You know someone has to ask these Cosmos questions and then suffer the slams Anyway, does anyone seriously doubt that it will never happen?
The man who "owns" the name "Cosmos" has said he would sell the name for somewhere around 3 million dollars...so as soon as someone in the NYC area (the city not dirty jersey ;p) puts up the $13 m ($10m to the league and $3m to the old man) to get the team going and has the money to get the SSS up and running (within the five burroughs) well......
All it takes is one guy with delusions of grandeur and a few million dollars (not exactly a rare commodity in NYC) for it to happen. I will predict that it will be the second team in the five boroughs that will be called Cosmos, though.
I'm going to reiterate my suggestion that the club be called the Emperors. Would this second team, located in the City itself, not have a deleterious effect on the Metros?
I could see it happening if somebody wants to pay the money. Change to the NJ Metrostars, and NY Cosmos. However, this would mean a league with both the LA Galaxy and NY Cosmos in it. Aside from the annoying similarity of the names I would be very torn on who to hate more.
$13 million, and where would they play? The Met Oval? The Cosmos were a New Jersey team, as I recall.
That would mean wiping out their first six seasons, which I understand were played two years each at three places in New York -- the Bronx, Long Island, and Randall's Island -- and included their first championship.
I guess I'm only really aware of their Giants Stadium hey day. What kind of facilities exist in the Bronx, or on Randall's Island? I know the Power played at Mitchell Field on Long Island - but I'm pretty sure that's no where near MLS quality - though the Metros did play a USOC game there as a doubleheader with the Power one time. Send me an email next time you head to London - are you going to Trinidad or Mexico City?
They played two seasons (not in a row - 71 & 76) at Yankee Stadium. On Long Island, they played at Hofstra. I don't know what sized venue they had at Randall's Island back then (Downing Stadium), but it looks like they're about to open a new stadium there that "will have seating for up to 10,000 spectators, a 400-meter running track, and a regulation-size soccer field." http://www.risf.org/projects_track2.html Some Cosmos info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cosmos http://www.nycosmos.com/cosmos/history.html Trinidad is out for me (we leave for London that evening), while I'm still considering Mexico (a bit less than 50/50 chance, I'd say). We're in Paris from Jan. 14-18 and next in London from Feb. 10-14.
I believe the 1936 Olympic Track & Field Trials were held at Downing Stadium. Jesse Owens and Edson Arantes do Nascimento both walked in that same stadium. In 1974, it hosted the New York Stars of the World Football League, not to be confused with the World League of American Football. The lights were salvaged from Ebbets Field and were not sufficient for television. Thirteen or so games into the season, the Stars moved to Charlotte and became the Hornets. The WFL was also home to the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Texans, and Chicago Fire, among others.
Yep, if MLS sticks around long enough some rich guy will do it. Whoever it is will probably also think that they best place in which to play will be the new Jets stadium. And he will want to load up the team with aged foreigner stars.
i reckon they will coz having NY/NJ as a team sucks balls! big time it is like having a Perth/Adelaide or a WA/SA (states) combined side. seperate the team. and have NJ Metrostars and NY Cosmos! simple!
When the red/yellow/black attack of the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers is back. MLS desperately needs Ray Hudson back, in ANY capacity...the league is soooo vanilla, in dire need of a personality transfusion.
MLS needs the Cosmos. The NY Cosmos would give to the MLS that glamour (if well set up) which actually lacks, and a new rivalry, with the Metrostars. Rivalry is fundamental in soccer, and I think the coming of Chivas will be extremely useful. I'm waiting to see the first game against the Galaxy. Further the NY Cosmos (See http://www.soccernova.com/html/activism/cosmos_campaign/cosmos_campaign.htm, I'd like to se the following teams: Seattle Sounders (USL First Division. See: http://www.soundercentral.com/); Rochester Rhinos (once Lancers in Nasl, now in USL First Division. See: http://www.rysa.org/rysahistory.html); San Antonio Thunder (former Nasl name. See: http://www.mls-sanantonio.com/); Philadelphia Atoms (former Nasl name. See: http://jamiepeck.com/atoms/); Minnesota Kicks (actually Minnesota Thunder in USL First Division, they were extremely succesful during Nasl with this name. See: http://dansoccerzone.com/History/Kicks_main.shtml). I believe is important to keep traditional names for new teams. US soccer needs a tradion, and it can find it in the Nasl.
