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New York Cosmos (2013–2020)
The New York Cosmos was an American professional soccer club based in Uniondale, New York, that played in parts of six seasons between 2013 and 2020. The organization, established in August 2010, was a rebirth of the original New York Cosmos (1971–1985) which played in the original North American Soccer League, at the time the first division of American soccer.
The club competed in the second-division North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2013 to 2017, winning the Soccer Bowl Trophy in 2013, 2015, and 2016. The NASL suspended operations after the 2017 season and, following a two-year hiatus, the Cosmos joined the third-tier National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) for the 2020–21 season. The Cosmos withdrew after half a year for a second hiatus, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, 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's North Jersey Pro Soccer expansion team in Paterson, New Jersey. That expansion team will be branded as 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.
The original New York Cosmos club began play in 1971 in the original North American Soccer League. 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 (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 itself, and in his 2010 "State of the League" address, Commissioner Don Garber confirmed that was indeed the goal. In the meantime, the original Cosmos were the subject of an ESPN 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 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, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Portland Timbers, he changed his mind. In late August 2009, Pinton sold the name and image rights for $2 million to Paul Kemsley, the former vice-chairman of English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, 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 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 as vice-chairman, as well as former Liverpool CEO Rick Parry. The investors funding the venture were rumored to be Saudi Arabian, although the full ownership group was not publicly announced at the time.
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New York Cosmos (2013–2020)
The New York Cosmos was an American professional soccer club based in Uniondale, New York, that played in parts of six seasons between 2013 and 2020. The organization, established in August 2010, was a rebirth of the original New York Cosmos (1971–1985) which played in the original North American Soccer League, at the time the first division of American soccer.
The club competed in the second-division North American Soccer League (NASL) from 2013 to 2017, winning the Soccer Bowl Trophy in 2013, 2015, and 2016. The NASL suspended operations after the 2017 season and, following a two-year hiatus, the Cosmos joined the third-tier National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) for the 2020–21 season. The Cosmos withdrew after half a year for a second hiatus, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, 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's North Jersey Pro Soccer expansion team in Paterson, New Jersey. That expansion team will be branded as 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.
The original New York Cosmos club began play in 1971 in the original North American Soccer League. 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 (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 itself, and in his 2010 "State of the League" address, Commissioner Don Garber confirmed that was indeed the goal. In the meantime, the original Cosmos were the subject of an ESPN 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 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, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, and Portland Timbers, he changed his mind. In late August 2009, Pinton sold the name and image rights for $2 million to Paul Kemsley, the former vice-chairman of English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, 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 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 as vice-chairman, as well as former Liverpool CEO Rick Parry. The investors funding the venture were rumored to be Saudi Arabian, although the full ownership group was not publicly announced at the time.