New York Cosmos

The New York Cosmos are an American professional soccer club based in Uniondale, New York, that plays in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). The club has previously competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL). With the NASL, the team won the Soccer Bowl Trophy in 2013, 2015, and 2016. They have been on hiatus since January 2021, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, though the league itself continued to play.

The present formation of the team and organization, established since August 2010, is a rebirth of the original New York Cosmos (1970–1985) that played in the previous North American Soccer League, which was at the time the first division of North American soccer.

History

1985–2012: Fall of the original Cosmos and revival

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, managing director for the Cosmos at the time, continued to run and operate youth camps started in 1977 and named after the club's stars.

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 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.

This page also has a version in other languages :  Нью-Йорк Космос (russian)