The New York Cosmos was an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club based in

Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in central Nassau County, New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, within the New York metropolitan area. The population was 32,473 at the time of the 2020 United States census ...

, that played in parts of six seasons between 2013 and 2020. The organization, established in August 2010, was a

rebirth Rebirth may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film * ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film * ''Rebirth'', a 2011 documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * '' ...

of the original

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Indepen ...

(1971–1985) which played in the original

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

, at the time the

first division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

of American soccer. The club competed in the second-division

(NASL) from 2013 to 2017, winning the Soccer Bowl Trophy in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

. The NASL suspended operations after the 2017 season and, following a two-year hiatus, the Cosmos joined the third-tier

National Independent Soccer Association The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is previously in the third tier of American soccer and began play in 2019. NISA initially used a fall-to-spring season for ...

(NISA) for the 2020–21 season. The Cosmos withdrew after half a year for a second hiatus, citing the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, though every other team in the league continued to play. That second hiatus was made permanent in 2025, when it was announced that team owner Rocco B. Commisso had sold majority rights over the club's intellectual property to the

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...

's North Jersey Pro Soccer expansion team in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.the third incarnation of the New York Cosmos. In less than five full seasons of play, the second incarnation of the Cosmos garnered a legacy of success on the field, poor attendance in the stands, and mismanagement, lawsuits, and unpaid bills off the field.

History

1985–2009: Fall of the original Cosmos and revival

The original

club began play in 1971 in the original

. The league ceased operations after the 1984 season, and the Cosmos were dissolved in 1985 after playing a season in the Major Indoor Soccer League. Peppe Pinton, a former employee of the club, "somehow managed to finagle" the company's assets when the club ceased operations, in part because nobody else was interested. Pinton put the trophies and equipment in a storage unit and used the name for "Cosmos Soccer Camp", a New Jersey day camp for children. With the rise of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

(MLS) during the late 1990s and 2000s, MLS had an interest in placing a second club in the New York market. In 2007, a supporters group named the "Borough Boys" was formed to push for a team in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

itself, and in his 2010 "State of the League" address, Commissioner

Don Garber Donald P. Garber (born October 9, 1957) is an American sports executive who has been the commissioner of Major League Soccer (MLS) since 1999. Garber is also the CEO of Soccer United Marketing and a member of the United States Soccer Federatio ...

confirmed that was indeed the goal. In the meantime, the original Cosmos were the subject of an

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

documentary, '' Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos'', introducing the name to a new generation of fans. Garber also stated at one point that if MLS was to have a second New York club, it would be the Cosmos, and various New York City area entities approached Pinton about using the name. Even the existing MLS club in New York, the MetroStars, made relevant inquiries both before and after becoming the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

in 2006. Pinton was initially reluctant to let the name be used by an MLS team, believing that the league was unwilling to respect the Cosmos' heritage; however, after seeing MLS reintroduce historical NASL names such as

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The club was established on ...

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Vancouver. The Whitecaps compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The MLS ite ...

, and

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

, he changed his mind. In late August 2009, Pinton sold the name and image rights for $2 million to

Paul Kemsley Paul Zeital Kemsley (born 23 August 1967) is an English businessman, property developer and media personality. Since 2016, he has regularly appeared on the American reality television show ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'', alongside his ...

, the former vice-chairman of English

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

, who headed a group intent on establishing a new Cosmos team in MLS. At the time, Kemsley was best known as a failed property magnate and an assistant to

Alan Sugar Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar (born 24 March 1947) is a British business magnate, media personality, author, politician, and political adviser. Sugar began what would later become his largest business venture, consumer electronics company A ...

on the British version of ''The Apprentice''. The ownership group announced the club's return on August 1, 2010. Kemsley's group included English soccer businessman

Terry Byrne Terry Byrne (born 4 June 1966) is an English businessman and a director of various companies connected to football that are active in the United Kingdom and the United States. He is best known for his business relationship and close friendship w ...

as vice-chairman, as well as former

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Rick Parry Richard Nicholas Parry (born 23 February 1955) is the current chairman of the English Football League (EFL), the former chief executive of Liverpool, the original CEO of the Premier League and a board member at New York Cosmos. Career Parry w ...

. The investors funding the venture were rumored to be Saudi Arabian, although the full ownership group was not publicly announced at the time.

