New York Cosmos

New York Cosmos
Logo
Full name New York Cosmos
Founded 1971
Dissolved 1985
Stadium Yankee Stadium (1971, 1976);
Hofstra Stadium (1972–1973);
Downing Stadium (1974–1975);
Giants Stadium (1977–1985)
(Capacity:
78,000)
League North American Soccer League
Home colors
Away colors

The New York Cosmos, known as the Cosmos for the 1977 and 1978 seasons, is a soccer organization based in New York City and its suburbs. Founded by brothers Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegün and Warner Brothers President Steve Ross, it competed in the North American Soccer League from 1971 to 1984 and was the strongest NASL franchise, competitively and financially.

It is known for signing the great Brazilian player Pelé and German star Franz Beckenbauer who, though past their prime, were the team's and the league's top attractions during their time with club.

After the NASL folded, the Cosmos attempted to operate as an independent team in 1985 but also ceased activity. The team's youth camps continued to operate,[1] keeping the Cosmos name alive. The name was sold in 2009 to a new organization featuring Pelé as Honorary President. On August 1, 2010, Pelé announced the return of the Cosmos to New York City.[2] The group has the eventual goal of fielding a team in Major League Soccer.[3]

Contents

Name and Colors

Cosmos original crest

The name was coined by Clive Toye, the club's first general manager. Taking inspiration from the New York Mets, which references "Metropolitans", Toye took it a step further: Cosmopolitans, or Cosmos. Toye staged a "name the team" contest, choosing the entry that matched his planned team name. In order to justify his own choice over Nesuhi Ertegün's original suggestion of "New York Blues", Toye wrote dozens of letters in support of the "Cosmos" name, purportedly from fans of the club.[4]

For the team colors, Toye chose the green and yellow of Brazil as part of his strategy to lure Pelé to the United States.[5] The club's initial uniform was all green with yellow trim, with the colors reversed on the road uniform - the same colors as that of the previous NASL team the New York Generals, which had folded after the 1968 season[6]. When Pelé did come on board, the kit was all white, just like Santos, while the green top became the away kit with white shorts.[7]

A kit designed by Ralph Lauren was used from 1979 to the end; the home kit remained all white, though with navy and yellow trims. The away kit was made navy shirts and shorts with yellow trim, and unusual socks with then yellow and navy hoops. Later, the away socks were made all navy.
The Ralph Lauren away kit

History

NASL (1971-1984)

The Cosmos joined the NASL in its fourth season and quickly rose to the top of the league, winning the NASL Championship in 1972, the team's second season.

The club played its 1971 home games in Yankee Stadium before moving to Hofstra Stadium for two seasons and Downing Stadium for two years. Following one addition season in Yankee Stadium, they played two seasons each in Hofstra Stadium and Downing Stadium. Following one more season in Yankee Stadium, the Cosmos moved to Giants Stadium for the 1977 season. At that time, they dropped "New York" from their name and played without a regional name,[8] but reverted to their traditional name by the 1979 season.

Famous players to play for the club include Pelé, Carlos Alberto, Ramón Mifflin, Franz Beckenbauer, Vladislav Bogićević, Giorgio Chinaglia, Hubert Birkenmeier, Rick Davis, Marinho Chagas, Andranik Eskandarian, Johan Neeskens, Dennis Tueart, Werner Roth, Julio Cesar Romero, Roberto Cabañas, Chico Borja, Norberto A. Luna, Carlos Caszely, Shep Messing[9], Yasin Özdenak, Mordechai Spiegler, Jomo Sono (who later named his own soccer club in South Africa the Jomo Cosmos). On October 1, 1977, Pelé closed out his legendary career in front of a capacity crowd at Giants Stadium. In an exhibition match televised nationwide and worldwide, he played the first half with the New York Cosmos and the second half with his old team Santos.

