Posted a thread in the Cosmos forum about having a pre-season derby tournament between the Cosmos, NYC FC, the Red Bulls and a fourth team for regional bragging rights. Please feel free to add your views: https://www.bigsoccer.com/community/...-derby-tournament-idea.2002916/#post-29895951
Exactly my thoughts in the Cosmos version of this thread. The Cosmos would have nothing to lose but quite a bit to gain. Imagine what they could gain among the casual fans of the area if they happened to win this thing a couple of times.
It's not like the Red Bulls have taken New York by storm. For example go to espn NY and they are on the same level as the WNBA team. NYC FC are a new team. All parties would benefit from promotion that gets more attention for soccer in the area in general. I would agree with your point if this was the Yankees, Mets, Long Island Ducks and Newark Bears. The MLS teams are still at a level of lack of general awareness where some type of bragging rights tournament hyped up in the local sports media would benefit them.
The Cosmos are a minor league team that draws 5-6K and maxed out with 12K at first game ( I would consider NYCFC a failure if they only drew 12k to their opener) , nothing more. It would be exactly the same thing as a Yankee, Met, Long Island Duck tourney. The MLS sides have nothing to gain and it would only feed into the delusion that some have that the NASL is somehow a co-top division with MLS.
The Cosmos are minor league like Red Bull and City are feeder affiliates for European clubs. That's not really what the tournament I've proposed is about. It's meant to be a regional tournament regardless of league. The fourth spot could go to Philadelphia, Rochester or even a play-in of the winner of a round of local metro area NPSL/PDL teams. Perhaps you are afraid NYC FC will lose?
It has nothing to do with who could win or lose a game. This makes no business sense for RBNY, NYCFC, or MLS. Why would they give any kind of promotion to a team/league that fancy's itself being a business competitor of MLS ? It would be the same of thinking that McDonalds should promote Burger King's Wopper.
Oh, Sport Billy you rule this forum with an iron fist. Ed, I don't think MLS sees NASL as a threat. It is an incubator for franchises MLS will one day poach like San Antonio, Indy and Minnesota. So I don't agree with your Whopper comparison. Peterson can talk all he wants but MLS does and should see a strong D2 as a good thing
Don't see how this would be a bad thing. Do you honestly see newcomers to American soccer leagues or the sport as a whole choosing a D2 team? The people who attend or take interest in this tournament will either already have pledged their allegiance to one of the clubs (majority of attendees) or probably haven't followed the MLS, NASL, USL, etc.. much, if any at all. If they end up choosing to follow one of the clubs after seeing the tournament, I don't see many passing up two MLS teams for a lower division club. I'd guess that no more than 10% of the newbies would choose the Cosmos. Are there any other possible negatives? NYRB and NYCFC will make money, the club's supporters will love to have regional bragging rights and silverware, and it's more exposure for them as well. Seems like a win - win all around to me.
NY is a "major league" city. In general there is little interest in minor league teams (as evidenced by the 5-6K attendance despite all the Cosmos hype). Make this some sort of exhibition pre-season thing even less interest. MLS knows that bringing in big Euro teams to play friendlies is the way to make money, not playing minor league teams.