NY Cosmos to be revived?

[Hitcho]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/7884424/Tycoon-seeks-funding-to-revive-NY-Cosmos.html


Tycoon seeks funding to revive NY Cosmos


Paul Kemsley, the failed property tycoon and former sidekick to Lord Sugar on The Apprentice, is planning to revive the New York Cosmos, the football team made famous in the late-1970s by stars such as Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer.


Mr Kemsley has been out of the public eye in the UK since his property empire collapsed last year, leaving Lloyds Banking Group facing losses of £450m. He has moved to New York to oversee an audacious attempt to revive the Cosmos.

The tycoon is understood to be aiming to launch in December with training camps for youngsters, an all-star travelling side and then a competitive team


Mr Kemsley, an associate of Mike Ashley and a former vice-chairman of Tottenham Hotspur football club, is thought to be working with investment bank Inner Circle, which specialises in the sports industry, for funding of the project.
The Cosmos collapsed in 1984 after the departure of their famous players and the declining popularity of the North American Soccer League.
The club was formed by Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun, and Warner Brothers president Steve Ross. The Cosmos all-star team attracted unprecedented football crowds in the US, including the largest ever when Pelé retired in 1977.
Mr Kemsley is thought to have acquired the name and image rights to the Cosmos from Peppe Pinton, the former general manager of the club.
"We are going to launch in, probably, December," Mr Kemsley told the Wall Street Journal. He said the revival would include merchandise, "grass-roots soccer camps for youth", an "inspirational travelling team", and a "fully competitive side".
Mr Kemsley's Rock property empire, which included the former headquarters of Burberry in Central London and Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park football ground, fell into administration last June. HBOS, which is now owned by Lloyds, lent money and took an equity stake in a joint venture to expand Mr Kemsley's empire in 2007.
Before the collapse of his property empire, Mr Kemsley helped Lord Sugar interview candidates at the semi-final stage of The Apprentice television show.

In a lawsuit filed last week in the UK, two former partners of Mr Kemsley alleged that Lloyds Banking Group "coerced" the entrepreneur into transferring control of his property empire to the bank by releasing him from a $35m (£23.1m) personal loanNot sure how this would fit in with any planned MLS expansion for a second NY team, since the plan seems to be a traveling circus (is there really any money in that now that just about every country has its own league and the "stars" are all signed up to big money contracts?!) and the professional team lined up for later, but what else could a "professional team" really mean in any serious way other than joining MLS? Like many, I think a second NY team would be a mistake because they don;t seem to be able to support it in terms of crowd draw, but I bet Garber will be watching this and hoping it takes off.

Also, not overly excited that this was in the "finance" section of the telegraph rather than a sports report somewhere. That doesn't set the ball rolling in the right direction somehow!

[Roogsy]

Is this like the Globetrotters of basketball or something? It can't possibly be anything else unless like you said, the team joins the MLS.

[Fort York Redcoat]

Hey North America, you want to see some "REAL" soccer? come see your _______fc face the New York Cosmos with such legendary players as....

What a joke.


This move sounds like another egotistical owner that will do anything to get what he wants. I don't want to play in your little league MLS. I'll make my own one team league.

NY Cosmos-Harlem Globetrotters using their feet.

[Mikey]

Fully expecting all the players to be wearing clownshoes, the goal mouth to be set on fire, and the ref to be a midget on a segway.....

[Fort York Redcoat]

Multiball!!!!!

[Parkdale]

Fully expecting all the players to be wearing clownshoes, the goal mouth to be set on fire, and the ref to be a midget on a segway.....


I'd pay to see that.

once.

[Oldtimer]

Actually, he does want them in MLS. He's just starting with a touring team, and has the bucks to do it.

[Fort York Redcoat]

^He's not making any friends the way he's going about it. Someone should introduce him to Jim Balsallie...

