I don't know if anyone else has seen them, but here in Hollywood/ West Hollywood I have started to see NY Cosmos stickers on bus stops and telephone poles on major streets. Are they going after a grass roots campaign to get into the public eye as a brand? Seems a little strange, especially out here, but I thought it was interesting.
no i think they are doing something out here i heard they bought out a small team http://www.insidesocal.com/soccer/2010/08/wednesday-kicks-cosmos-come-to.html
Given that the Cosmos are clearly seeking to become the next team granted an MLS franchise, its a good thing to see that they are starting the "right" way by funding academies.
take it for what it's worth cause I read it on the internet and now can't find the sight. but apparently there is rumor that the Cosmos will join MLS in a couple years after Portland, Vancouver get finalized. And one of the owners? our very own Becks. As many know owning a club or being a owner is in his contract.
he was also linked to Miami FC. from a strategic standpoint, i dont know how much sense it makes to have a second new york franchise.
I was wondering that too, but Red Bulls are welcoming the rivalry - they think it could do soccer some major good in the tri-state area by having some good, local competition. Plus, if the Cosmos' plans to team up with the Mets and build a SSS in Long Island City in Queens works out, I could see both NY teams developing a good crosstown rivalry.
This could actually affect Galaxy in a roundabout way. What they have done is finance the Academy arm of one of the best clubs in LA (LAFC). It is in direct competition with the Galaxy and Chivas academies in the search for top youth players. If the Cosmos do get an MLS club and the partnership with the LAFC academy endures, there will be a question as to whether the Cosmos get development and finding rights with respect to the LAFC players. Typically, those rights have been limited to certain territories, but the Cosmos could conceivably negotiate something into their franchise entry agreement giving them access to either pre-existing LAFC Cosomos players or giving them a share of the LA player development market altogether.
LOL @ the 70s... and the font "that time forgot..." Elton John co-owner Johan Cruyff, and George Best (still with his first liver...) George Best quote on Money "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." George Best quote on Beckham "He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right."
Especially only having two sellouts in a brand new state of the art arena this year. Don't see a NY2 as a viable market.
NY2 will be an amazing market. NJ2 would not. Having a Stadium in Queens with the Cosmos name will produce sellouts. Guaranteed. I can assure you that NY doesn't embrace RB as it's team. The Cosmos, it will. (even though they, once upon a time, were NJ as well.) NY needs two teams. Especially one in the city proper. The Redbulls are like the Nets. They will have their fans, but there will always be something missing.
I think that each could feasibly maintain a decent fan base. Would it be enough to allow each club to be profitable? That's the most important question. If MLS has learned anything, it's that growth isnt just about adding clubs to this league, it's about bringing on the right clubs, in the appropriate market. In fact, a second club in NY would probably cannibalize on the other's fan base, and would negatively affect the other club's revenue. I dont think MLS would hang NYRB out to dry like that. If NYRB was pulling in the same attendance numbers as Seattle, then I could definitely see a new team in that market in the near future (2-3 years) because there is a clear demand for it. Ultimately, I think you'd be looking at a situation similar to that of LA and Chivas USA. The situation makes sense on paper. There are tons of hardcore soccer fans SoCal to pack in the HDC for both clubs....yet that doesnt happen. LAG get decent numbers, but then you have CUSA practically giving away tickets. It's just to difficult for two clubs to compete in the same marketplace and still have them turn a profit. Plus, you would be adding a second MLS club to an area that already essentially has two NFL, two MLB, two NBA teams, plus a NHL team. It's probably one of the most difficult sports markets to make it in. My impression is that people are in love with the idea of having the COSMOS brand in MLS, but I've yet to see any legitimate business case in favor of this move.
propeller's take is in line with what most NYC soccer fans feel though. If a 2nd MLS team, particularly one carrying the Cosmos brand, came to Queens Brooklyn or South Bronx, we'd be happy to leave NYRB to NJerseyites. RB Arena's pretty accessible from Manhattan but most people in the 5 boroughs have a mental block when it comes to NJ. Personally I travel 45+ mins to go to Mets & Yankee games no problem, but never went to see the Metros in Giants Stadium and still have yet to see NYRB in RBA. Also, if a 2nd NYC MLS team is going to piggyback off an existing sports team, a Yankees-Cosmos partnership is much more feasible than Mets-Cosmos, since the Mets owners took a bath in the Madoff scandal and just invested in Citi Field (though that was heavily subsidized w/public funds). The Steinbrenners have the ready capital and available real estate to get an SSS or multi-use stadium across the street from Yankee Stadium done quickly.
But will "Jr. Steinbrenner" do it now that Daddy Steinbrenner (rest his soul) has passed? There's still ppl who think that they might be ready to sell out of the Yankees as soon as the right offer comes along.
And this pretty much goes both ways. Most of Queens is really, really far away for me; much further than any other part of the city (not including Staten Island for these purposes), even though I live 13 miles from Citi Field and 12 miles from Yankee Stadium. A second NY team in Queens (which I guess is where laughable expansion teams go to be laughed at - idk...) would take care of the Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn markets that are dreadfully under-serviced with just the one team in Jersey. And you'd see the current (Yankees, Giants) / (Mets, Jets) split extended to soccer. Now a second NY team in The Bronx; that makes things a bit more interesting. It'd be a New York team that's actually in New York, for one, so even though your Brooklynites would be a little farther away, they'd feel a greater affinity for that team. It would be much closer for your Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Co. residents, and it would also open up Westchester Co. and southern Connecticut. And while NYRB would probably still have a lockdown on Jersey, folks who didn't already have a team would certainly be in play.
Seriously. I am seeing these stickers EVERYWHERE. I have seen them on cars, bus stops, signposts, wheel chairs and even in Palm Desert. this was a serious campaign. Now I am getting emails from LAFC Cosmos. It's not just an invasion, it's an infestation!
pm 16 Sep 2010 11:31 PM Unak78George Best is risking not being allowed back into the UK. But that's ok with me. Nice quote. **** yep... he's unlikely to be found in the UK...or planet earth unless there is reincarnation ... he died in 2005 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Best