2010–2012: "Selling Shirts"

One person familiar with Kemsley's plans for the Cosmos said his intention was "to build the brand and then build the team around that. It will not be cheap, it may not work, but it will be interesting." To that end, Kemsley signed a deal with

Umbro Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire, and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are sold in over 100 c ...

to produce a line of merchandise, including tshirts, jackets, and a "home jersey". Umbro followed this collection with a second "Blackout" line of Cosmos clothing in all-black with monochromatic black logos, supposedly inspired by the

New York City blackout of 1977 The New York City blackout of 1977 was an electricity blackout that affected most of New York City on July 13–14, 1977. The only unaffected neighborhoods in the city were in southern Queens (including neighborhoods of the Rockaways), which ...

. The Blackout collection was unveiled at a pop-up shop on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

, featuring a DJ playing period songs from 1977. With two full fashion lines before the club had joined a league or signed a single player, some journalists viewed this new Cosmos as a "money-grab" more interested in "selling shirts" than actually playing soccer. The group's first high-profile hiring, announced on January 10, 2011, was former

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

midfielder

Cobi Jones Cobi N'Gai Jones (born June 16, 1970) is an American former professional soccer player and commentator. He is an analyst for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. He has also been seen on Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Fox Sports, BeIN Sports, the Pac-12 ...

as associate director of soccer. He was followed nine days later by

Eric Cantona Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (; ; born 24 May 1966) is a French former professional footballer who is currently an actor. In his football career Eric Cantona was a physically strong, hard-working and tenacious player. He combined technical skill a ...

, who was hired as director of soccer. Cantona claimed "big plans" to build the club around homegrown talent, although the club would later claim in court that Cantona had never been given any actual responsibilities with the club, that he had only been a promotional figurehead. Jones left the club in 2012, and Cantona was fired from his role shortly thereafter. Neither departure was officially announced by the Cosmos. The new team sought connections with stars from the original Cosmos team. One of their first acts was to sign

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; 23 October 1940 – 29 December 2022), better known by his nickname Pelé (), was a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Widely reg ...

to a five-year, five million dollar promotional contract as the team's "honorary president", and original Cosmos players

Shep Messing Shep Norman Messing (born October 9, 1949) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper and current broadcaster who works as a studio analyst for the MLS Season Pass team. In 2021 he took the position of chairman of the Major Arena Soccer League. He ...

, Carlos Alberto, and

Giorgio Chinaglia Giorgio Chinaglia (; 24 January 1947 – 1 April 2012) was an Italian association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He grew up and played his early football in Cardiff, Wales, and began his career with ...

were named "international ambassadors" for the club. CosmosteamAugust52011

The new Cosmos' first match was on August 5, 2011, when they played in

Paul Scholes Paul Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football pundit, coach and former player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Scholes spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United, for whom h ...

testimonial match A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, particularly in association football in the United Kingdom and South America, where a club has a match to honour a player for servic ...

against Cantona's former club

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...

. Cantona managed the Cosmos, with a roster consisting of a team of guest players from around the world. On October 26, 2011, Kemsley and Byrne sold their shares to the team's majority owners, revealed to be Sela Sport, a sports marketing company itself owned by the

Public Investment Fund The Public Investment Fund (PIF; ) is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. It is among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world with total estimated assets of billion. It was created in 1971 for the purpose of investing funds on be ...

, the

sovereign wealth fund A sovereign wealth fund (SWF), or sovereign investment fund, is a state-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, Bond (finance), bonds, real estate, precious metals, or in alternative investments such as ...

of Saudi Arabia. The departure of Kemsley was announced by the Cosmos with an official club statement saying that he wished "to pursue other interests and commitments", while the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'' reported that he had been ousted by his partners, with Sela "apparently tired of the flamboyant Brit, who was long on flash but has to this point been short of substance". His replacement was not immediately announced. A further press release on November 2 gave news of the company buyout, restructuring and various unspecified management changes within the organization. The statement also said that the goal of the club remained the same under its new structure – "unequivocally" to become an MLS team. Around the same time, the entire unsold stock of Umbro merchandise was sold to a discount retailer "for pennies on the dollar". Within weeks of his appointment, new chairman and CEO Seamus O'Brien had a series of meetings with MLS commissioner Don Garber about joining Major League Soccer. Garber was still eager to add the Cosmos to MLS, and offered O'Brien a spot in the league, but O'Brien balked at the $100M expansion fee, single-entity structure, and requirement that the league control the brand. O'Brien decided not to apply for MLS entry after all.