[ManUtd4ever]

I don't understand why any prospective investors would have any faith whatsoever in adding a second franchise to a city that doesn't support it's existing team and can't even come close to selling out it's brand new state of the art stadium even with Thiery Henry on the horizon...:facepalm:

[mmmikey]

what happened to the other NY team that was planning to play in USL-2? I recall them discussing playing at Hofstra etc.. Has to suck for them if true.

[mmmikey]

I don't understand why any prospective investors would have any faith whatsoever in adding a second franchise to a city that doesn't support it's existing team and can't even come close to selling out it's brand new state of the art stadium even with Thiery Henry on the horizon...:facepalm:

Playing Devils Advocate a bit.. I can understand it at the very least. NYC is a very densely populated city that relies alot on mass transit and alot less on the automobile. I'm not sure I blame the population around NYC so much as you blame the NYRB for basing their team in a hard to reach area.

It's hard to relate to coming from Toronto. But imagine we all took the subway, didn't own cars and they have TFC playing out in Oakville or Ajax. I would think that TFC's support would be suffering as well.

The real estate values do make it hard to do anything in NYC itself, but they base the 2nd team anywhere else than I'm fully behind the "wtf is a 2nd team is doing in NY" side. If it's in NYC itself though, I would expect it will do better than NYRB.

[J .]

Another team in NY, a market that doesnt care? A second team in Columbus makes almost as much sense.

[Beach_Red]

Another team in NY, a market that doesnt care? A second team in Columbus makes almost as much sense.

Except if MLS can't get NY to care the league will never really make it. If someone wants to sink his money into it and really promote the team and the league, good on him.

[Hitcho]

What baffles me most about this is the economics. I just cannot imagine the revived cosmos will make any money as a touring outfit. I mean, where are they going to tour with an expectation of drawing crowds? Who are they going to sign while they're not even in a professional league? Where are they going to play given the price of real estate in and around NYC? Fans around the world get the likes of Real Madrid, Man Utd and Barca touring now. No-one is going to give a crap about the Cosmos, unless perhaps Pele comes out of retirement for a pony and trap show?!

If they wanted to gear up to MLS then they should be starting in USL and hoping the name was enough to attract some crowds while they line up for the 20th MLS spot. But the way they've proposed this, I just can't see them being anything other than a curious and bankrupt sideshow while they're waiting to get into a pro league (presumably MLS). They'd be much better off just ponying up a load of cash and taking the Cosmos straight into MLS as Garber;s cherished 2nd NY team. Although would they make any money going that route instead? Debatable.

The soccer landscape in N. America has changed radically since the days of the Cosmos. Teams coming into MLS now are organised, professional and grounded on a genuine football experience with urban fan support. The whole thing is weird and distasteful, not to mention horrifically out of date. Newsflash - soccer now is not a circus act in N. America. You'll sink like a stone if you don't realise that.

[pedro]

Don't know what's up with this:
http://nycosmos.com/

But seems to be building to something? And what's with the Umbro connection at the bottom of the page?

[flatpicker]

Don't know what's up with this:
http://nycosmos.com/

But seems to be building to something? And what's with the Umbro connection at the bottom of the page?


No idea... but it's a pretty cool vid.

[james]

so 8.4 million people live in NYC and 19 million live in the Metro area so why the fuck does NYRB only get like 10,000 fans a game even tho they play in an awsome stadium in NJ just 15 min drive from Manhatten downtwon core??? well i realized maybe its because they seriously need to stop building stadiums in New Jersey. Seems people just dont want to go there because its a shit whole for most of it. New Jersey Nets, New Jersey Devils and New York Red Bulls all seem to really strugle with 10,000- 15,000 fans a game. Only teams that survive in NJ are the Giants and Jets, but then Americans just love there NFL Football and will go anywhere to support there NFL teams but wont travel for other sports.

Maybe the only way a Soccer team could survive with good attendence in NY is if the stadium is actually built in NY??? such as in Manhatten, Brooklyn or Queens??

