Okay, so I’m not a New York sports fan, but I have a soft spot for the New York Cosmos and the NASL, partly because I’m a Sounders fan and they started with the NASL, and partly because MLS, while making great strides lately, still leaves a lot to be desired. So I was pretty stoked when the NASL and the Cosmos were resurrected last year, and sometimes I like to fantasize and prognosticate about their future. So checkitout, and tell me if this scenario wouldn’t be badass… So when the Cosmos returned with Paul Kemsley and Eric Cantona and Terry Byrne, they made a lot of noise about playing in MLS, but Don Garber never seemed terribly enthusiastic about this. He said he wanted a $100 million expansion fee, which seemed like way too much money. It seemed like he was trying to deter the Cosmos from making an offer, and sure enuff now everything looks like it’s falling apart with the Cosmos and people are calling it a disgrace, Kemsley is out, supposedly Chuck Blazer has a new New York expansion group, and who knows what’s going on. I actually felt like predicting this a couple months ago but i been away from the internet for awhile... But I believe the Cosmos brand is ‘too big to fail’. They still sell a ton of Umbro shirts, they still have the Borough Boys supporters group, and New York still doesn’t have a pro soccer team. I believe somebody with big bucks will take over the Cosmos name, whether it’s the Saudi Arabian group or somebody else. So let’s look into the future a little bit, let’s say the Cosmos get some new investors, get their shit together, and continue their push for MLS in 2013, but Garber continues to ask for $100 million, thinking the Cosmos have no other option, or maybe he prefers the Blazer group. I think the Cosmos do have another option: the NASL!
Let’s say the NASL continues their modest growth in 2012 with San Antonio making 8 teams, maybe Orlando City sees the possibility of lucrative Florida derbies, joins NASL and makes it 9 teams. Ottawa is supposed to start up in 2013 to make 10. Now let’s say the new Cosmos, frustrated with Garber’s uncooperativeness and seeing NASL’s growth, say “screw MLS” and join NASL instead. It makes more sense for the Cosmos to start in NASL anyway, the expansion fee is much less, and NASL doesn’t have the restrictive salary cap that MLS does. This is all pretty plausible so far, right? Now let’s say the Galaxy win the MLS cup next week and the victorious David Beckham signs a one-year extension thru 2012, leaving him free to sign with his buddy Byrne and the Cosmos in 2013 to play his last farewell tour. Let’s say the Cosmos, wanting to teach MLS a lesson, go all-out and pump big bucks into advertising and player signings, sign some more big stars, maybe Ronaldinho or Del Piero or Cannavaro, and some mid-range American stars who have no love for MLS, like Edson Buddle or Eddie Johnson or Shalrie Joseph. They announce they’ll play in Giants Stadium in 2013 and create a huge buzz in New York and around the world. Ha ha, Garber would be furious! The USL too. Let’s say some of the more successful USL teams, like Rochester or Charleston or Des Moines, see the opportunity for a big draw in the Cosmos and ditch the USL for NASL, making 14 teams for 2013. Let’s say the new Cosmos’ first season is a great success! They win the Soccer Bowl, maybe the US Open Cup too, and average 40 or 50,000 fans at Giants Stadium. I think if the Sounders can average 40 thousand with Fredy Montero the Cosmos could average at least that many with Beckham and Ronaldinho. The Cosmos are an international media sensation and Garber realizes he made a huge mistake, but not wanting to admit it, continues to ask for $100 million. Why should the Cosmos pay that much when they’re already successful in NASL? They stick with NASL for 2014. Are you still with me? Stranger things have happened, right?
Okay now it gets really interesting. Suppose millionaire investors around the world see a great opportunity for growth in NASL and start calling. Suppose the San Antonio Spurs, having flirted with USL, decide instead to buy into the NASL Scorpions. I really like their plans for Alamo Stadium, checkitout if you haven’t already. Suppose the Minnesota Vikings owners buy into NSC Minnesota with the hopes of building a new stadium there. Suppose the new owners of the Silverdome get an expansion team in Detroit, and the San Diego Flash with Eric Wynalda join up, to name two. Maybe the Chicago Sting or the LA Aztecs are resurrected too. And now here’s the really juicy one: suppose Manchester United’s Glazer family decide to buy the Tampa Bay Rowdies and move them into Raymond James Stadium, where they already own the Buccaneers. Makes some sense, right? Suddenly there’s money pouring into the NASL, Traffic Sports looks genius for betting on the NASL, Garber looks like a fool, and several NASL teams are playing in major-league stadiums, with the others selling out small stadiums. The Cosmos secure funding to build a fancy new Soccer Palace somewhere in Queens. Maybe Sir Alex Ferguson decides to retire to Florida and become CEO of the Tampa Bay Rowdies! All of this would amount to a huge media story and a huge boom for soccer in the USA. The time is ripe. And now you can see the logical conclusion to all of this: Promotion and Relegation between MLS and NASL, and the end of the lame MLS salary cap and single-entity business model!!! I think it’s plausible, and could all happen in five to ten years. The New York Cosmos are key to it all. And no, I’m not a crazy soccer reform nut, and I don’t care if you disagree, I won’t respond to personal attacks, I just think it’s fun to think about. What do people think?