2013–2015: Return to competitive league play

The Cosmos announced on July 12, 2012, that they would start competitive play in the second-tier

in 2013, but insisted in the same press release that the club was still bent on ultimately joining MLS. In November, Erik Stover was hired as the club's Chief Operating Officer. Stover had previously been managing director of the New York Red Bulls, during which time he had been named MLS Executive of the Year, and was seen as instrumental in getting their stadium built. The following week,

Giovanni Savarese Giovanni Savarese (born July 14, 1971) is a Venezuelan football manager and former player. He last served as the head coach for the Portland Timbers. Club career Professional Breakthrough Savarese made his professional debut at 15, with Ve ...

was confirmed as the team's first head coach. On December 11, former Red Bulls defender Carlos Mendes, a native of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, became the new Cosmos' first senior player. The Cosmos found immediate success in the NASL, winning the Fall Season Championship with a 9–4–1 (Win-Draw-Loss) record. On November 9, 2013, the team emerged as the winner of

Soccer Bowl 2013 Soccer Bowl 2013 was the North American Soccer League's postseason championship match of the 2013 season held to determine the NASL Champion. The event was contested in a one-game match between the Atlanta Silverbacks, winners of the Spring Cha ...

, winning 1–0 against the spring season champions, the

Atlanta Silverbacks The Atlanta Silverbacks FC were an American professional soccer club based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1998 as Atlanta Ruckus, the club played in many leagues over the years before folding after the 2015 season. The team played its home game ...

. In June 2015 the New York Cosmos played a friendly against the Cuba national team, the first U.S. professional club to play in Cuba after the United States began normalizing relations with the island nation. Despite that on-field success, the Cosmos struggled to draw fans at Hofstra. In 2015, Cantona sued the club, claiming that they had failed to pay him almost one million dollars in salary and a four percent equity interest he had been promised. The parties settled in March 2017. Details of a potential settlement were not initially disclosed, although it later reported that Cantona received £780,000 from the Cosmos. After the Cosmos won the 2016 NASL Championship Final, supporters publicly called for a meeting with the club's owners, citing a lack of transparency from management and concerns over the club's future.

2016–2019: Financial struggles, sale, and hiatus

In November 2016, there were reports the team was in dire financial condition, including furloughs for 60–80% of the staff and an inability to make payroll. Later reports indicated that the Cosmos had lost over thirty million dollars since beginning play in 2013, including as much as $10 million in 2016. The ''Guardian'' pointed out that "(d)espite the team’s on-field achievements, the Cosmos have been plagued by mismanagement, dwindling attendance and practical irrelevance in the New York market." On December 6, 2016, various media outlets began reporting that the Cosmos had released all players and coaching staff from their contracts, and that office staff had not been paid in up to six weeks. Cosmos supporters launched an online campaign to raise funds for affected employees. On December 9, most of the club's employees were officially laid off. In an interview with the ''Guardian'', O'Brien admitted the financial losses but denied that the club was in danger of going out of business, insisting that they had "zero debt". ''Empire of Soccer'' pointed out that while O'Brien was saying that, the Cosmos were being sued for over $50,000 in unpaid rent on their

Garden City, Long Island Garden City is a village located in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 23,272 at the time of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within the Town of Hempstead ...

offices. Despite O'Brien's public statements, the team came within a few hours of going out of business altogether, as he came to an agreement to sell the Cosmos brand to a private equity firm. On December 15, 2016, the day O'Brien was to finalize that deal, he began negotiations with Rocco B. Commisso, a cable television executive with a lifelong interest in soccer. On January 10, 2017, it was announced that Commisso purchased the majority interest in the Cosmos. His investment kept the club and league from folding and allowed both to return for the 2017 NASL season. ESPN reported that O'Brien and Sela Sport retained a minority stake in the club, although supporters claimed that Commisso assured them that Sela Sport was no longer part of the ownership. On December 13, 2017, the Cosmos announced that Savarese had left the club "to pursue other coaching opportunities". Following the cancellation of the NASL's 2018 season, the league announced that the Cosmos would take a hiatus while exploring options to return to the field in 2019. In September 2018, Chief Operating Officer Erik Stover stepped down to become the CEO of a local soccer academy. For the 2018 and 2019 seasons, some of the Cosmos players joined the organization's second team,

New York Cosmos B New York Cosmos B were an American soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that played in the National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system, as the reserve team of New York Cosmos. History ...

