New York Cosmos (2025)

New York Cosmos
FoundedFebruary 14, 2025 (2025-02-14)
Ground
Owner
League
Websitenycosmos.com

The New York Cosmos (also known as simply the Cosmos) are a professional soccer club based in Paterson, New Jersey. It is owned by Baye Adofo-Wilson, with Rocco B. Commisso holding a minority stake. The club plans to field a men's team in USL League One in 2026, and a women's team in the USL Super League in 2027. A phoenix club, it is canonically the third iteration of the Cosmos, after the original team, which played from 1970 to 1985, and its immediate predecessor, which was founded in 2010 and last played in 2020.

History

Background

Main articles: New York Cosmos (1970–1985) and New York Cosmos (2010)

The original New York Cosmos were founded in 1970 by Atlantic Records' Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun.[1] They began play in the original North American Soccer League (NASL), and signed international superstars such as Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer.[2][3] Although the club was largely successful, having won the league five times, the club folded in 1985 after the NASL's demise and floundering attendance for their Major Indoor Soccer League team.[4][5]

With Major League Soccer's (MLS) rise at the turn of the century, the league sought a second club in the New York metropolitan area alongside the New York Red Bulls, which would bear the Cosmos branding.[6][7][8] With ambitions to join MLS, a new Cosmos founded by English businessman Paul Kemsley began play in the revived NASL in 2013,[9][10] drawing thousands of fans to MCU Park and Shuart Stadium, and winning the league three times.[11] After plans for a stadium fell through and a failure to manage their payrolls,[12][13] the club went on two hiatuses – once in 2017 after the revived NASL's demise, and again in 2021 following a brief stint in the National Independent Soccer Association.[14] The Cosmos continued to exist as a legal entity and clothing brand, and were involved in the NASL's lawsuit against the MLS and U.S. Soccer over a sanctioning dispute, which was eventually lost in February 2025.[15]

Foundation

After obtaining franchise rights for a USL League One team in February 2025,[16][17] North Jersey Pro Soccer, a group based in the city of Paterson, New Jersey led by Baye Adofo-Wilson, purchased a majority stake in the Cosmos from Commisso, who retained a minority stake.[18][19] The Cosmos branding was unveiled in July.[20] The club plans to field a men's team into USL League One in its 2026 season, and a women's team into the USL Super League in its 2027–28 season.[19][21]

Organization

The club is owned by Baye Adofo-Wilson. Rocco B. Commisso, who had held the rights to the Cosmos' name and identity from 2017 onwards and is the majority owner of Serie A's ACF Fiorentina, is a minority owner of the club.[19]

Branding

See also: New York Cosmos (1970–1985) § Uniforms and crest

When the branding of the New York Cosmos was announced in July 2025, it was revealed that the club would be utilizing a more modernized approach to the classic crest, still retaining the typical green, yellow, and blue color scheme used by Cosmos clubs.[22] The addition of the name "New York" that the 2010 club utilized was dropped, leaving only the moniker "Cosmos" on the crest. Additionally, the club utilized a more modernized ball, citing a modernization to co-inside with a more online approach to brand usage.[23]

Stadium

The Cosmos will play at Hinchliffe Stadium,[24] a 7,800 capacity multi-purpose stadium in Paterson, being able to host baseball, football, and track events. Hinchliffe Stadium, a part of the surrounding Great Falls National Historical Park, was built in 1932, and reopened in 2023 following a renovation required after a period of neglect that started in 1996.[25] One of only six Negro League stadiums still standing,[26] Hinchliffe Stadium is currently hosts to the New Jersey Jackals and the Paterson Board of Education's two local high schools, and has historically been hosts to teams such as the New York Black Yankees and New York Cubans.[27] Once the Cosmos begins play in 2026, the team will become the primary tenants of the stadium.