I dont know any other way, it just doesnt make sense of a city that big not to beable to properly support a soccer team!

[TorCanSoc]

Sweet video. I have a bizarre feeling people would take to the Cosmos more than the Red Bulls if they pulled this off. It is in its infancy. Give it a three year run up into the MLS? Who knows. NASL and Cosmos were synonymous.

[ensco]

This gets raised all the time on bigsoccer. Lots of NY fans want the Red Bulls to go back to being the Metrostars, or become the Cosmos.

[Keystone FC]

what happened to the other NY team that was planning to play in USL-2? I recall them discussing playing at Hofstra etc.. Has to suck for them if true.
It's still in the works for them to play in USL-1 next season:
http://usl1.uslsoccer.com/home/442405.html

Nice looking kit.

[Cashcleaner]

I don't understand why any prospective investors would have any faith whatsoever in adding a second franchise to a city that doesn't support it's existing team and can't even come close to selling out it's brand new state of the art stadium even with Thiery Henry on the horizon...:facepalm:

Thank-you! Whenever I hear talk about a so-called second NY team, I want to lock myself in a room and scream until I pass out. No pro sports league would ever throw a second franchise into a market that is having trouble supporting an existing team.

[Redcoe15]

I agree that putting a second team in New York is a dumb idea given that the first team, NYRB, can't even draw flies if they were covered in shit. Drawing 16,000 people per game, at a brand spanking new 25,000 seat stadium that puts all other MLS pitches to shame, on a very accessible transit line, in a city of 18 million is, to say the least, an embarassment.

Unfortunatly, Don Garber has this hard on for putting a team in New York - and by that, I mean right inside New York proper. He believes a team inside the New York state part of the Metro region will be able to attract the big time advertising dollars the league so desperatly wants. He also thinks a second team will create a heated derby between they and NYRB that will attract the attention of the New York media that will eventually boost the league. One can't help but wonder if this proposed team is what he had in mind when he put in that clause for David Beckham to own a team of his own.

And besides, part of what's driving this NYC2 bid has been the Borough Boys (http://www.boroughboysnyc.com/), the supporters group of this proposed team who have taken their cue from Philadelphia's Sons Of Ben to help attract possible investors to the team. Read this statement (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=727165) about why they want a team of their own and you'll soon discover that they really need to change their name to the Borough Babies.

In the end, it doesn't matter if we think it's a bad idea. MLS is gonna put a second team in New York by any means necessary. And that's a shame given how there are other markets to look at first.

[Beach_Red]

Thank-you! Whenever I hear talk about a so-called second NY team, I want to lock myself in a room and scream until I pass out. No pro sports league would ever throw a second franchise into a market that is having trouble supporting an existing team.


That's like saying no professional sports league would keep a second team out of it's largest market with plenty of untapped profits to be made.

Sports leagues don't make sense.

Besides, New York isn't "a market," it's six markets.

[Hitcho]

I agree that putting a second team in New York is a dumb idea given that the first team, NYRB, can't even draw flies if they were covered in shit. Drawing 16,000 people per game, at a brand spanking new 25,000 seat stadium that puts all other MLS pitches to shame, on a very accessible transit line, in a city of 18 million is, to say the least, an embarassment.

Unfortunatly, Don Garber has this hard on for putting a team in New York - and by that, I mean right inside New York proper. He believes a team inside the New York state part of the Metro region will be able to attract the big time advertising dollars the league so desperatly wants. He also thinks a second team will create a heated derby between they and NYRB that will attract the attention of the New York media that will eventually boost the league. One can't help but wonder if this proposed team is what he had in mind when he put in that clause for David Beckham to own a team of his own.

And besides, part of what's driving this NYC2 bid has been the Borough Boys (http://www.boroughboysnyc.com/), the supporters group of this proposed team who have taken their cue from Philadelphia's Sons Of Ben to help attract possible investors to the team. Read this statement (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=727165) about why they want a team of their own and you'll soon discover that they really need to change their name to the Borough Babies.