, in the semi-professional

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...

(NPSL). On November 15, 2018, the NPSL announced that the Cosmos would be a founding member in a new professional league, commencing with the NPSL Founders Cup tournament from August to November 2019, followed by a full league schedule in 2020 at either division 2 or 3 level. This however, never came to be and the Founders Cup was later renamed to the Members Cup which Cosmos B took part in. On May 23, 2019, the team played its first game since 2017 against 2. Bundesliga side

FC St. Pauli Fußball-Club St. Pauli von 1910 e.V., commonly known as simply FC St. Pauli (), is a German professional association football, football club based in the St. Pauli district of Hamburg. The team plays in the Bundesliga from the 2024–25 Bundesli ...

at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium, which New York won 2–1. On November 20, 2019, the club announced their intention of joining the third-division

for their Fall 2020 season.

2020–2025: New league, second hiatus, and sale

The Cosmos made their NISA debut in the Fall 2020 season. They finished third in the Eastern Conference and exited the playoffs in the group stage. At the same time, owner Rocco Commisso was accused of "back burnering" the Cosmos in favor of his investment in Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

club

ACF Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

, which he had purchased in 2019. At the same time Commisso was spending $55 million on a new training facility for Fiorentina, the Cosmos budget was reduced to a minimum, with matches moved from their home stadium in Brooklyn to a training facility in suburban Hempstead. On January 29, 2021, the club announced that it "paused team operations" and would not compete in the Spring 2021 NISA season. They cited the

, although every other team in the league continued to play. Supporters and people associated with the Cosmos blamed owner Rocco Commisso for the hiatus, accusing Commisso of "departing in a cowardly fashion" and "giving up on the Cosmos" while prioritizing his other business interests. On February 5, 2025,

Admiral Sportswear Admiral is an English sportswear brand, with a manufacturing emphasis on clothing for association football. Founded in 1914 in Leicester, Admiral is one of the oldest sports brands in the UK and was originally an undergarment brand but switche ...

announced it had partnered with the owners of the Cosmos brand to launch a new Cosmos fashion line, based around the original club's 1979 uniform. On July 10, 2025, it was announced that Commisso had sold the Cosmos name and identity to the

's North Jersey Pro Soccer expansion team in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Indepen ...

name. Commisso joined the new team as a minority owner.

Results

Year-by-year

Stadium

Beginning with its inaugural season in 2013, the club played its home games at James M. Shuart Stadium, on the campus of

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a Private university, private research university in Hempstead, New York, United States. It originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University and became an independent college in 1939. Comprising ten schools, includ ...

in Hempstead, New York, about east of downtown New York City on Long Island. The stadium seats 11,929, and was home to the original Cosmos club during the 1972 and 1973 seasons. 2013 Cosmos home match

The Cosmos struggled to draw fans to Hofstra, raising concerns about the club's sustainability. In 2015 they experimented with matches at

MCU Park Maimonides Park (formerly MCU Park and KeySpan Park) is a minor league baseball stadium on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. The home team and primary tenant is the New York Mets-affiliate ...

, a minor-league baseball stadium in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, hosting a regular season match against the Ottawa Fury and a post season match against the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team establishe ...

. The Cosmos proposed to construct a new 25,000-seat stadium at a parking lot next to the

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

racetrack in Elmont, in Nassau County just over the border with

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. Plans for the $400 million project were submitted to the

Empire State Development Corporation Empire State Development (ESD) is the umbrella organization for New York's two principal economic development public-benefit corporations, the New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the New York Job Development Authority (JDA). ...

as a response to a request for proposal. On December 9, 2016, the Empire State Development Corporation officially withdrew the RFP and rejected all four proposals, including that of the Cosmos. Scheduling conflicts prevented the Cosmos from using Shuart Stadium for the 2016 Championship Final, and they were forced to rent another stadium. They eventually settled on

Belson Stadium Belson Stadium is a 2,168-seat soccer-specific stadium located at Utopia Parkway (Queens), Utopia Parkway and Union Turnpike (New York), Union Turnpike in Queens, New York City, on the campus of St. John's University (New York City), St. John's ...

on the campus of St. John's University. The announcement that the league's championship game would be played in a 2,200-seat venue prompted derision from fans of the club and league, who took to social media with the

hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag operator that is prefaced by the hash symbol, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services–especially Twitter and Tumblr–as a form of user-generated tagging that enable ...

