Technically, I am living in the present, and selfishly so. As a Long Islander, I'm (perversely?) excited by the prospect of seeing NASL soccer in a stadium near me. All those wonderful teams I've only been able to see streaming on the Internet will now play in full 3D on the field in front of me for the small price of embracing a retro logo and the fee for season tickets. What's not to like?

Did anyone else see this article?

"New York Cosmos' Dream Is Slowly Becoming an MLS Reality" on the Bleacher Report by Ardavan Sepehr posted August 29, 2012

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1314505-new-york-cosmos-dream-is-slowly-becoming-an-mls-reality

Sepehr sez that Eric Cantona is Director of Soccer. Is this still the case? The new ownership hasn't said much of anything about staff have they?

Jeez, that article was somewhat ambitious wasn't it? Who knows what's going on on with the Cosmos right now. Their official web page is totally useless and Facebook is not much better.

Maybe it's just me, but now that all the euphoria has quieted down I just have the feeling that in the long run MLS wants nothing to do with the Cosmos whatsoever.

Oh, they want that $100 million buy in fee all right, but just a gut feeling tells me they would do backflips if another investor came up and put in a legit bid for a NYC franchise.

I suspected that the author of that article hadn't done his research (which shouldn't have been difficult).

That's an interesting thought. The one about the MLS not wanting anything to do with the Cosmos label. I'd just assumed that the MLS was grooming a well-known brand for exploitation. But perhaps you're right. Maybe this Cosmos thing a complication for MLS.

Way out here on the Island there are quite a few casual fans of soccer who perk up and get interested when I say "the Cosmos will be playing next year in the NASL." There's zero interest in the other team that plays in New Jersey. If the MLS puts a team other than the Cosmos in the stadium in Queens, they'll have a harder job of getting the casual fans to pay attention.

Good point about the Cosmos brand name and I can understand MLS taking the slow and cautious route to getting a second club into the NYC metro area.

However it seems to me that rather than making it somewhat easier for the Cosmos to enter MLS they seem to be making it harder. I do believe they want that second NYC franchise, but would be much more happier if they can find a group of investors other than the Cosmos.

Now admittedly I be the first one to say I've got no knowledge of MLS whatsoever (I just never got into the Metro Stars). My totally uneducated understanding is that the League is in pretty decent shape finance wise, except perhaps for Chivas USA.

With most of their teams playing in their own stadia, salary cap (?) and revenue sharing (?) MLS might not want to upset the apple cart so to say.

Is it possible MLS is afraid the addition Cosmos would create pressure to change all that? Would people expect (and possibly want?) the Cosmos to return to the free spending ways of the 70's & 80's to relive the "Glory Days" and bring in every name they can get?

Jeez, that's what buried the NASL the first go round and I'm sure MLS dosent't want or need the pressure the Cosmos might create that would force L.A., Chicago and the rest into a spending war to keep up.

Perhaps I'm totally over thinking this, but as I said there just doesn't seem to be a "Let's get this thing done" attitude coming from MLS.......seems to me they're tossing up more road blocks than facilitating things.

Could you elaborate on how the MLS is making it harder for the Cosmos to enter that league? Perhaps I'm looking at this process through Green and Yellow glasses, but spending a year or two in the NASL seems like a good route to getting up to speed to enter the MLS. Montreal Impact went that route.

I am curious to see what the owners of the Cosmos do with the brand they just bought. The NASL appears to have less restrictions than the MLS in terms of spending. I wonder if the owners won't try to elevate the status of the NASL by fielding a decent side and marketing it well. Traffic has a stake in the NASL and appear to be keen on raising the profile of that league. This is wild speculation, but given the focus of the new beIN sports channel (football and nostalgia), there may be a future TV home for a higher profile NASL.

Again I have to stress the point that I'm more than likely way over thinking this topic, but I see a bunch of roadblocks in the form of several questions.

--If MLS is so intent on adding the Cosmos why not just make the announcement that they will be allowed to join the league in time for, say, the 2014 season?

There's nothing from stopping MLS from doing this. Yes, it's more than obnoxious on my part to say this, but with the New York Cosmos you're talking a whole different animal when compared to say a Montreal, or a Seattle or a Portland.

For better or worse the Cosmos brand carries a lot more weight than any other possible expansion franchise that would be allotted to a Orlando, St. Louis or Las Vegas.

IMHO MLS is just to cryptic when it comes to the topic when and if they're going to admit the Cosmos into the league.