In the end, it doesn't matter if we think it's a bad idea. MLS is gonna put a second team in New York by any means necessary. And that's a shame given how there are other markets to look at first.

I fear that there may be a lot of truth in what you say RC, but to me the biggest obstacle to a second NY team is money. To get a team actually in NY and not farther out than the shite bulls already are would cost a fortune just based on real estate values. So they'd need someone to take a pretty huge gamble on it paying off. No-one will take that gamble because as things stand they can see two clear things: first, the shite cows can;t draw a decent crowd so where's the revenue stream going to come from on match days and SSH; and second, the sport as a whole is not big enough in the US to generate the kind of commercial and tv revenues you'd need to justify that kind of start up cost.

That may be why the link in my OP is set up as a touring circus - to try and generate some interest and secure revenue streams to justify the NYC costs of getting a team in there.

[nfitz]

Drawing 16,000 people per game, at a brand spanking new 25,000 seat stadium that puts all other MLS pitches to shame, on a very accessible transit line, in a city of 18 million is, to say the least, an embarassment.It's also a huge improvement improvement on the 11,000 or so they were drawing last year! With Henry, they could easily be one of the top 4-drawing teams inthe league, with Toronto, Seattle, and LA.

[Redcoe15]

It's also a huge improvement improvement on the 11,000 or so they were drawing last year! With Henry, they could easily be one of the top 4-drawing teams inthe league, with Toronto, Seattle, and LA.
Understand, I'm not against the idea of a second New York MLS team. If NYRB were to sell out Red Bull Arena and create something of a buzz in the metro area, I'd say bring it on. Let's see how much of a buzz Henry can give NYRB once he joins the club.

[Cashcleaner]

That's like saying no professional sports league would keep a second team out of it's largest market with plenty of untapped profits to be made.

Sports leagues don't make sense.

Besides, New York isn't "a market," it's six markets.

Yes, New York is a HUGE market. And the Red Bulls want as much of it as they can get. They aren't going to roll over and let another club squeeze it's way in given their current situation.

[kodiakTFC]

Yes, New York is a HUGE market. And the Red Bulls want as much of it as they can get. They aren't going to roll over and let another club squeeze it's way in given their current situation.

Red Bull has all ready stated they wanted a second NY team and have given Garber the go ahead to make the deal. Remember they are owned by people who understand the game and realize how big a derby could be.

[Keystone FC]

Red Bull has all ready stated they wanted a second NY team and have given Garber the go ahead to make the deal. Remember they are owned by people who understand the game and realize how big a derby could be.
But in order for it to work the club really needs to be a NYC club, not a Jersey poser NYC team like NFL NY teams (Giants & Jets). The NY club NEEDS to be in NYC proper or Long Island. I could see a NY club sharing RB Arena for a few years but they will need a proper place of their own and in the City (and state) limits. Otherwise the thing is a bust before it gets off the ground.
The only other thing I could see this being derailed is if another energy drink buys the NY club and names it after itself.
I could see alot of seats available for the RBNY v. NYC Monster derby. :facepalm:

[james]

But in order for it to work the club really needs to be a NYC club, not a Jersey poser NYC team like NFL NY teams (Giants & Jets). The NY club NEEDS to be in NYC proper or Long Island. I could see a NY club sharing RB Arena for a few years but they will need a proper place of their own and in the City (and state) limits. Otherwise the thing is a bust before it gets off the ground.
The only other thing I could see this being derailed is if another energy drink buys the NY club and names it after itself.
I could see alot of seats available for the RBNY v. NYC Monster derby. :facepalm:


id say a team in Long Island wouldnt even work, its further away from the NYC core then the current New York Red Bulls. Also the New york Islanders already play in Long Island and often strggle to sell out there 16,200 seat hockey stadium. Id say the only possible way it could work is if its in the proper NYC, and id say best spot would be Brooklyn since Bronx got the Yankees, Queens got the Mets, Manhatten has the Rangers and Knicks....there is no team in Brooklyn and Brooklyn is the most populated borough of them all (2.5 million people most populated Borough in NYC, 2nd most densely populated area per square km in USA next to manhattan).


