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59-490: In March 2017, the U.S. international sports channel One World Sports was replaced by Eleven Sports Network with no advance announcement. One World Sports' staff had been furloughed as a cost-cutting measure in November 2016, and it was reported that the network was exploring a sale. On March 16, 2017, Eleven Sports officially announced that it had acquired "certain distribution assets" of One World Sports. Financial details of

118-518: A "home jersey". Umbro followed this collection with a second "Blackout" line of Cosmos clothing in all-black with monochromatic black logos, supposedly inspired by the New York City blackout of 1977 . The Blackout collection was unveiled at a pop-up shop on the Lower East Side , featuring a DJ playing period songs from 1977. With two full fashion lines before the club had joined a league or signed

177-768: A minor-league baseball stadium in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, hosting a regular season match against the Ottawa Fury and a post season match against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers . The Cosmos proposed to construct a new 25,000-seat stadium at a parking lot next to the Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont , in Nassau County just over the border with Queens . Plans for the $ 400 million project were submitted to

236-496: 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

295-454: A partnership with Twitter to stream 7 of its Ivy League football games during the 2017 season. The network acquired U.S. rights to Belgian First Division A soccer, and Spain's Liga ACB basketball. On January 9, 2018, Eleven announced a partnership to televise 120 NBA G League games in the 2017–18 season . In March 2021, the cable and satellite channel was rebranded as Next Level Sports; its online presence, which has been branded as For

354-418: A possible sale. In March 2017, the channel was quietly replaced on television providers by a new channel branded as Eleven Sports Network . There were also allegations that the network was behind on paying the freelancers and other employees who worked for the channel. On March 16, 2017, Eleven Sports , co-owned by Italian entrepreneur Andrea Radrizzani (stakeholder of Leeds United F.C. , and executive of

413-708: A reference to Carl Sagan , but re-branded in December 2013. The original supporters group was the Borough Boys Supporters Club, formed in 2007 to lobby MLS Commissioner Don Garber for a club based in New York City. After Kemsley's group bought the Cosmos name in late 2009, the Borough Boys became their first supporters group, believing that the Cosmos represented "the best choice for MLS expansion", and remained with

472-604: A reserve side and would be coached by first team assistant coach Alecko Eskandarian . The team won the NPSL National Championship in its first season, going undefeated through 17 games and beating Chattanooga FC in the National Final on August 8. Between 2015 and 2019, the team finished first in the NPSL's North Atlantic Conference four times and reached the National Final again in 2019. The squad did not return for

531-430: A single player, some journalists viewed this new Cosmos as a "money-grab" more interested in "selling shirts" than actually playing soccer. The group's first high-profile hiring, announced on January 10, 2011, was former United States midfielder Cobi Jones as associate director of soccer. He was followed nine days later by Eric Cantona , who was hired as director of soccer . Cantona claimed "big plans" to build

590-541: Is an American professional soccer club based in Uniondale, New York , that is an inactive member of the third-tier National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). The organization, established in 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. The club previously competed in

649-692: The 2017 season , Eleven reached deals to broadcast Big Sky Conference , Ivy League , Southland Conference , and UMass Minutemen college football games. The UMass games are simulcast on NESN and online. Eleven also reached deals to televise 14 UMass men's basketball and hockey games, with the majority airing on either NESN or NESN Plus, and one on NBC Sports Boston . Eleven Sports lost the rights to UMass sports to FloSports in August 2019. Eleven's Big Sky contract includes weekly games in football and men's basketball, as well as some conference tournament games for men's and women's basketball, and women's soccer, volleyball, and softball. Eleven Sports also announced

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708-635: The 2020 NPSL season . Following its foundation in August 2010, the Cosmos entered into an arrangement with youth development organization Blau Weiss Gottschee in which the Gottschee teams would play under the name New York Cosmos Academy. A few weeks later, the club entered into a similar partnership with the Los Angeles Futbol Club in Pasadena , California , to run a west-coast youth academy called "Cosmos Academy West". While Cosmos Academy West existed,

