Why New York City Does Not Need NYCFC or MLS http://cosmossoccerfan.com/2015/01/04/why-new-york-city-does-not-need-nycfc-or-mls/ "Truth is when Don Garber realized that Seamus O’brien snubbed his business model for that of the NASL, he turned globally to fill the void that the Cosmos left. Did he do this with a sense of urgency or perhaps spite? I mean why else would you seek to repeat a failure right? Did Garber not realize that turning globally already backfired on him once before. Did he forget about Chivas USA? Chivas USA is no longer in the MLS because it was a failure of the same thing that MLS is trying to do with NYCFC. They were the eleventh MLS team upon its entry into the league in 2004. To this day, they have been seen as the “little brother” to its parent club C.D. Guadalajara, one of the most widely supported and successful teams in Mexico. This past season was the last season for Chivas USA."
MLS sure needs the Cosmos 6K attendance average as much as they need the ChivasUSA 8K attendance average.
As someone that has lived here for years, the way MLS has approached this market is nothing short of embarrassing. Going all the way back to 1995/96. I know of no other US city with the concentration of passionate soccer fans that are making NYC home, yet, in spite of that they have failed repeatedly to capture the hearts and minds of the fans. Red Bull has been here 10 years, Metro 10 years before that and outside of an occasional good crowd here and there their relevance is not even on par with the also-rans of MLS in their respective local markets. Even with a fantastic stadium and Theirry Henry they only marginally improved their sales figures and barely moved the needle with the local TV ratings on MSG. I wouldn't call them a spectacular failure, but there is very little interest in them considering the size of the market they populate. I am a firm believer it is due in large part with who they are as a franchise, their brand, and the lack of an authentic connection to the masses. MLS clearly was self-aware of this and has constantly been beating a NYC2 drum since the Red Bull purchase. (technically, they were beating it even before anyone ever heard of Don Garber). The fact that they would essentially double down on their mistakes is insulting, they sanctioned a second proxy club in the market. To that point i agree with the article. As much as MLS is irrelevant to the masses, NASL is probably more so. Not because of their structure, or their clubs, but because they simply have no noticeable profile as a league. Many people i see on Saturday mornings still are only slightly aware the Cosmos are back and play in NASL, or what exactly the NASL is. Bottom line, NYC is about as indifferent towards US domestic soccer as a 10 million plus city can be. Red Bull hasn't delivered on that potential, NYCFC is shaping up to follow suit and the Cosmos just are not high profile enough yet to make a challenge to that attitude. Of the three, the Cosmos have the most potential to change things, but to do that they need to be more relevant than 6K a game and playing out in Hofstra.
While I agree the NY market has been handled very poorly overall I think the biggest problem is the fans. Most do not connect with US Soccer.....period. Most think little of US players and even the Nats. Most follow the teams and leagues of their parents, or are EPL, Barca, Real, Bayern, Juve posers who would rather scorn US Soccer, of any type, than support it. People always forget that it was really the ethnic groups who drove the old Cosmos. When the money and their old country stars dried up....they walked. In general, there are a ton of soccer fans, but US Soccer is the last thing they want to care about, believe in or support. Just not worth their time. You might disagree, but I think I paint a pretty solid picture.
By Carlos Caban Raul, a Real Madrid 'Galactico' landing with the New York Cosmos Is the goal to get into MLS? For me it's got nothing to do with MLS. I like the club, its history and all their plans for the future. Only time will tell what the future holds in store for football in the U.S., and more importantly how far Cosmos can go. They might go to another league or they might stay in this one, which each time seems to be getting bigger and bigger. This means that things are being done correctly, whereas before maybe they weren't. In just one year, two more teams have joined the league. http://www.espnfc.us/blog/espn-fc-u...own-a-legendary-career-at-the-new-york-cosmos
Here's another good article on FC Edmonton, written by their colour commentator for the last 4 years, Steven Sandor. Obviously the owner's willing to stick it out, but it definitely paints a less than rosy picture of the future... http://albertaventure.com/2015/01/fc-edmonton-nasl-tom-fath/
Top five Real Salt Lake players with substantial NASL ties http://www.rslsoapbox.com/2015/1/22...-salt-lake-players-with-substantial-nasl-ties "Fans of MLS are already witnessing the benefits that lower division soccer is having on a maturing league with the growth and "promotion" of the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Orlando City S.C. While clubs like Sacramento F.C. and Minnesota United vie for their own place in the top division, other NASL contributions to MLS are being overlooked."