''#BiggerThanBelson''. The Final was played at Belson but failed to sell out, with only 2,150 tickets sold. Following the Belson Stadium debacle, the Cosmos moved their 2017 home games to MCU Park in Brooklyn. The minor-league venue was reportedly too expensive for the Cosmos to rent, and after sitting out the 2018 and 2019 season, the Cosmos announced that they would play their 2020 home games at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale. Just blocks from their original home at Shuart Stadium, Mitchel had been the team's training facility since 2013.

Kits and crest

Players and staff

Club captains

Retired numbers

Technical staff

Ownership and team management

Owners

At the time of the club's hiatus, the chairman was cable television executive Rocco B. Commisso. Other members of the ownership group included former club chairman Seamus O'Brien, and Sela Sport, a marketing company owned by the government of Saudi Arabia.

Directors

*Chairman and CEO: Rocco B. Commisso

Supporters

Current

At the time of their hiatus, the Cosmos had two supporters groups: La Banda del Cosmos, a

barra brava () is the name of organized supporters' groups of association football, football teams in Hispanic America that provides fanatical support to their clubs in stadiums and provoke violence against rival fans as well as against the police. Actio ...

for Latin American fans, and The Cross Island Crew, primarily for fans on Long Island. The Cross Island Crew was founded as "Sagan's Army", in a reference to

Carl Sagan Carl Edward Sagan (; ; November 9, 1934December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, including e ...

, but re-branded in December 2013.

Former

The original supporters group was the Borough Boys Supporters Club, formed in 2007 to lobby MLS Commissioner Don Garber for a club based in New York City. After Kemsley's group bought the Cosmos name in late 2009, the Borough Boys became their first supporters group, believing that the Cosmos represented "the best choice for MLS expansion", and remained with the club even after

New York City FC New York City Football Club (often referred to as NYCFC) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in New York City. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern C ...

was announced as the twentieth MLS club in May 2013. In June 2017, the Borough Boys' podcast/website ''This is Cosmos Country'' announced that they would no longer be covering the Cosmos, following a dispute with the club. In an interview with ''Empire of Soccer'', they raised questions about the ownership of the Cosmos, including wondering whether Sela Sport still had an interest. After the ''EoS'' article was published, TICC founder Luis Hernandez received a phone call from Cosmos Senior Vice President Joe Barone. Barone complained about TICC's coverage of the Cosmos, and claimed to have himself received an angry phone call from Commisso, then in Saudi Arabia for a friendly match. Hernandez said "We feel we just have to walk away. They're trying to bully us. We love the team. We're fans. We support the on-field product. We're behind ead Coach Giovanni Savarese his players and staff. It's an unfortunate situation. None of us want to be part of this anymore." Commisso later denied making such a call to Barone, saying "Somebody lied." As of late 2017, the Borough Boys no longer had "any official relationship" with the club.

Broadcasting

The Cosmos were originally broadcast by

One World Sports One World Sports (stylized ONE World Sports) was an American sports-oriented cable and satellite television channel. Owned by One Media Corporation, which was led by Seamus O'Brien, the network was primarily devoted to international sports, i ...

, a network that was run by the team's chairman Seamus O'Brien, and live or tape-delayed on

SportsNet New York SportsNet New York (SNY) is an American regional sports network owned by Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, LLC, itself a joint venture between Fred Wilpon's Sterling Equities (which owns a controlling 65% interest), Charter Communications th ...

. The majority of the games featured the on-air team of play-by-play announcer

JP Dellacamera John Paul "JP" Dellacamera (born January 11, 1952) is an American play-by-play sportscaster primarily for Major League Soccer with the Philadelphia Union, as well as major soccer tournaments and ice hockey. Early life Dellacamera grew up in Wa ...

and

Janusz Michallik Janusz Michallik (born April 22, 1966, in Chorzów, Poland) is a former professional soccer player, coach, and current television sports commentator. Born in Poland, he represented the United States national team. Youth Michallik moved to the Uni ...

as the color analyst. One World Sports also produced ''Cosmos Classics'', an original series featuring historic Cosmos matches from the 1970s and 1980s. On March 16, 2017, coinciding with the team's new ownership, and the sale of One World Sports to

Eleven Sports Eleven Sports was a multinational sports and entertainment media group headquartered in the United Kingdom. Eleven Sports' business model initially centred around the acquisition of major international sports rights in smaller countries. The ...