And say 'IF' New York was to get a 2nd team, would it make more sense for the NYRB to change there name to New Jersey Red Bulls for a New Jersey vs New York Derby?? or make more sense to still call them New York Red Bulls even tho they play in New Jersey??

[Cashcleaner]

Red Bull has all ready stated they wanted a second NY team and have given Garber the go ahead to make the deal. Remember they are owned by people who understand the game and realize how big a derby could be.

They have? This is news to me.

The prospective revenue from a derby played twice a season doesn't add up to the potential lose of revenue that could be attributed to the placement of another club in the area.

[kodiakTFC]

They have? This is news to me.

The prospective revenue from a derby played twice a season doesn't add up to the potential lose of revenue that could be attributed to the placement of another club in the area.

If I knew where to look I'd find the article/interview for you but Garber basically explained the Red Bull ownership understood derbies and supported the new team.

[Beach_Red]

They have? This is news to me.

The prospective revenue from a derby played twice a season doesn't add up to the potential lose of revenue that could be attributed to the placement of another club in the area.


Maybe they've actually looked at US college sports and seen how much a rivalry raises the profiles (and attendance) of both teams involved.

[Cashcleaner]

If I knew where to look I'd find the article/interview for you but Garber basically explained the Red Bull ownership understood derbies and supported the new team.
[/quote]

It's okay. I wasn't doubting you, it was just something I had never heard of.


Maybe they've actually looked at US college sports and seen how much a rivalry raises the profiles (and attendance) of both teams involved.

Yes, they do. But comparing pro sport teams and college teams in this context is an apples to oranges sorta thing.

[__wowza]

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/12/cosmos-to-play-in-n-a-s-l-in-13/

the cosmos are back, in POG form!
seriously though, they're coming back in 2013 to the NASL.

[ManUtd4ever]

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/12/cosmos-to-play-in-n-a-s-l-in-13/

the cosmos are back, in POG form!
seriously though, they're coming back in 2013 to the NASL.

What's the point?

The Cosmos would have been a tough sell as the second team in the region to begin with, but as a second tier club?

I don't think there's a chance it will succeed.

[__wowza]

What's the point?

The Cosmos would have been a tough sell as the second team in the region to begin with, but as a second tier club?

I don't think there's a chance it will succeed.

i think it'll be an easier sell to have a team already in place, but you'll be hard up to find stars willing to make the journey to play in a second (third?) division club. time will tell i guess, but i wouldnt at all be surprised to see them in the MLS next season or the one after.

[TOBOR !]

I dunno. I like it.

I think the brand resonates enough that they'll draw decent numbers.

With the mention of the revival of old NASL rivalries with the Rowdies and Strikers, I wonder if this is a step along the path toward a promotion / relegation system.

I think the Cosmos will give the NASL more credibility as a second tier league, and overall interest will rise.

[ManUtd4ever]

I think it would make more sense to just grant the NY Cosmos an expansion club in MLS right off the bat.

Then again, perhaps there were issues garnering enough interest from investors to finance the purchase of an expansion team and an arena at the MLS level.

[__wowza]

I think it would make more sense to just grant the NY Cosmos an expansion club in MLS right off the bat.

Then again, perhaps there were issues garnering enough interest from investors to finance the purchase of an expansion team and an arena at the MLS level.

well you have to remember, the expansion fee is somewhere up around $75 million. that's a good chunk of change and up by a fuckton after montreals entry. i think they expected the cosmos entry (hence the hike), because if they had to sell a club to investors, it'd be that one.