767-642: The Empire State Development Corporation as a response to a request for proposal . On December 9, 2016, the Empire State Development Corporation officially withdrew the RFP and rejected all four proposals, including that of the Cosmos. Scheduling conflicts prevented the Cosmos from using Shuart Stadium for the 2016 Championship Final, and they were forced to rent another stadium. They eventually settled on Belson Stadium on

826-518: The EoS article was published, TICC founder Luis Hernandez received a phone call from Cosmos Senior Vice President Joe Barone. Barone complained about TICC's coverage of the Cosmos, and claimed to have himself received an angry phone call from Commisso, then in Saudi Arabia for a friendly match. Hernandez said "We feel we just have to walk away. They're trying to bully us. We love the team. We're fans. We support

885-540: 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

944-564: The Cosmos Academy based in Queens was called "Cosmos Academy East". This approach of sponsoring established youth organizations, and having their teams play in Cosmos branding, was initially successful. The Cosmos were able to capitalize on decades of youth development. At the end of 2010, Cosmos Academy West was ranked by Soccer America as the third best boys' club in the United States and

1003-690: The Cosmos had lost over thirty million dollars since beginning play in 2013, including as much as $ 10 million in 2016. The Guardian pointed out that "(d)espite the team’s on-field achievements, the Cosmos have been plagued by mismanagement, dwindling attendance and practical irrelevance in the New York market." On December 6, 2016, various media outlets began reporting that the Cosmos had released all players and coaching staff from their contracts, and that office staff had not been paid in up to six weeks. Cosmos supporters launched an online campaign to raise funds for affected employees. On December 9, most of

1062-597: The Cosmos in February 2011, with no public explanation. Bleacher Report called the cancellation "embarrassing" for the Cosmos and "a poor demonstration of the (Cosmos’s) commitment to grassroots and youth soccer". Following the loss of LAFC, the Cosmos tried to develop a new Cosmos Academy West on their own, but within months had slashed funding for the project. Cosmos Academy West officially disbanded in August 2011, and its operations were folded into those of MLS club Chivas USA . On November 8, 2011, Blau Weiss Gottschee filed

1121-401: 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

1180-544: The Cosmos, with a roster consisting of a team of guest players from around the world. On October 26, 2011, Kemsley sold his shares to the co-owners, revealed to be Sela Sport , a Saudi Arabian sports marketing company. The departure of Kemsley was announced by the Cosmos with an official club statement saying that he wished "to pursue other interests and commitments", while the New York Post reported that he had been ousted by his partners, with Sela "apparently tired of

1239-409: The Cosmos. After the Cosmos won the 2016 NASL Championship Final, supporters publicly called for a meeting with the club's owners, citing a lack of transparency from management and concerns over the club's future. In November 2016, there were reports the team was in dire financial condition, including furloughs for 60–80% of the staff and an inability to make payroll. Later reports indicated that

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1298-444: The Cosmos. His investment kept the club and league from folding and allowed both to return for the 2017 NASL Season . ESPN reported that O'Brien and Sela Sport retained a minority stake in the club, although supporters claimed that Commisso assured them that Sela Sport was no longer part of the ownership. On December 13, 2017, the Cosmos announced that Savarese had left the club "to pursue other coaching opportunities". Following

1357-588: The Fans since 2019, retained that brand. One World Sports One World Sports (stylized ONE World Sports ) was an American sports-oriented cable and satellite television channel . Owned by One Media Corporation , which was led by Seamus O'Brien, the network was primarily devoted to international sports, including soccer, the England cricket team , KHL , the Champions Hockey League , and others. It

1416-695: The NASL, winning the Fall Season Championship with a 9–4–1 (Win-Draw-Loss) record. On November 9, 2013, the team emerged as the winner of Soccer Bowl 2013 , winning 1–0 against the spring season champions, the Atlanta Silverbacks . In June 2015 the New York Cosmos played a friendly against the Cuba national team , the first U.S. professional club to play in Cuba after the United States began normalizing relations with