As long as we're just killing time while trying to get psyched about going back to work tomorrow.... Let me add Memphis Rogues to that list. (www.Idon'treallycareifit'stheRoguesaslongaswegetateam.com) Anyone else notice that we never see anyone from Denver posting about how they wish the Caribou with those precious fringed jerseys would come back.....
First of all, NY/NJ is no longer used. Second, it's more like NY/North Jersey. That's where the fans are. Not in upstate NY or South Jersey. There are fans there of course, but the majority of the fans come from there. So I don't get how WA/SA can be used....since NYC and the Newark area are near each other. Also, there's a thread on this on the Metros board. You'll see that the majority of fans don't like the idea. Plus...how many Cosmos fans would want to go to a game? They're all in their 40s+. I'm sure that not many of them care about MLS right now...why should it change? Because a bunch of expansion players and rookies are playing for a team that once had stars on it? The younger fans are growing up as MetroStars fans. I doubt that many of them even know about the Cosmos. I'm sure that not many of parents who don't like soccer know about them either.
Assuming that a potential New York City investor/operator chooses to pay Pepe Pinton the money to obtain the New York Cosmos name, logo, etc., it would be cool to have a New York Cosmos in the league. The oldsters would be happy for the tradition, the youngsters would simply go to the games (though you'd be surprised how many youngsters do appreciate tradition), and the Cosmos team-name is a cool name in and of itself, one that would prevent the powers-that-be to come up with another Wiz/Clash/Burn type name for the new team (and you know they will if given the chance). And I don't buy the theory that if the new team isn't stocked with stars, it can't be the New York Cosmos. My once-proud San Francisco 49ers, who over the years had stars such as Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Roger Craig, etc., have just finished this season at 2-14-0 . Yet they're still the San Francisco 49ers, regardless of their roster or record. After all, the Cosmos had a few losing seasons - not many, and most before Pelé's arrival, but they were still the Cosmos even during those years. -G P.S. = For the record, if Seattle gets an MLS team, I certainly hope that they're called the Seattle Sounders.
That's a nice site, but (and I don't mean to sound flippant about this) you may want to consider changing the graphic on the home page to a more recent picture of the New York City skyline. -G
I'm an oldster -- 60 -- and a Metro fan. I couldn't care less if the Cosmos name showed up in MLS. A second area team should be located in Brooklyn, and should be named the Lord's of Flatbush. I don't even care if the sss is in Far Rockaway. The Lords of Flatbush. I used to watch the Cosoms beat up on the Dips in RFK back in the day. I prefer MLS.
Goodsport, I see what you're trying to say, but the 49ers never left and the Cosmos have. How will they promote the team? "Hey! We used to have Pele on our team, back when we were the orginal Cosmos- the team that sent the NASL packing!" It doesn't work. I doubt the young generation even know their history, so how can they enjoy the tradition? It's one thing to look at the 49ners tradition who haven't gone away, and look at the tradition of a team that went and is back after 20 years. If NYC gets a team, which I hope isn't too soon, they should start from scratch. I'd prefer to see the annual MetroStars NASL day instead.
Actually they started in NYC and then moved to Jersey when they built the stadium. They had previously playd at Yankee stadium, Hofstra and lovely Randalls Island. As much of a Cosmos fan that I was when I was growing up, I don't think that they should ever come back. But I do think that a team would work in NYC. That is of course after they figure out such things as ownership and stadium.