Sounds a little far-fetched, but I'm a firm believer of "ya never know". Wasn't part of Beckham's MLS contract that he could buy a MLS franchise for a super low cost?
Yes but he can't buy one in NYC area. Rumor was he was looking at Montreal a few years ago but that ship is sailed. Where do you think he would like to put one? And OP, I just don't see it all going down that way. We don't know about the USSf sanctioning for next year and if the Spurs owners had already jumped on board and beaten the other guy to the punch for for a minor league team in SA, then it would seem more reasonable.
Do you know how much you'd need to pay top players to not only come to the US...but play in the 2nd division? Look at how much they had to pay Eto to come to Russia. Sure these guys have a price, but there is no way they would ever take it seriously.
Retirement gig (I mean after not wanting to play for the National team). Marketing, players could keep their marketing rights like beckham in LA.
None of what you wrote is even remotely plausible. You might as well have also added that Wayne Rooney with hook up with little green martians and start FC Mars in Milwaukee. I've seen more logical scenarios that the EPL will move to the United States in 5 years than what you wrote. And no, that is not a personal attack. Just an observation. BTW, just to add a little seriousness and actual discussion to this. Garber is not being uncooperative with the Cosmos. Garber couldn't be more enthusiastic about a NYC club. It is the Cosmos who are a wreck. They just booted Paul Kemsley out and we have no clue how much the new Saudi owners are willing to spend. They haven't even paid their academy bills. The expansion fee is irrelevant until the Cosmos can even get a stadium built. They are not looking to teach MLS a lesson - whatever that means. And where do you get that Edson Buddle and Eddie Johnson hate MLS???? And I know you were just rambling, but try to make a little sense. Now back to your regularly scheduled insanity. It would take money the Cosmos don't have. Why do some fans still foolishly think the Cosmos are this Man United of America that can buy a ton of Euro stars? They haven't even paid their academy what they owed it!
it's a fantasy. i was havin' a little fun with it. the main point is, i bet we haven't heard the last of the Cosmos, and it would be badass if they played in the NASL again. this is true. but generally Saudi owners tend to have lots of money... i read that both Buddle and Johnson turned down MLS offers this year, and felt MLS was 'lowballing' them... i think people underestimate how many European stars would love to play for the Cosmos. i heard for the Paul Scholes match they had to turn players away. of course that might be Paul Kemsley bull... haha that would be highlarious. how big is Zucotti Park? could they fit a field in there?
is that it? no Cosmos fans in the hous? i guess when i said i wouldn't respond to personal attacks people lost interest, hmm?
I think most people want to see NASL find solid clubs and investors who want to build the game long term and create a sustainable model so we don't see the same failures of the past 25 years. The only players who would consider coming to US D2 are guys who are basically retired and just looking for a retirement. Sure Euro guys would like to make DP money in NYC playing in MLS, but no one is lining up to go playing in front of 3,000 in converted football and baseball fields of D2. You'd need to pay guys an incredible amount of money to even consider US D2. It would be like convincing EPL players to go to League 2. Sure you can get some to go, but you'd need to pay them double or triple what they would get anywhere else for them to even consider it. I know its a fantasy, but its not even a fantasy that most of us share. If somehow you can convince some Saudi billionaires to loose 100M in D2, my fantasy would not be for them to spend it on retired mercenaries but to instead spend it on stadiums and academies.
I would love to see the Cosmos play in the NASL, but if that even happened it would probably be a temporary year or two on their way to the MLS, maybe waiting for a stadium to be completed. Would be very cool!
so apparently Terry Byrne is out from the Cosmos, and Beckham re-signed for two years in L.A. instead of just one. so he won't play for the Cosmos in 2013, but i still wouldn't be surprised if he plays for the Cosmos before all is said and done... and from some of the things Garber has said it sounds like he's warming to the Cosmos in MLS now that Kemsley is history. but there are still supposed to be other groups interested in New York. it would probly make the most sense to just have the Chuck Blazer & Curtis Martin group buy into the Cosmos group for MLS in 2014 or so. but i still think it would be best to have a Cosmos team in NASL, for at least a year before MLS. it would be a big publicity boost for NASL, and give the Cosmos time to get their sh*t together before MLS...
So, despite there being no interest from the city itself, and no one with the money to make it happen that is willing to buy land and build a stadium themselves, we're going to have an inane thread about there somehow being an NASL level Cosmos team in NYC? The NY Cosmos, with an actual team playing in NYC, won't happen in my lifetime at any league level.
David Downs commisioner of NASL talks about Cosmos and are in discussions for expansion: 14:25 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ultrasalive/2012/02/21/ultras-alive-36
Interesting article; Quote; "NY Cosmos would be the exception....................identified as the potential 20th for MLS.................if the Cosmos were to come up with a plan to play in the NASL for 2 or 3 years while they are building a stadium to MLS, then that would make sense and we are very much in discussions with them and very eager for them to join" This was from NASL Commissioner David Downes................so am assuming fairly accurate???? But that may be a route Cosmos could go to get established, while building for the MLS..........................however, if that is actually a route which is actively being discussed..................why scrap the U23 team?
there probably is but NASL might wave it for the cosmos just so they can get the Cosmos name in their league for a few years. James M. Shuart Stadium at Hofstra would be good it seats 15,000.