1475-727: The NPSL announced that the Cosmos would be a founding member in a new professional league, commencing with the NPSL Founders Cup tournament from August to November 2019, followed by a full league schedule in 2020 at either division 2 or 3 level. This however, never came to be and the Founders Cup was later renamed to the Members Cup which Cosmos B took part in. On May 23, 2019, the team played its first game since 2017 against 2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli at Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium , which New York won 2–1. On November 20, 2019,

1534-518: The New York Red Bulls, during which time he had been named MLS Executive of the Year, and was seen as instrumental in getting their stadium built. The following week, Giovanni Savarese was confirmed as the team's first head coach. On December 11, former Red Bulls defender Carlos Mendes , a native of Long Island , became the new Cosmos' first senior player. The Cosmos found immediate success in

1593-567: The acquisition of distribution assets." In March 2018, Eleven started to live stream on Twitch with select programing called Eleven Sports Prime. It would rebrand to Eleven Sports Next by the end of the year. On March 21, 2019, it was announced Eleven Sports was added on free OTT service Xumo . Pluto TV added Eleven Sports on July 23, 2019. The online feeds do not carry the full Eleven Sports schedule, as several sporting events are blacked out and not allowed to be distributed online; filler programs are substituted during such programs. Prior to

1652-571: The campus of St. John's University . The announcement that the league's championship game would be played in a 2,200-seat venue prompted derision from fans of the club and league, who took to social media with the hashtag #BiggerThanBelson . The Final was played at Belson but failed to sell out, with only 2,150 tickets sold. Following the Belson Stadium debacle, the Cosmos moved their 2017 home games to MCU Park in Brooklyn. The minor-league venue

1711-573: The cancellation of the NASL's 2018 season , the league announced that the Cosmos would take a hiatus while exploring options to return to the field in 2019. In September 2018, Chief Operating Officer Erik Stover stepped down to become the CEO of a local soccer academy. For the 2018 and 2019 seasons, some of the Cosmos players joined the organization's second team, New York Cosmos B , in the semi-professional National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). On November 15, 2018,

1770-642: The club announced their intention of joining the third-division National Independent Soccer Association for their Fall 2020 season. The Cosmos made their NISA debut in the Fall 2020 season. They finished third in the Eastern Conference and exited the playoffs in the group stage. At the same time, owner Rocco Commisso was accused of "back burnering" the Cosmos in favor of his investment in Italian Serie A club ACF Fiorentina , which he had purchased in 2019. At

1829-402: The club around homegrown talent, although the club would later claim in court that Cantona had never been given any actual responsibilities with the club, that he had only been a promotional figurehead. Jones left the club in 2012, and Cantona was fired from his role shortly thereafter. Neither departure was officially announced by the Cosmos. The new team sought connections with stars from

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1888-476: The club even after New York City FC was announced as the twentieth MLS club in May 2013. In June 2017, the Borough Boys' podcast/website This is Cosmos Country announced that they would no longer be covering the Cosmos, following a dispute with the club. In an interview with Empire of Soccer , they raised questions about the ownership of the Cosmos, including wondering whether Sela Sport still had an interest. After

1947-507: The club played its home games at James M. Shuart Stadium , on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead , New York, about 20 miles (32 km) east of downtown New York City on Long Island. The stadium seats 11,929, and was home to the original Cosmos club during the 1972 and 1973 seasons. The Cosmos struggled to draw fans to Hofstra, raising concerns about the club's sustainability. In 2015 they experimented with matches at MCU Park ,

2006-486: The club's employees were officially laid off. In an interview with the Guardian , O'Brien admitted the financial losses but denied that the club was in danger of going out of business, insisting that they had "zero debt". Empire of Soccer pointed out that while O'Brien was saying that, the Cosmos were being sued for over $ 50,000 in unpaid rent on their Garden City, Long Island offices. Despite O'Brien's public statements,

2065-421: 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

2124-433: The flamboyant Brit, who was long on flash but has to this point been short of substance". His replacement was not immediately announced. A further press release on November 2 gave news of the company buyout, restructuring and various unspecified management changes within the organization. The statement also said that the goal of the club remained the same under its new structure – "unequivocally" to become an MLS team. Around