Much of the Cosmos' ability to acquire big players was due to the financial resources of parent company Warner Communications. In the early 80's, Warner was the target of a hostile takeover bid by Australian media magnate Rupert Murdoch. His attempt did not succeed, but afterward Warner sold off several of its assets, among them Atari and Global Soccer, Inc., the subsidiary that operated the Cosmos. The club was sold to a syndicate led by their once star player Chinaglia. This group did not have the capital to continue to operate the team at the level kept by Warner Communications, resulting in a fire sale of many of the stars. By the last season, 1984, the Cosmos did not even make the playoffs. The precipitous decline of the Cosmos after the 1983 season became for many fans and the media proof positive of the grave condition of the whole NASL.[10]

MISL (1984-85)

Following the collapse of the NASL, the team competed in the Major Indoor Soccer League during the 1984–85 season, but withdrew after 33 games due to low attendance.

Youth Soccer Camp

Although the organization did not field a team following the 1984-85 MISL season, the Cosmos' youth soccer camps, which the team had started in 1977, remained in operation. The camps were run by former Cosmos general manager G. Peppe Pinton at Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey, where he was the team's soccer coach from 1989 to 2003.[11][12] Pinton retained ownership of the name, logo and records of the club.

Reviving the New York Cosmos

There have been frequent attempts to revive the club. With the rise of Major League Soccer, there has been some negotiation between various New York area entities – including past and present owners of the New York Red Bulls – and Pinton for the acquisition of the Cosmos name.[13][14] Since then, other serious movements to revive the New York Cosmos include a 2002 group headed by Pele which would possibly have pushed for a second New York area franchise or used the Cosmos name as a traveling all-star team similar to the Harlem Globetrotters in practice.[15][16] Supporters of the movement to revive the New York Cosmos point in response to the reintroduction of old NASL names San Jose Earthquakes, Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps to considerable success, and the reintroduction of the Seattle Sounders name after intense fan pressure.[17][18]

Pinton claimed to have been approached by the MetroStars, but declined to give them use of the name, believing that the league was not receptive to reviving or respecting the historical significance of the New York Cosmos.[19] However, after seeing the revival of the Sounders in Seattle as well as plans for the Timbers and Whitecaps to join the league in 2011, he now sees MLS as a league that is prepared to welcome the NASL's legacy.[20]

The Daily Mail reported on August 29, 2009 that former Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Vice-Chairman Paul Kemsley had purchased the team's name and image rights from Pinton.[21] The Daily Telegraph reported on July 11, 2010 that Kemsley planned to launch a team probably by December 2010 in an interview with Wall Street Journal.[22]

On August 1, 2010, Pelé, Honorary President of Kemsley's group, announced the return of the New York Cosmos to New York City.[2] The New York Cosmos have a partnership with Queens-based youth club BW Gottschee creating The Cosmos Academy[23] This academy will include teams from U12-U18 and will participate in the US Soccer Development Academy. The New York Cosmos also acquired the Copa NYC tournament[2], a grassroots, World Cup style tournament held in New York City each year.[24]

On August 25, 2010, Giovanni Savarese joined the Cosmos in the role of Director of the Cosmos Academy with a focus on developing world-class youth talent in New York.[25] The New York Cosmos also have expanded the Cosmos Academy to the west coast to include the LAFC as Cosmos Academy (West). Ted Chronopoulos will be Director of Cosmos Academy (West).[26]