Since when are they being overlooked? There's nothing American announcers like doing more than saying what college (or in this case, lower division team) a player came from..
Some NASL clubs and especially their players are sometimes overlooked, just as the article describes. I don't think theres malice in that article. Its actually quite complimentary of the NASL and USL.
Cosmos Continue Their Global Pursuits In The Preseason http://www.thefivepointspress.com/news/2015/1/23/cosmos-ready-to-punch-their-passports-again "In the 1970's and 1980's, the New York Cosmos traveled to cities all over the world to challenge the world's best. Argentina, England, Japan, Germany, Australia, distance didn't matter to the Cosmos. If there was soccer to be played, they wanted a piece of the action. Fast forward to 2013, the Cosmos are once again focused on their global image. Since their rebirth, the club traveled to England for 2013 preseason training, Spain for Marcos Senna's testimonial match against Villareal, and Dubai for 2014 preseason training."
Right now, I feel like the Cosmos (and NASL which would create a feedback loop) would benefit most by focusing on improving their awareness in their local market.
Q&A with new Silverback and ex-Cosmo/Scorpion Hans Denissen: http://socceratl.com/2015/02/24/hans-denissen-qa/
From the NY Cosmos website... Flores Leads Cosmos into El Salvador The latest stop on the Cosmos’ preseason tour is a homecoming for midfielder Andrés Flores. When the New York Cosmos permanently secured the services of Andrés Flores last December, it meant more than shoring up the center and edges of their attack with a creative player. Flores, who captains El Salvador’s national team, has deep roots in his home country that have connected the Cosmos to the Salvadoran community. With his help a trip to El Salvador for a friendly against C.D. FAS became a reality. Flores’ ties to Fundación Educando a un Salvadoreño (Salvadoran Education Foundation), or FESA, were instrumental in bringing the Cosmos to Central America. FESA is a non-profit that supports Salvadoran children through education and sport. http://www.nycosmos.com/article/uuid/oy1994skt1pe1kfelz33rdrfr/flores-leads-cosmos-into-el-salvador
3 Reasons on why Min United has to go for MLS. http://northernpitch.com/_/minnesot...s-way-why-united-had-no-option-except-mls-r61
Opinion: The Elephant in the Press Conference Posted by niton , 26 March 2015 · 95 views http://northernpitch.com/blog/5/entry-24-opinion-the-elephant-in-the-press-conference/ NASL Should Embrace — And Exploit — Minnesota United’s MLS Move By Jake Nutting on March 17, 2015 http://www.empireofsoccer.com/embrace-minnesota-uniteds-32967/
I would file these two under Meh... What's next for the NASL and MLS Expansion? So what is next for this "revamped" league? Will it add more teams and become a competitive league or will it fail like it did in the 1980s? The NASL has been rumored to have plans to expand into Hartford, Miami (assuming they don't get an MLS team) the West Coast and Canada. Recent news has come up that the league is trying to expand into San Francisco. The SF City FC twitter account has confirmed that this is accurate... http://www.massivereport.com/2015/3/25/8289833/whats-next-for-the-nasl-and-mls-expansion Antonio Di Natale continues to be linked to the New York Cosmos The Cosmos have just one international roster spot remaining, and until the deal fell through about a week ago, had been working towards filling that spot with another striker, on loan, from a La Liga side. Regardless, it's clear that the Cosmos would like to fill their final international spot with a striker from one of Europe's big leagues, as the past few months have seen confirmed links to all of Di Natale, Samuel Eto'o, Shola Ameobi, and the La Liga striker without a name. Until that spot is filled or Di Natale signs a deal elsewhere, I'd be hesitant to ignore anything written on the subject. http://www.twiceacosmo.com/2015/3/2...fer-rumors-juventus-udinese-fiorentina-empoli
