For the last few years, there have been rumors that America’s legendary soccer franchise, the New York Cosmos, were mounting a comeback. Pepe Pinton, the owner of the Cosmos name, finally sold his stake in the team recently, adding fuel to the fire. It seems that fire has reached the inferno stage. The Cosmos are officially back. Sort of.
On Sunday, Queens (New York City) youth club BW Gottschee and the reformed New York Cosmos announced a partnership with a long-term goal of playing in Major League Soccer. The Cosmos and Gottschee’s partnership begins with the creation of the Cosmos Academy, a youth development organization ranging from U-12s to U-18s. The honorary president of the Cosmos is none other than Cosmos legend and greatest player ever, Pele. The group is headed up by Chairman Paul Kemsley and CEO Carl Johnson. The Cosmos have also taken over the Copa NYC tournament with aims of expanding the concept globally.
All of this sounds great. The history buff in me wants to be really, really excited. Then reality sets in. It slaps me in the face when you Terry Byrne named as the Cosmos director of soccer. For those of you that didn’t read Grant Wahl’s excellent The Beckham Experiment (shame on you), Terry Byrne was the ringleader of the David Beckham circus and was responsible for the Galaxy’s disastrous hiring of Ruud Gullit. Someone actually thought it would be a great idea to put him in charge. Again.
Still, what the Cosmos are attempting is valiant. Pele lit the pilot light for US Soccer during his first stint with the Cosmos. Now he’s returning to make sure the furnace is not just in proper working order, but that it is getting an upgrade. The club is taking a different approach, building the youth system before a senior team is in place to mark as the destination for youth players’ journies. It could work. The problem is that there needs to be a team on the horizon eventually. Why waste effort developing a youth player on to have him sign with Red Bull New York because you don’t have anywhere to put him?
The emergence of the Cosmos looks less of a coincedence when you take into account Don Garber’s recent comments about a second New York based MLS franchise. The earliest an NYC-2 team could come into the league is 2013. That’s just enough time to get funding for and construction started on a Queens-based stadium.
Terry Byrne’s involvement in the Cosmos also raises the question of how David Beckham will be involved. Beckham’s contract with MLS allows him to purchase an MLS franchise when he’s done playing. His contract ends after the 2011 season. If you take into account that MLS contracts typically have an league-held option year included, it is safe to say that Beckham’s playing days are likely over after the 2012 MLS season. The 2013 target fits perfectly for Beckham, especially if his good buddy Terry is holding down the fort until Beckham can bunker down with him.
The Cosmos are back. They just aren’t playing anyone, yet. Let’s hope the first people they aren’t playing are the fans. After all this time, they deserve better.
Adam Soucie is the author of Soccer, Not Football, a blog focused on the American game. If you’ve liked this piece, check out his other work. If you haven’t liked it, he promises there’s better stuff on his site.