Until recently, there has only been one American Soccer Club that individuals in Europe took notice of, and that club would be the New York Cosmos. The legendary Cosmos of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s were not only the toast of New York City, but America, and arguably the world as well.
The late 1970’s were a time of excess and glitz, and the Cosmos were the epitome of this lifestyle. Players such as Pele, Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer wowed crowds of at least 47,000 people with their flamboyant ball handling skills and their love of a high octane offense. Between the years of 1977 and 1982, the Cosmos hoisted the Soccer Bowl Trophy four times as the North American Soccer league Champions.
The team traveled the globe playing friendlies against the best club teams the world had to offer, soccer was thriving and it was all due to the New York Cosmos. As with all good things, the party ended, as the Cosmos and the NASL folded in 1984 and America was once again a nation without a premier soccer league.
Flash forward to 2009 and the success of Major League Soccer. Investors believed it was time to once again bring back the North American Soccer League and in 2011, the league began playing. Teams such as the Rowdies and Strikers were once again playing, however, there seemed to be something missing.
In 2013, the missing piece was found as the New York Cosmos began play at their old stomping ground, James M. Shuart Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University. The Cosmos began play and fittingly in early November lifted the Soccer Bowl Trophy as league champions for the sixth time in their team history.
The current Cosmos may lack the star power of the original team, but they play as a complete unit and have an overall understanding of the game. The team controls the ball very well and the flow of the game is usually in their favor. Set pieces are smooth and precise and most importantly, the players are enjoying themselves.
The upbeat atmosphere of the team is the result of the coaching staff which is led by Head Coach Giovanni Savarese. Savarese spent three seasons playing with the New York Metrostars and at one time held the team’s goal scoring record.
Another veteran of Major League Soccer, Alecko Eskandarian, serves as the Assistant Coach. Eskandarian played with five teams over his MLS career and in 2004 he won the MLS Cup with D.C. United and was named the MLS Cup MVP.
The team has a balanced attack with four players who have scored two goals apiece and if you would have to pick a leader on the field, it would be Mads Stokkelien. Stokkelien has scored two goals and assisted on two goals through seven games so far this season. Stokkelien is 24 years old and hails from Norway where he played for Stabaek of the Norwegian Premier League.
So far this season, the Cosmos sit in second place with a 4-2-1 record and thirteen points, three points behind Minnesota United FC with two games to go in the NASL Spring Season. The Cosmos are coming off a 1-1 draw with Indy Eleven and will play tomorrow night against the Brooklyn Italians in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup.
The future is looking bright for this club and for the NASL as a whole. The owners of the Cosmos have recently submitted paperwork for a privately funded 25,000 seat soccer specific stadium that would be adjacent to Belmont Park. The facility would consist of a youth soccer field, a 4.3 acre park for the town of Elmont, nine restaurants, retail stores and a 175 room hotel. In only their second season in the league, they have already won the league title, are in the race for this season’s playoffs and have plans for a beautiful new home. It looks as though it is a rebirth of tradition in New York.
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