Does Minnesota United MLS expansion help NASL? Wild Bill says yes... Red meat for everybody! Commissioner Bill Peterson believes Minnesota United’s MLS move further legitimizes NASL There’s a tone of disappointment in Bill Peterson’s voice when talking about Minnesota United’s decision to join Major League Soccer, but the NASL commissioner is as convinced as ever that his league is at the highest level domestically. “I think this proves that our teams and our owners are at the highest level and the stuff of Division 1, Division 2 with no competition to determine that really doesn’t make sense,” Peterson told SBI. “Last Wednesday at 10 in the morning that club was in NASL, and at 2 o’clock in the afternoon it was in a different league. The only thing that changed was some cash exchanged hands. Nothing else changed.” http://www.sbisoccer.com/2015/03/believes-minnesota-legitimizes.html
Now for something completely different... THE COST OF $100 MILLION...THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS IN AMERICA I REMEMBER SITTING IN MY BRITISH LITERATURE CLASS at the clueless age of 16 and reading George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece, 1984. Admittedly, I think the book should be required reading for anyone who thinks they understand the landscape of American soccer. Years later, one of many of the book’s loaded lines aptly applies to the reality of American soccer discussions, arguments, and narratives that continue to divide people who love the game into fractious subcultures all vying for their argument to be taken as gospel. The line, “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past” is the party slogan for Ingsoc, the English Socialist Party. Was George Orwell onto something? http://www.thesefootballtimes.net/#!the-cost-of-100-million/cn6t
NASL.... The little engine that could? How the league performs in season 5 could go along way in determining just that according to Brian Straus. NASL seeks to outgrow 'minor league' label as fifth year kick off by Brian Straus United's "club-centric approach," as team president Nick Rogers called it, served it well in an NASL that emphasizes independence. Ironically, it was that same approach that forced the organization's hand. “We’ve enjoyed our time in the NASL, and we’ll be playing here for at least another two seasons. It’s a great competition and each year you’re seeing teams get stronger and the level of investment from ownership get bigger,” he told SI.com. “But in the final analysis, our club-centric approach led us to the conclusion that, in light of the challenges we face in our market, MLS was the right path for us to take in order to ensure long term success.” http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/201...ew-york-cosmos-minnesota-united-bill-peterson
Anyone want to write for NASL official, for free assume. Want to join our writing staff and write about your favorite #NASL club email @ totalnasl1@gmail.com— On The Pitch TV (@OnThePitchTV1) April 5, 2015
The American soccer counter-culture lives on in the NASL http://backpagefootball.com/american-soccer-counter-culture-lives-nasl/93100/ Although there was an MLS match going on (a snooze-fest between the New England Revolution and the Colorado Rapids,) there was no way that I was not going to watch the NASL. There is a certain coolness factor that the NASL carries here in North America. It is seen as the counter-culture league, the league where “traditional football” is played. For as much as the MLS is seen by the hardcore soccer supporters in Canada and USA as a corporate sellout, the NASL is the hip, cool league that tries crazy things like a two season schedule and respecting U.S. soccer history.
Something tells me that 1. He did not watch the games, or 2. He was disapointed when Fat Ronaldo did not play. lol/
What is Edmonton Doing in the NASL? This is strictly an opinion piece....so I posted it here. I don't think it's a great read, but thought I would share it for those who like to beat up on FC Edmonton. I don't count myself in that group...