--If MLS is so intent on making the Cosmos the 20th franchise why are they holding meetings with other possible investors?

--Speaking of investors is $100 million a feasible buy in fee? As I mentioned in a previous post I'm not in the know when it comes to MLS. But $100 million? Really?

As much as I love the sport I think that number tends to be on the ridiculous side. IMHO, if I was a guy who had that type of money to invest in a professional sports franchise in the USA I'm not looking toward Major League Soccer.

--Why is MLS so adamant about not even thinking of allowing the Cosmos into the league until a stadium is built? Why is that an issue? As I said a paragraph or two up the Cosmos are a different situation.

Why couldn't they be allowed into the league and use Yankee Stadium and/or Citi-Field as a temporary home until they themselves build their own stadium?

I think it's a given that here in NYC by the time all the right politicians and unions get paid off and the DEP gets ready to do and complete an environmental impact study on a new stadium in Flushing Meadows Park, it's going to be years before any new stadium is ready to go. Is MLS looking to buy time for other investors not named Cosmos?

-- And speaking of stadiums, why is MLS investing millions to finance this project? To my knowledge (and please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) the league hasn't invested a dime in any of the new stadiums built by existing franchises.

The league won't even help a charter member (D.C. United) with their stadium problems. Why sink millions into a stadium in NYC for a 20th franchise that doesn't exist? Possible carrot on a stick to entice another investor?

Sorry for being such a negative sonovabitch, but now that all the euphoria and hoopla has died down I just see too many questions without answers when it comes to the Cosmos and MLS.

Hell, I'm even starting to wonder what's going to happen with the NASL? Since the announcement was made back on July 12th all we've gotten is two months closer to the start of the 2013 season without a peep from the Cosmos or NASL on how far along things have moved.

This is 100% smoke and mirrors!

Gene, thanks for the thoughtful and substantive response. If we were sitting at the pub with a pint of beer, I'd tell you to relax and don't worry so much. I can see a positive in some of those points you listed as negatives. I'll try to explain.

I picked up on your question: "Is MLS looking to buy time for other investors not named Cosmos?" I believe we can separate the investors from the name of the club. Sela Sport (of Saudi Arabia) whose chairman is Seamus O'Brien purchased the brand. Any league (MLS, NASL, etc.) will be looking for money from Sela Sport. In a sport driven by money, the MLS, NASL, etc. will only care if Sela Sport can pony up the cash *regardless of what they call the franchise*.

I assume you've seen this article?

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/07/12/garber-nasl-cosmos-still-picture-nyc-expansion

Here's a quote:

“Major League Soccer remains committed to securing an expansion team in New York City,” Commissioner Don Garber said in a league statement on Thursday. “The current focus is on exploring a stadium site, but we will continue discussions with several potential ownership groups, including the Cosmos, about the possibility of joining the efforts to bring a second MLS team to New York.”

The way it looks to me is that the MLS is trying to make it really easy for a New York expansion team to get on board by getting the stadium going. I assume that $100 million is peanuts for Sela Sport's Saudi investors. A team named the Cosmos appears to be the front runner for the club occupying that Flushing Meadow stadium. Working out the details is going to take time.

I appreciate the fact that the MLS is pushing for soccer specific stadia. If I'm going to pay money to go watch a team play I'd prefer not to have to look at a gridiron or a baseball diamond. And where the Cosmos will play next year even has yet to be determined. For all we know they will play at Citi Field. Yes, Hofstra's been floated out there, but there has been no announcement. And I doubt we'll hear much until after the NASL championship match in any case.

With all due respect to the gentleman who worte the Bleacher Report article for the link above:

Cosmos has shut down at least one, if not two of the academies that he mentioned. I don't understand how he could mention Cantona's grand vision without mentioning that fact.

Yes, they did launch a clothing line and it didn't sell very well. I saw a nice looking polo style replica jersey the other day at my local Ross (discount retailer that sells a lot of stock that other retailors weren't able to move) selling for under $10 when the price tag said that it retails for $38.
Sure, I also saw Phlly Union and Colorado Rapids and Chivas Guadalajara stuff there heavily discounted, as well.

For them to make it to MLS they are going to have to be team players, cooperating with the MLS struture (for example: they'll need to make a move away from Umbro at some point (if they haven't already).

I disagree with his assertion that "MLS needs the Cosmos" and that "professional soccer was non-xistent" in America. I'm going to attribute those statements to trying to be provocative and edgy and a lack of historical perspective. Or maybe he actually believes it (which would make me scratch my head until my dome were to become bruised)...