2183-487: The fourth tier of the United States soccer pyramid , in May 2011, and was expected to join for the 2012 season. In preparation for this it played exhibition matches against existing PDL clubs during 2011, coached by Savarese. However, it did not take part in the 2012 PDL season. Cracks quickly started to form between the Cosmos and their youth soccer partners. Los Angeles Futbol Club abruptly terminated its contract with

2242-481: The island nation. Despite that on-field success, the Cosmos struggled to draw fans at Hofstra. In 2015, Cantona sued the club, claiming that they had failed to pay him almost one million dollars in salary and a four percent equity interest he had been promised. The parties settled in March 2017. Details of a potential settlement were not initially disclosed, although it later reported that Cantona received £780,000 from

2301-476: The league continued to play. Supporters and people associated with the Cosmos blamed owner Rocco Commisso for the hiatus, accusing Commisso of "departing in a cowardly fashion" and "giving up on the Cosmos" while prioritizing his other business interests. The Cosmos have been dormant ever since, with its social media accounts silent save for brief condolence messages upon the death of former Cosmos players or staff. Beginning with its inaugural season in 2013,

2360-445: The league control the brand. O'Brien decided not to apply for MLS entry after all. The Cosmos announced on July 12, 2012, that they would start competitive play in the second-tier North American Soccer League in 2013, but insisted in the same press release that the club was still bent on ultimately joining MLS. In November, Erik Stover was hired as the club's Chief Operating Officer. Stover had previously been managing director of

2419-412: The on-field product. We're behind [Head Coach Giovanni Savarese], his players and staff. It's an unfortunate situation. None of us want to be part of this anymore." Commisso later denied making such a call to Barone, saying "Somebody lied." As of late 2017, the Borough Boys no longer had "any official relationship" with the club. The Cosmos were originally broadcast by One World Sports , a network that

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2478-554: The original Cosmos team. One of their first acts was to sign Pelé to a five-year, five million dollar promotional contract as the team's "honorary president", and original Cosmos players Shep Messing , Carlos Alberto , and Giorgio Chinaglia were named "international ambassadors" for the club. The new Cosmos' first match was on August 5, 2011, when they played in Paul Scholes 's testimonial match against Cantona's former club Manchester United at Old Trafford . Cantona managed

2537-480: The ownership group included former club chairman Seamus O'Brien, Sela Sport, a marketing company based in Saudi Arabia, International Sports Events, and World Sport Group . At the time of their hiatus, the Cosmos had two supporters groups: La Banda del Cosmos, a barra brava for Latin American fans, and The Cross Island Crew, primarily for fans on Long Island. The Cross Island Crew was founded as "Sagan's Army", in

2596-636: The sale were not disclosed. Group Marketing Director Danny Menken explained that Eleven planned to target rights to niche international sports that have fanbases in the United States (as opposed to its business model in other territories, where Eleven targets the top international sports rights in smaller markets). In response to questions surrounding employees and freelancers of One World Sports that had not yet been paid for their work, he emphasized that they had only acquired "certain distribution assets", and that "people that have issues with [OWS] have to contact management, but we have no shares or relationship beyond

2655-528: The same time Commisso was spending $ 55 million on a new training facility for Fiorentina, the Cosmos budget was reduced to a minimum, with matches moved from their home stadium in Brooklyn to a training facility in suburban Hempstead. On January 29, 2021, the club announced that it "pause team operations" and would not compete in the Spring 2021 NISA season. They cited the COVID-19 pandemic , although every other team in

2714-469: The same time, the entire unsold stock of Umbro merchandise was sold to a discount retailer "for pennies on the dollar". Within weeks of his appointment, new chairman and CEO Seamus O'Brien had a series of meetings with MLS commissioner Don Garber about joining Major League Soccer. Garber was still eager to add the Cosmos to MLS, and offered O'Brien a spot in the league, but O'Brien balked at the $ 100M expansion fee, single-entity structure, and requirement that