[ensco]

Hofstra. Jesus. They will be lucky if they draw 2,000 people there.

How do you think an NASL team in Toronto, let's call them the Blizzard, would do playing at Durham College in Whitby?

[Cashcleaner]

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/12/cosmos-to-play-in-n-a-s-l-in-13/

the cosmos are back, in POG form!
seriously though, they're coming back in 2013 to the NASL.

Now this is fucking hilarious! Did anyone happen to read the details in the article about where they intend to play? Hofstra University in Hempstead is four times the distance from Manhattan than Harrison NJ! So not only will this club begin playing in the tier below MLS, they won't even be based in New York City.

This team is nothing but all hype and no substance. It's a cardboard club. Perhaps someone with their shit together can make a second New York MLS team a reality, but I don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon.

[OgtheDim]

Brooklyn is getting the nets, thanks to Russian oil money.

I wonder if he would be interested in an MLS team as well?

[TOBOR !]

Hofstra. Jesus. They will be lucky if they draw 2,000 people there.

How do you think an NASL team in Toronto, let's call them the Blizzard, would do playing at Durham College in Whitby?

I`d support them. Better than the shite I`m used to.

[kodiakTFC]

Hofstra. Jesus. They will be lucky if they draw 2,000 people there.

How do you think an NASL team in Toronto, let's call them the Blizzard, would do playing at Durham College in Whitby?

LOL. In all seriousness, I would love to see Hamilton or Mississauga get a NASL team. Perhaps Mississauga wouldn't work because people there identify with Toronto but I think Hamilton is an option. I've heard whispers over the years of Bob Young and the new PanAm stadium but we'll just have to wait and see. That would be a hilarious road trip; 2000 Hamilton fans, 10000 TFC fans.

[Kilgore Trout]

I don't understand why any prospective investors would have any faith whatsoever in adding a second franchise to a city that doesn't support it's existing team and can't even come close to selling out it's brand new state of the art stadium even with Thiery Henry on the horizon...:facepalm:

For people who live in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Queens (I honestly have no idea about Staten Island), a trip to Harrison, NJ, accessible by transit or not, is barely thinkable (37 mins drive, longer considering traffic, and nearly 2 hours by transit, from Queens). Especially for a team with little history and many losing seasons in a relatively unpopular league in the region. We're talking about a city in which many people don't even leave a twenty block radius of where they live. The Giants and Jets are a whole other story, and also attract far more fans from the area because it's the NFL. I don't doubt for a second that a team located in Queens will do better (or at least as well, which is still sustainable for MLS) attendance-wise than a team located in Harrison, NJ, even if the team in Queens has nobody like Henry. Basically, the Red Bulls are a de facto New Jersey team, not a New York team. There's more than enough population in that market to find 18-20,000 to come out to an MLS game in the city, maybe more.

I think Garber said that the MLS thinks the next expansion team will be a New York team in Flushing, Queens. I don't know what the deal is with this NASL team and the Cosmos name right now, but I doubt it has anything to do with what Garber was talking about.

[tfcmanu]

The NY Mets organization at one point were looking into a franchise in Queens, What ever happened to this story???

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-04-27/sports/27062715_1_major-league-soccer-franchise-mls-commissioner-don-garber-red-bulls

[GabrielHurl]

Cosmos are to play at Hofstra in 2013

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/soccerblog/cosmos_to_play_at_hofstra_bDJReiS8zAL8STxsOvNIeK

http://www.blueandgoldlacrossecamps.com/images/facilities-img.jpg

[Toronto]

Cosmos are to play at Hofstra in 2013

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/soccerblog/cosmos_to_play_at_hofstra_bDJReiS8zAL8STxsOvNIeK

http://www.blueandgoldlacrossecamps.com/images/facilities-img.jpg



Looks good. People who have never lived in NYC can't understand what a terrible location Harrison New Freaking Jersey is. It's worse than Newark. People in New Jersey even think it's far. People in Manhattan think it's on the moon. There is a reason why the Nets moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn. There is a reason why the Rangers sell out every game and why the Devils draw 9K. Imagine putting an NFL team in London called the London Gatorade's and have them play in Wales.
Harrison NJ is not New York City. PERIOD. Long Island is more NYC than anywhere in New Jersey. It's a completely different market.