, the Cosmos announced a new broadcast deal with

MSG Network The MSG Network (MSG) is an American regional cable and satellite television network, and radio service owned by Sphere Entertainment -- a spin-off of the main Madison Square Garden Company operation (itself a spin-off of local cable provid ...

and

WPIX-TV WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City, serving as the ''de facto'' flagship of The CW Television Network. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, the station is operated by CW majority owner Nexstar Media Group under a local marketi ...

. Ed Cohen and Jonathan Yardley handled play-by-play, alongside Sal Rosamilia and Janusz Michallik as color analysts.

Honors

Domestic

International

Lunar New Year Cup The Lunar New Year Cup, previously known as the Carlsberg Challenge or the Carlsberg Cup, is an annual invitational association football, football tournament organised in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) since 1908. It is usua ...

:: Winners:

New York Cosmos B

In January 2015, the Cosmos announced it would be fielding a team in the

for the upcoming season. The team,

, would act as a reserve side and would be coached by first team assistant coach

Alecko Eskandarian Alecko Eskandarian (, ) (born July 9, 1982) is an American retired soccer player. He is the son of Andranik Eskandrian, a former player of the Iranian national team and the Esteghlal team. He is a former assistant coach for New York Cosmos and ...

. The team won the NPSL National Championship in its first season, going undefeated through 17 games and beating

Chattanooga FC Chattanooga Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 2009, the team is in MLS Next Pro starting in 2024. Prior to joining MLS Next Pro, the club played in the National Indep ...

in the National Final on August 8. Between 2015 and 2019, the team finished first in the NPSL's North Atlantic Conference four times and reached the National Final again in 2019. The squad did not return for the

2020 NPSL season The 2020 National Premier Soccer League season was part of the 108th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States and the 18th season of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Miami FC, the defending league champions, left in the of ...

Youth academy

Following its foundation in August 2010, the Cosmos entered into an arrangement with youth development organization Blau Weiss Gottschee in which the Gottschee teams would play under the name New York Cosmos Academy. A few weeks later, the club entered into a similar partnership with the Los Angeles Futbol Club in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, to run a west-coast youth academy called "Cosmos Academy West". While Cosmos Academy West existed, the Cosmos Academy based in Queens was called "Cosmos Academy East". This approach of sponsoring established youth organizations, and having their teams play in Cosmos branding, was initially successful. The Cosmos were able to capitalize on decades of youth development. At the end of 2010, Cosmos Academy West was ranked by ''

Soccer America ''Soccer America'', the oldest soccer-specific media publisher in the United States, was founded in 1971 by Clay Berling in Albany, California. The magazine is headquartered in Oakland, California. History The magazine was founded by Clay Ber ...

'' as the third best boys' club in the United States and the top boys' club in California. The Spring 2011 roster for the US under-17 team included three Cosmos Academy East players, more at the time than any MLS team academy. The Cosmos Academy eventually competed at various levels of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, fielding teams in the under-9 to under-18 age groups. An under-23 Cosmos side was accepted into the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

(PDL), the fourth tier of the

United States soccer pyramid The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Although sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are not linked by a system o ...

, in May 2011, and was expected to join for the 2012 season. In preparation for this it played

exhibition match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the playe ...

es against existing PDL clubs during 2011, coached by Savarese. However, it did not take part in the 2012 PDL season. Cracks quickly started to form between the Cosmos and their youth soccer partners. Los Angeles Futbol Club abruptly terminated its contract with the Cosmos in February 2011, with no public explanation. ''Bleacher Report'' called the cancellation "embarrassing" for the Cosmos and "a poor demonstration of the (Cosmos’s) commitment to grassroots and youth soccer". Following the loss of LAFC, the Cosmos tried to develop a new Cosmos Academy West on their own, but within months had slashed funding for the project. Cosmos Academy West officially disbanded in August 2011, and its operations were folded into those of MLS club

Chivas USA Chivas USA (pronounced ''CHEE-vahs'') was an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competed in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conf ...