2773-479: The second-division 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 all the other teams in the league continued to play. In less than five full seasons of play before going on hiatus, the Cosmos garnered a legacy of success on the field, poor attendance in

2832-492: The sports marketing agency MP & Silva ) and The Channel Company, officially announced that it had acquired "certain distribution assets" of One World Sports. The brand already operated networks in Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Singapore, and Taiwan. Financial details of the sale were not disclosed. The same day, the Cosmos announced a new regional television deal with MSG Network and CW flagship station WPIX . In response to

2891-475: 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"

2950-413: The team came within a few hours of going out of business altogether, as he came to an agreement to sell the Cosmos brand to a private equity firm. On December 15, 2016, the day O'Brien was to finalize that deal, he began negotiations with Rocco B. Commisso , a cable television executive with a lifelong interest in soccer. On January 10, 2017, it was announced that Commisso purchased the majority interest in

3009-523: The team's new ownership, and the sale of One World Sports to Eleven Sports , the Cosmos announced a new broadcast deal with MSG Network and WPIX-TV . Ed Cohen and Jonathan Yardley handled play-by-play, alongside Sal Rosamilia and Janusz Michallik as color analysts. In January 2015, the Cosmos announced it would be fielding a team in the National Premier Soccer League for the upcoming season. The team, New York Cosmos B , would act as

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3068-583: The top boys' club in California. The Spring 2011 roster for the US under-17 team included three Cosmos Academy East players, more at the time than any MLS team academy. The Cosmos Academy eventually competed at various levels of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, fielding teams in the under-9 to under-18 age groups. An under-23 Cosmos side was accepted into the USL Premier Development League (PDL),

3127-727: The unpaid One World Sports staff, Eleven's group marketing director Danny Menken emphasized they had only acquired the network's distribution assets and stated that "people that have issues with [OWS] have to contact management, but we have no shares or relationship beyond the acquisition of distribution assets." One World Sports has become the subject of multiple lawsuits over unpaid freelancers and subcontractors. Soccer Ice hockey Basketball Baseball Arena football Cricket Golf Table tennis Badminton Darts Mixed martial arts Highlight shows and weekly series Soccer Rugby Field hockey Aquatics New York Cosmos (2010) The New York Cosmos

3186-443: The venture were rumored to be Saudi Arabian, although the full ownership group was not publicly announced at the time. One person familiar with Kemsley's plans for the Cosmos said his intention was "to build the brand and then build the team around that. It will not be cheap, it may not work, but it will be interesting." To that end, Kemsley signed a deal with Umbro to produce a line of merchandise, including tshirts, jackets, and

3245-522: Was established in 2011 by One Media Corporation, a company led by Seamus O'Brien, chairman of the New York Cosmos of the NASL . The network acquired many of the sports rights formerly accumulated by the America One network. In November 2016, the channel's staff was furloughed as a cost-cutting measure after it failed to receive a round of funding. It was also reported that the channel was exploring

3304-493: Was reportedly too expensive for the Cosmos to rent, and after sitting out the 2018 and 2019 season, the Cosmos announced that they would play their 2020 home games at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale. Just blocks from their original home at Shuart Stadium, Mitchel had been the team's training facility since 2013. At the time of the club's hiatus, the chairman was cable television executive Rocco B. Commisso . Other members of

3363-403: Was run by the team's chairman Seamus O'Brien, and live or tape-delayed on SportsNet New York . The majority of the games featured the on-air team of play-by-play announcer JP Dellacamera and Janusz Michallik as the color analyst. One World Sports also produced Cosmos Classics , an original series featuring historic Cosmos matches from the 1970s and 1980s. On March 16, 2017, coinciding with

3422-547: Was the main broadcaster of the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League , whose chairman was head of the network. In March 2017, One World Sports was quietly shut down amid financial difficulties, and "certain distribution assets" of the network were sold to international broadcaster Eleven Sports , who replaced it in its channel allotments with the Eleven Sports Network . One World Sports

3481-524: 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

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