References

  1. ^ Newsham, Gavin (December 2007). Once in a Lifetime: The Incredible Story of the New York Cosmos. Grove Atlantic. pp. 21, 22. ISBN 978-0802142887.
  2. ^ Ben Green (December 30, 2022). "Pele's legendary career told in numbers: Just how good was Brazil's emblematic forward?". squawka.com.
  3. ^ Yannis, Alex (May 25, 1977). "Cosmos Will Sign Beckenbauer For 4 Years, $2.8 Million Today". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  4. ^ Whitney, David. "North American Soccer League". RSSSF. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  5. ^ "COSMOS FOLD INDOOR SQUAD". The New York Times. February 23, 1985. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
  6. ^ Borg, Simon (December 5, 2012). "Borough Boys stoke RBNY rivalry: "They don't like us"". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  7. ^ Borg, Simon (November 16, 2010). "MLS focused on making NY club its 20th team". dcunited.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  8. ^ @DaveMartinezNY (December 21, 2018). "Nope. But to the other tweet Leo sent out, Garber actually said long ago - if there was going to be another NY team, it would be the Cosmos. LONG ago. So ya - had Cosmos achieved the dream, it would have been very hard for MLS to ignore the history and infrastructure" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ O'Brien, Seamus (July 12, 2012). "New York Cosmos Returns to NASL". nycosmos.com. New York City: New York Cosmos. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  10. ^ O'Mard, Marcus Kwesi (July 12, 2012). "Report: New York Cosmos Plan to Make NASL Return in 2013". Watertown, Massachusetts: New England Sports Network. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  11. ^ Bell, Jack (November 10, 2013). "Cosmos Rewind: Champions Again". The New York Times.
  12. ^ Martinez, Dave. "Cosmos in Crisis: Late Pay, Furloughs cast team's future in doubt". Empire of Soccer. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  13. ^ Prince-Wright, Joe (November 28, 2016). "Report: New York Cosmos on brink of collapse, again". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  14. ^ Bob Williams. "New York Cosmos to join third-tier league NISA | SportBusiness". Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  15. ^ McCann, Michael (February 3, 2025). "U.S. Soccer, MLS Win $500M Antitrust Trial Over NASL". Sportico.com. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  16. ^ "Paterson's Hinchliffe will be home to new men's, women's USL pro soccer teams". Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  17. ^ "United Soccer League, North Jersey Pro Soccer to Bring Professional Soccer to Paterson, New Jersey". Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  18. ^ "New York Cosmos return". Hudson River Blue. July 10, 2025. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  19. ^ a b c Rueter, Jeff (July 10, 2025). "New York Cosmos revived as USL expansion club in New Jersey". The Athletic. Archived from the original on July 10, 2025. Retrieved July 10, 2025. The group bought the intellectual property as well as primary ownership of the club from Rocco Commisso, with the Fiorentina owner holding "a small ownership stake."
  20. ^ "NY Cosmos to compete in USL League One in 2026; historic Hinchliffe Stadium is the new home". News 12 - Default. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  21. ^ Malinconico, Joe (February 18, 2025). "Paterson's Hinchliffe will be home to new men's, women's USL pro soccer teams". Paterson Press. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025. Two professional soccer teams will be playing their home games at Paterson's Hinchliffe Stadium, with a men's squad starting in 2026 and a women's club in 2027...
  22. ^ "True Blue: Threads Through Time". www.nycosmos.com. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  23. ^ Rueter, Jeff (July 10, 2025). "New York Cosmos revived as USL expansion club in New Jersey". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  24. ^ "Professional soccer coming to Paterson's historic Hinchliffe Stadium". Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  25. ^ Harrington, John (June 3, 2025). "Wellpoint New Jersey, Jackals to rename field at historic Hinchliffe Stadium". ROI-NJ. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  26. ^ Enelow-Snyder, Sarah (February 3, 2025). "Negro Leagues Baseball Sites Are Finally Getting the Recognition They Deserve". AFAR Media. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  27. ^ Hartnett, Bill (November 18, 2024). "$100 Million Restoration Paterson's Hinchliffe Stadium Wins 2024 National Preservation Award". Jersey Digs. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
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