I see what you're trying to say as well. However, the NASL (and then later the WSL/WSA) San Jose Earthquakes played their last game in 1988 and officially died out in 1990, while the current San Jose Earthquakes started out as the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks in 1989 and started out in MLS as the San Jose Clash in 1996 - it's all explained in the team-name timeline here. Yet it's because the majority of San Jose season-ticket holders wanted the Earthquakes name returned (indicated by a year-long survey of season-ticket holders held by then-GM Lynne Meterparel throughout 1999) that it did. Most of the young people may not revel in the Cosmos tradition, but I'll bet you that they wouldn't be upset by the Cosmos name either. Though I'll also bet you that at least a few of the young people may actually surprise you by knowing at least some of the Cosmos history, just as some young people I met at Spartan are actually somewhat aware of the Earthquakes tradition (while most of them rightfully believe that "San Jose Earthquakes" is a cool team-name). It doesn't matter if an MLS New York Cosmos is better or worse than the NASL New York Cosmos any more than if the current 49ers or Earthquakes are better or worse than their past teams (though the Quakes of the last four years have been better than most past Quakes teams). And as I mentioned earlier, it's a heck of a lot better name than the name that the power-that-be would come up with. But if the team did end up being named the New York Cosmos, would you be terribly upset or simply shrug it off (just curious)? -G
I'd be upset. The Cosmos are of the past, and I think they should be respected that way. No one will be able to do what the Cosmos did in their time. If you think about it, $3 millions is a lot of money. Would it be worth it to bring back that name when instead you can save that money for something else? Cosmos isn't a hip name anymore. It sounds like and old name that people used because the space race and such. Plus, it really wouldn't generate much interest anyways. How many of those old fans seriously would want to buy season tickets on a yearly basis? If they've ignored MLS until now, are they really want MLS should focus on? I wouldn't be suprised if many them would purchase season tickets expecting that Pele would be coaching and that Ronaldinho was the captain or at least a Figo type player. If not him, Baggio or Weah. The San Jose situation is different. The fans wanted the name back and it was an improvement. The team needed a new look and it worked. Of course Landon played a big part in that, but the team did take a few huge steps forward. It would be interesting to have the Cosmos back, but I don't think it'd be a good project long term. Maybe if the former players like Pele, Carlos Alberto, etc. came back and worked together to bring them back and manage them for a good period time, then yeah. But unless you're going the full length, it won't be worth it. It would just be a new pro team named the Cosmos. But like I said before, I don't want to see NYC with a team right now. I think that MLS needs to build it's stadium in Harrison which will allow for NYC fans to travel much easier to the Metro games. If there's a big turnout from the NYC fans and there's signs that maybe there is room for two teams, then go ahead. But unless there's proof of this, they shouldn't get an expansion team in the city. What's the point of having two struggling teams that are seperated by a river? There's no point. I can see a Rochester team, but not a City team.
NY/NJ MetroStars is as dumb a name as DC/Maryland Redskins would be. By that logic they should change the name as the Redskins actually do play in Maryland now. Yes, they did officially drop the NY/NJ moniker, but since they didn't really tell anyone and 95% of the media still uses it (and they didn't actually replace it with anything), I don't blame people for using it and/or making fun of it. Make "North Jersey" or "Harrison" or something like that official and I'll change my tune. "New Jersey" isn't that great a name because NJ is two separate sports areas (the south being mostly Philly fans). If someone with money is willing to invest in MLS and can get a stadium put together in NYC, then I'm all for it. The more investors the merrier. That lets people in NYC and northern New Jersey attend more MLS games. That has to be a good thing. If they want to pony up for the "Cosmos" name then more power to them. As an aside, if a deal could be worked out that the Cosmos promote that guy's camp, then I'm thinking they could get the name fairly cheaply.
The Cosmos could generate a fan base of 70K on their own. It is that tradition, the same one that has kids who have never been close to Italy routing for AC Milan. Yes most of the Cosmos fans are in their 40's and above... but the number of posts here has to tell you that there is still a real interest in them. Of course in the end, it would only last a year or two. If Franz isn't passing to Georgio, then someone else of that quality better be, or nobody will care.