestions. admittedly i haven't seen all of these players play but i guess they all could cut it at NASL level. also i have a hunch Santino Quaranta could end up playing for the Cosmos...
I would imagine that most of those USMNT pool/US int'ls players you mention would probably make $150k + if they came back to MLS (most of them were and are making significantly more in Europe now). Most NASL teams don't even have normal MLS player budgets of ~$2.8 million, so I don't think they could load up on these players and keep the relative salary down. I know they are the Cosmos and there are some high expectations, but I doubt you will see a team worth of millions of dollars.
I'm a little surprised that nobody has mentioned grabbing any players from this year's NASL Best XI. http://nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=3405 Guys like Pablo Campos, Luke Mulholland, Nick Zimmerman and Kyle Altman are exactly the type of players this club could sign to start building its roster -- not to mention getting Campos and Etienne Barbara back together again would be a coup, given the havoc they wreaked on NASL defenses in 2011. Probably not likely, though, given that Mrs. Barbara wants to live out west. Speaking of former Railhawks goal scorers, what's Tom Heinemann up to these days? Did he recover from that knee injury in Columbus? I also like the idea of getting good quality college players before MLS does, if they aren't signed to GA contracts. And as for internationals, has anyone looked at any CONCACAF national team rosters lately? Maybe some of these younger players still in domestic leagues in Honduras, Jamaica, Guatemala, etc., would consider an opportunity to play in New York and possibly catch some scouts' attention.