Some Thoughts on a Potential New York Cosmos Return
- Sam Basel
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
According to a report by Michael Battista of Hudson River Blue, the New York Cosmos are set to return to the field in 2026 as the latest expansion franchise in USL League One. According to Battista's report, North Jersey Pro Soccer, an incoming expansion team spearheaded by Baye Adofo-Wilson and Erik Stover (former COO of the Cosmos), will use the Cosmos name.
The New York Cosmos have existed in many forms since the late 1960's; the Pele led teams of the 70s and 80s, the indoor team that played for one season, and the team of the 2010s that played through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
Through it all, the Cosmos brand has remained one of the strongest in the history of American soccer, and one that deserves a team to carry it back to glory. I became a massive fan of the club during its run in the 2010s, and while the possibility of their return has me hyped, there are a few things I'd like to see a new team do to ensure the preservation of the Cosmos' reputation.
The start of my fandom
I caught the soccer bug in 2014 on a trip to Europe, where I saw then-EFL Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion take on Charlton Athletic at the Amex. After watching the Seagulls take down Charlton 3-0 in front of an infectiously passionate crowd, I was immediately enamored with the concept of lower-level professional soccer, the potential of giant-killers, and most importantly, community-led fandom.
Upon returning home, the New York Cosmos quickly caught my interest as the only professional side to represent my home of Long Island as members of the second incarnation of the North American Soccer League. In June 2015, I scored some $15 tickets with a few friends (including House Enterprise co-founder Will Tondo) to the Cosmos' match against New York City FC in the fourth round of the US Open Cup. NYC, MLS' latest club backed by the Yankees and Man City, had caught the attention of some of my friends, so I knew that a City win could claim their fandom forever.
NYC, playing without David Villa, dominated early, holding a 2-0 lead midway into the second half. However, the Cosmos, led in 2015 by aging superstars Marcos Senna and Raul, pulled off a miraculous comeback in the final thirty minutes. Leo Fernandes put the Cosmos on the board in the 65th minute, and Lucky Mkosana tied the game with a desperate tap-in goal in the 90th. By this point, my friends and I had fully immersed ourselves within the Cosmos' supporters section known as the 5 Points. When Hunter Gorskie secured the win in PKs, I went nuts, emerging from the green smoke clouds a fan for life.
Following the win over NYCFC, I followed the Cosmos through a very successful 18 months for the club. They won the NASL Soccer Bowl in 2015, beat NYCFC again in the 2016 US Open Cup, and then went back-to-back in the Soccer Bowl with a win in penalties over the Indy Eleven. I was in attendance for both of New York's playoff wins in 2016, and got to celebrate on the field of Belson Stadium with the 5 Points as the Cosmos hoisted the trophy. As the confetti fell, I celebrated not only the Cosmos' win, but also the fact that, for me, my investment in the smaller New York club paid off.
The end...for now?
As vividly as I remember Lucky's game-saving goal, I remember sitting in my freshman-year math class when I got the text that the Cosmos had folded amid serious financial troubles. With several of their fellow NASL clubs on the way to USL at the same time, it looked like the whole league was ready to sink with the Cosmos. While the team's eventual acquisition by Rocco Commisso ensured that the Cosmos and the NASL would play the 2017 season (in which the Cosmos lost the Soccer Bowl to the San Francisco Deltas), his efforts were not enough to keep the league afloat for 2018 and beyond.
The Cosmos continued to field their developmental team, Cosmos B, in the NPSL through 2019, and even returned to senior team action for half of the 2020 NISA campaign before indefinitely pausing all team operations in 2021. Since then, the only signs of life for the franchise have come in the form of obituaries for team legends and an apparel partnership with Admiral Sports earlier this year.
Three (light) requests for a new New York Cosmos
As Michael Battista detailed in his initial report, we won't know if the North Jersey USL bid will carry the Cosmos name until their official unveiling on July 10th. However, should this USL expansion officially mark the return of the Cosmos, here are a few things I'd like to see from the newest iteration of the club.
Do not drop New York from the name
I would like to emphasize this point with no offense to the city of Patterson, New Jersey. It really seems like a great place. I will gladly make my way out there from Queens a few times a year if that's where the Cosmos end up calling home. However, if they truly want to hit the ground running in building back the Cosmos brand, then they should style themselves as either the "New York Cosmos," or simply the "Cosmos." While it was awesome to grow up on Long Island and root for a team so close to home, I understand that real estate is limited, especially compared to when the last iteration of the Cosmos played. Since the Cosmos went on hiatus, we've seen NYCFC break ground on their new stadium in Flushing. In 2026, we'll also see Brooklyn FC launch their men's side in the USL Championship, leaving New Jersey as one of the only suitable options.
Considering a lot of Cosmos fans also probably root for "New York" NFL teams based in New Jersey, and a lot of Patterson residents probably root for baseball, basketball, and hockey teams in New York, I can't imagine this being a big ask. Cosmos fans may just have to brace themselves for a lot of trash talk from their new in-state neighbors in the Red Bulls.
Reconnect with the Five Points
While the on-field product from the Cosmos has been sporadic over the last decade, the passion has not. For every fan who maintains the Cosmos fandom on social media, I have to think there are many more who have yearned for the team's return in relative silence. In all honesty, I'm one of them. After the turmoil the club faced from late 2016 to 2021, my interest in men's club soccer in the US really dipped. How could I pick a new team while my Cosmos sat dormant? If this new ownership group can connect with fans of the first two incarnations of the team, they'll immediately have a great group of supporters on day one.
Build a winning culture WITHIN the USL
The beautiful thing about the Cosmos of the 2010s is that they frequently punched above their weight. With star signings like Raul and Marcos Senna, friendlies against Man United and Cuba, and US Open Cup wins over the Red Bulls and NYCFC, the Cosmos did a solid job of extending the reach of their brand beyond the confines of the NASL. However, in some ways, their ambition also contributed to their downfall.
Following the de facto dissolution of the NASL in 2018, the cosmos joined the league in a major lawsuit against MLS and the United States Soccer Federation, alleging that the relationship between the two organizations created an unfair monopoly that dominated the American soccer landscape and conspired against rising leagues like the NASL. While noble, the cosmos were left to fight this battle basically on their own as other members of the NASL like the Indy Eleven, Tampa Bay Rowdies, and Miami FC jumped ship to the USL. This year, a jury ruled in favor of the USSF and MLS. I want to make it clear that challenging unfair business practices is always smart, especially in sports, but doing so with the backing of the USL ecosystem will give the Cosmos a lot more ground in any future fights, as well as the resources to continue playing games in front of fans.
Final Thoughts
While the three points I listed above are very important to me, they are by no means dealbreakers. No matter what, I will take any opportunity I can to see the Cosmos brand flourish once again in the American soccer ecosystem. While my other teams have provided plenty of great moments throughout my life, I've had a lot of trouble matching the feeling the Cosmos gave me nearly 10 years ago. While my Pele jersey may no longer fit, my blood still runs green.