Year-by-year season results

Outdoor

Year League W L T PTS Regular Season Playoffs
1971 NASL 9 10 5 117 2nd, Northern Division Did not qualify
1972 NASL 7 3 4 77 1st, Northern Division Won Semifinal (Dallas)
Won Championship (St. Louis)
1973 NASL 7 5 7 91 2nd, Eastern Division Lost Semifinal (Dallas)
1974 NASL 4 14 2 58 4th, Northern Division Did not qualify
1975 NASL 10 12 — 91 3rd, Northern Division Did not qualify
1976 NASL 16 8 — 148 2nd, Atlantic Conference, Eastern Division Won 1st Round (Washington)
Lost Division Championship (Tampa Bay)
1977 NASL 15 11 — 140 2nd, Atlantic Conference, Eastern Division Won Division Championship (Tampa Bay)
Won Conference Championship (Ft. Lauderdale)
Won Soccer Bowl '77 (Seattle)
1978 NASL 24 6 — 212 1st, National Conference, Eastern Division Won 1st Round (Seattle)
Won Conference Semifinal (Minnesota)
Won Conference Championship (Portland)
Won Soccer Bowl '78 (Tampa Bay)
1979 NASL 24 6 — 216 1st, National Conference, Eastern Division Won Conference Quarterfinal (Toronto)
Won Conference Semifinal (Tulsa)
Lost Conference Championship (Vancouver)
1980 NASL 24 8 — 213 1st, National Conference, Eastern Division Won 1st Round (Tulsa)
Won Conference Semifinal (Dallas)
Won Conference Championship (Los Angeles)
Won Soccer Bowl '80 (Ft. Lauderdale)
1981 NASL 23 9 — 200 1st, Eastern Division Bye 1st Round
Won Quarterfinal (Tampa Bay)
Won Semifinal (Ft. Lauderdale)
Lost Soccer Bowl '81 (Chicago)
1982 NASL 23 9 — 203 1st, Eastern Division Won 1st Round (Tulsa)
Won Semifinal (San Diego)
Won Soccer Bowl '82 (Seattle)
1983 NASL 22 8 — 194 1st, Eastern Division Lost 1st Round (Montreal)
1984 NASL 13 11 — 115 3rd, Eastern Division Did not qualify

Indoor

Year League W L Regular Season Playoffs
1981/82 NASL Indoor 6 12 4th, American Conference, East Division Did not qualify
1982/83 NASL Indoor Season cancelled
1983/84 NASL Indoor 20 12 2nd Won Playoff (Chicago)
Lost Championship (San Diego)
1984/85 MISL 11 22 7th Eastern Division N/A - withdrew after 33 games

Honors

NASL Championships

NASL Runners Up

Division Titles

Trans-Atlantic Cup Championships

Personnel

Head coaches

Athletic trainers

Famous players

Retired numbers

10 – Brazil Pelé, Deep-lying forward (1975-77) (number retired on October 1977)

Yearly average attendance

In Popular Culture

In 2006 a feature-length documentary about the Cosmos called Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos was released in cinemas. The film was narrated by Matt Dillon and featured interviews with many of the players and people involved in the team.[27][28][29][30]