. On November 8, 2011, Blau Weiss Gottschee filed a lawsuit against the Cosmos, claiming that the Cosmos had failed to make any of its contractually-obligated payments and that as a result Gottschee had been forced to restore the tuition, transport and training fees which players had been required to pay before the 2010 deal. At the time the suit was filed, the Cosmos reportedly owed Blau Weiss Gottschee $210,000 in missed payments. Gotchee later joined New York City FC's development league. In fall of 2014, the Cosmos announced that recently signed

Raúl González Blanco Raul, Raúl, Raül, and Raüll are forms of a common first name in Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan. The name is cognate of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph and the French R ...

would, upon his retirement from playing, assume a full-time role overseeing a new Cosmos academy which scheduled to begin operations in 2015. In December 2015, US Soccer gave the Cosmos approval to begin developing youth players, granting the club initial approval to field a U-12 team. However, when Raúl retired in that year, he instead took a position with

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

, overseeing its offices in the United States, and his son Hugo went into the New York City FC academy. In May 2020, the Cosmos indefinitely suspended their youth academy. Then-Chief Operating Officer Erik Stover said "At this moment, we simply don't have a clear development pathway for the players. That being said, we don’t think it is fair to ask parents and players to continue to invest their time and money in the academy system".

Failed Major League Soccer expansion

At the time of the Cosmos' return in 2010, MLS was made up of 16 franchises, with three new teams set to join over the following two seasons:

and

in 2011, and the Montreal Impact in 2012. ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...

'' reported in late April 2011 that the league was committed to placing the next franchise in the New York

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

if a deal could be reached. Terry Byrne said in July 2011 that the stadium was the biggest factor regarding the Cosmos' accession to MLS. "The league wants us to demonstrate that we are capable of taking a stadium

rea REA or Rea may refer to: Places * Rea, Lombardy, in Italy * Rea, Missouri, United States * Rea River, in Fiordland, New Zealand * River Rea, a river in Birmingham, England * River Rea, Shropshire, a river in Shropshire, England * Rea, Hunga ...

and building a stadium," he said. Working alongside New York

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

, the Cosmos sought a location within New York City's boroughs rather than a surrounding city (which would distinguish them from the Red Bulls, based in

Harrison, New Jersey Harrison is a town in the western part of Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, and is located from New York City. Once considered "the bee ...

). Over a dozen locations around Queens,

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, and

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

were marked out in March 2011, narrowed down to four sites by the end of July; two in Queens and one each in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and "uptown" Manhattan. Apart from the stadium, an issue regarding MLS membership was the franchise fee that the Cosmos would have to pay to the league. When the club first announced its intention to join, the price stood at $40 million, but by the end of July 2011 the fee for any expansion team playing in New York had risen to $70 million, a 57% rise from the entry price paid by Montreal. By the end of 2011, the Cosmos decided not to apply for an MLS franchise after all, in part because they rejected the league's single entity structure, and because they did not want to relinquish marketing rights to their name and logo. Following the Cosmos' decision not to apply,

announced in May 2013 that their 20th franchise would be a different

–based team,

, a new team co-owned by

City Football Group City Football Group Limited (CFG) is a British-based holding company that administers association football clubs. The group is owned by three organisations, of which 81% is majority-owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, 18% by the American firm Silve ...

(owners of

team

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

) and

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

team the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. Cosmos chairman Seamus O'Brien, however, noted that London had fourteen professional soccer teams, so New York City could "handle three." In February 2014, MLS commissioner

named three other markets as candidates for the final expansion team that would get the league's stated 24-team target by 2020, and on April 25, 2014, he told

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

's sports editors that there would not be a third MLS team in New York.

References

External links

* {{Authority control National Independent Soccer Association teams North American Soccer League (2011–2017) teams Men's soccer clubs in New York (state) 2010 establishments in New York City Soccer clubs in the New York metropolitan area Phoenix clubs (association football) it:New York Cosmos

History

1985–2009: Fall of the original Cosmos and revival

2010–2012: "Selling Shirts"

2013–2015: Return to competitive league play

2016–2019: Financial struggles, sale, and hiatus

2020–2025: New league, second hiatus, and sale

Results

Year-by-year

Stadium

Kits and crest

Players and staff

Club captains

Retired numbers

Technical staff

Ownership and team management

Owners

Directors

Supporters

Current

Former

Broadcasting

Honors

Domestic

International

New York Cosmos B

Youth academy

Failed Major League Soccer expansion

See also

References

External links