We have to be careful in running down other markets or people are going to start wondering when Toronto is going to get a MLS franchise. Well I already have...:drinking:

[jimiv]

Brooklyn is getting the nets, thanks to Russian oil money.

I wonder if he would be interested in an MLS team as well?

Perhaps Bellgers would consider selling TFC to him...

[james]

parts of NY City like Manhatten and staten Island can be closer to New York Red Bulls arena in NJ then they are to parts of Queens and Brooklyn. However i do have no doudt that a team will always do better in a place like Queens, Brooklyn or The Bronx. Mainly because No matter where in New York City you are the city is very,very dense populated compared to that of NJ. And New York is the place to be. NJ is not.

population:
Queens 2.2 million
Brooklyn 2.5 million
Bronx 1.4 million
Manhatten 1.6 million
Staten Islan 470,000


Closest and biggest cities to Red Bull Arena on the Jersey side of the river:
Newark - 277,000
Jersey City -247,000


The toughest part tho is always finding empty land. Manhatten has no space left. Queens and Broklyn maybe a few areas as a possability but not many options. If New York ever got a team tho i would like them to do it right, in a nice stadium like Red Bull arena. Then can have a rival NY vs NJ.

[David_Oliveira]

Looks like there is a location and a plan to put a team in by 2016 (http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/10/10/mls-officials-discuss-nyc-expansion-plans-eye-2016)

LOCATION (http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Flushing+Meadows-Corona+Park&hl=en&ll=40.748858,-73.837599&spn=0.006779,0.016512&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&channel=rcs&hq=Flushing+Meadows-Corona+Park&t=h&z=17)

[__wowza]

Looks like there is a location and a plan to put a team in by 2016 (http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/10/10/mls-officials-discuss-nyc-expansion-plans-eye-2016)

LOCATION (http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Flushing+Meadows-Corona+Park&hl=en&ll=40.748858,-73.837599&spn=0.006779,0.016512&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&channel=rcs&hq=Flushing+Meadows-Corona+Park&t=h&z=17)

eh, i was two years off.
good to know they're not rushing it though.

[Auzzy]

There was an article about this on the MLS website yesterday:

MLS officials discuss NYC expansion plans, eye on 2016 (http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/10/10/mls-officials-discuss-nyc-expansion-plans-eye-2016?fb_comment_id=fbc_519021384794169_95896347_51 9188351444139#fb94d250)

Lots of comments from around the US under the article -- people upset that NY is getting a 2nd team, before certain other cities get one.

My comment was:


I wish they would put a second soccer team in Toronto.
And shut the first one down.

[james]

if they get a team are they going to be called Cosmos?

If they get a 2nd team do you guys want them to be called Cosmos?? personally i do not. That team died years agao. And some reason when i here Cosmos i think of the league that failed years ago. They are not like Seattle Sounders,Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps or Portland Timbers who kept there names alive because they continued to play in lower leagues all these years using the same names and moved up to MLS continuing to use there old names. Cosmos did not do that.I think start fresh, show them a team with a name and stadium to show they are here for the long run this time.

The 1 thing that may worry me however is if New York get a team in Queens i think it will do well, but does that mean New Red Bulls attendence will go down? if there attedence drops i don't see how they could survie. Be ashame with such a nice stadium.

If New York gets a team in Queens should Red Bulls still claim to be NY Red Bulls or changed to New Jersey Red Bulls??

[TOBOR !]

If NY gets another team in 2016 they'll just move the Cosmos up from NASL.