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ↑ "SPORTS PEOPLE; Fewer Kicks". New York Times. 1986-08-01. http://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/01/sports/sports-people-fewer-kicks.html. Retrieved 2010-08-04. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "LEGENDARY PELÉ AND THE WORLD-RENOWNED NEW YORK COSMOS SCORE A COMEBACK". NYCosmos.com. 2010-08-01. http://www.nycosmos.com/announcement/. Retrieved 2010-08-04. 
  3. ↑ "Cosmos Begin Anew, With Eye Toward M.L.S". New York Times. 2010-08-01. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/sports/soccer/02cosmos.html. Retrieved 2010-08-04. 
  4. ↑ Newsaham, Gavin. Once in a Lifetime: The Incredible Story of the New York Cosmos, pg. 22, Atlantic Books Ltd., 2006.
  5. ↑ Toye, Clive, A Kick in the Grass, pg. 49, St. Johann Press, 2007.
  6. ↑ http://home.att.net/~nasl/nasl.htm
  7. ↑ "HE'S NO SAVIOR Toye, the man who signed Pele, on Beckham". Big Apple Soccer. 2007. http://bigapplesoccer.com/article.php?article_id=10453. Retrieved 2009-06-16. 
  8. ↑ "MOST IN A POLL FOUND VERY PROUD OF STATE". New York Times. 1977-10-29. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50811FF3C5E167493CBAB178BD95F438785F9. Retrieved 2010-08-04. 
  9. ↑ "Pinup Goalie: Shep Messing". New York Movies. 2006. http://nymag.com/movies/profiles/17396/. Retrieved 2009-06-16. 
  10. ↑ "Soccer Hall of Fame Historian Allaway Pens Book on the New York Cosmos and Bethlehem Steel". Hall of Fame Network. 2009. http://www.hofmag.com/content/view/1427/190/. Retrieved 2009-06-16. 
  11. ↑ "Cosmos Soccer Camps". CosmosCamps.com. 2010. http://www.cosmoscamps.com/. Retrieved 2010-03-31. 
  12. ↑ "Ramapo College Roadrunners - Men's Soccer History". ramapoathletics.com. 2010. http://www.ramapoathletics.com/sports/2009/7/2/MSOC_0702091355.aspx?path=msoc. Retrieved 2010-03-31. 
  13. ↑ Bell, Jack (2006-04-19). "Red Bulls May Be Mix of Former Cosmos". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/19/sports/soccer/19soccer.html. Retrieved 2009-06-12. 
  14. ↑ "Cosmos' legacy yet to be fully embraced by MLS". ESPN. 2007. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=429192&&cc=5901. Retrieved 2009-06-12. 
  15. ↑ "Pele May Help Bring Back The Cosmos; Will Miss MLS Promotion". Sports Business Daily. 2007. https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/5902. Retrieved 2009-06-12. 
  16. ↑ Bell, Jack (2002-05-14). "SOCCER: NOTEBOOK; Group Has Proposal To Bring Back Cosmos". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/14/sports/soccer-notebook-group-has-proposal-to-bring-back-cosmos.html. Retrieved 2009-06-12. 
  17. ↑ "Seattle's new soccer name: Seattle Sounders FC". seattlepi.com. 2008. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/358047_sounders08.html. Retrieved 2008-12-25. 
  18. ↑ Vecsey, George (2009-03-19). "M.L.S. Opener Touches on Deep-Rooted Soccer Nostalgia". The New York Times. http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/mls-opener-touches-on-deep-rooted-soccer-nostalgia/. Retrieved 2009-06-16. 
  19. ↑ "the cosmos, for free!". this is american soccer.. 2009. http://www.thisisamericansoccer.com/news/the-cosmos-for-free/. Retrieved 2009-06-12. 
  20. ↑ "New York Cosmos Are On The Market (40 Years Later)". The Offside. 2009. http://redbulls.theoffside.com/players-red-bulls-news-rumors-opinions/new-york-cosmos-are-on-the-market-40-years-later.html. Retrieved 2009-06-12. 
  21. ↑ "Kemsley planning rebirth of New York Cosmos". Daily Mail. 2009. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1209787/CHARLES-SALE-Former-Tottenham-director-Paul-Kemsley-planning-rebirth-New-York-Cosmos.html. Retrieved 2009-08-29. 
  22. ↑ "Tycoon seeks funding to revive NY Cosmos". Daily Telegraph. 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/7884424/Tycoon-seeks-funding-to-revive-NY-Cosmos.html. Retrieved 2010-07-11. 
  23. ↑ "BW Gottschee NYC partners with NY Cosmos to form Cosmos Academy East". Blau Weiss Gottschee NYC. 2010-08-01. http://www.bwgottschee.org/home/452105.html. Retrieved 2010-08-04. 
  24. ↑ "MOST IN A POLL FOUND VERY PROUD OF STATE". New York Times. 1977-10-29. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50811FF3C5E167493CBAB178BD95F438785F9. Retrieved 2010-08-04. 
  25. ↑ "The New York Cosmos Goes Coast-to-Coast With Cosmos Academy". New York Cosmos. 2010-08-25. http://www.nycosmos.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Cosmos-Academy-Final-for-Website.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
  26. ↑ "The New York Cosmos Goes Coast-to-Coast With Cosmos Academy". New York Cosmos. 2010-08-25. http://www.nycosmos.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Cosmos-Academy-Final-for-Website.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
  27. ↑ "When Soccer ruled the USA.". ESPN E-Ticket. Special. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=cosmos. Retrieved 2009-06-16. 
  28. ↑ "Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos (2006)". The New York Times, Jeannette Catsoulis. NYT Critics pick. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/343002/Once-in-a-Lifetime-The-Extraordinary-Story-of-the-New-York-Cosmos/overview. Retrieved 2009-06-16. 
  29. ↑ "Cosmos shined brightly in soccer universe". USA Today. 2006-07-06. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2006-07-05-cosmos-documentary_x.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-16. 
  30. ↑ "'Lifetime' exaggerates story of N.Y. Cosmos". b.net. 2006. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20060818/ai_n16668141/. Retrieved 2009-06-16. 

External links