Sunday, November 16, 2025
The Cosmos return – with a new home, new league and old ideals
Once the glitziest name in US soccer, the Cosmos are back in Paterson, New Jersey, with a historic stadium, a grassroots ethos and ambitions to build a real club from the ground up
(theguardian.com 7-13-25)
There’s a new New York Cosmos in town – in the town of Paterson, New Jersey, to be precise. One of the most storied names in American soccer has hit the reset button, finding a new league, a new city and a refreshed, community-first approach.
While many high-profile new teams in US sports are parachuted in at the top of their league’s hierarchy, this Cosmos revival feels different – some of that by design, some by necessity. Thursday’s announcement at the newly restored Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson offered longtime fans and curious onlookers a glimpse into this fresh direction, and the reasons behind it.
The message was clear in the location alone: nestled above the Great Falls of the Passaic River, embedded in a National Historical Park. It’s echoed in the club’s starting point – USL League One, the third and lowest tier of professional soccer in the US – a more stable launchpad from which to build organically. And perhaps most significantly, this iteration of the Cosmos finally has a home stadium to call its own – characterful, scenic, historic – something previous, more nomadic versions never had.
Two major themes run parallel through this reboot. The first is rooted in Paterson itself: a proudly local but cosmopolitan city, where the new Cosmos aim to foster grassroots involvement not just in soccer but in a wide range of activities.
The second is the name. Despite years of dormancy and false starts, the New York Cosmos remain one of the most recognisable brands in American soccer. Its association with Pelé helped cement that global profile, and further star power – Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, Carlos Alberto – ensured it endured.
But this version wants to be more than a brand; it aims to be a club in the truest sense, something still rare in the franchise-heavy landscape of American sports. The plan includes a professional women’s team and space for other sports and community activities, from rugby and cricket to dance and chess. Like traditional sporting institutions around the world – the Clube de Regatas of Brazil or European multisport clubs – the new Cosmos will not be just a soccer team.
“This is the perfect community for it,” Cosmos CEO Erik Stover tells the Guardian. “It’s so diverse, with people from all over the world and diverse interests, so it makes perfect sense here.
“Proper clubs have multiple sports. People from the community are volunteering, helping with the cricket club, the track club, the tennis club, whatever it is.
“For us, professional soccer will be at the top of the pyramid. But what really matters is that grassroots foundation.”
The team will retain the official name New York Cosmos, but with its identity deeply rooted in Paterson, it will often be referred to simply as the Cosmos.
“The aim is community first,” says Stover. “To build sustainably, to invest in local people – whether that’s players or front office – and to grow slowly and deliberately.”
Finding a home stadium in the New York metropolitan area is no easy feat – which is why so many “New York” teams, including the Red Bulls and both NFL franchises, play across the Hudson in New Jersey. For the Cosmos, Hinchliffe isn’t just a home – it’s central to the club’s revival.
New majority owner and chairperson Baye Adofo-Wilson, a Paterson native who led the stadium’s redevelopment, spoke of creating pathways to the professional game at a time when soccer has become increasingly pay-to-play.
“More superstars are going to come out of Paterson, Passaic County, North Jersey, who will lead future generations,” he said at the unveiling. “We want people to be able to afford this. When I was growing up, a lot of these sports were free – but they no longer are.
“Often kids don’t have access. What we really want to do is make sure we have a club that’s affordable for kids, but also exciting and dynamic – reflective of the diversity of North Jersey. A lot of people are running away from diversity at this point. We’re going to run toward it.”
There may not yet be stars on the field, but there is one in the front office: Giuseppe Rossi, the former Italy international and North Jersey native, is both investing in the club and serving as Head of Soccer.
“He’s lived it,” says Stover. “If he didn’t have that Italian passport that let him go to Europe at 12 – and he was stuck in Clifton, New Jersey, dealing with pay-to-play – who knows? Maybe he doesn’t make it to Villarreal, Fiorentina, the Azzurri.
“He understands those challenges better than anyone. He can talk to kids on their level, because he’s walked the same path. He made it to the top – and he knows what it takes.”
For Cosmos fans, there’s optimism – even if the team is starting from the bottom. It may be a far cry from the glitzy NASL days of packed stadiums and marquee names, but with the USL planning a promotion and relegation system and a new Division I to run alongside MLS, there’s a realistic path for the Cosmos to climb.
“It’s not an accident the Cosmos are entering USL now,” says Stover. “Fifteen years ago, the soccer landscape in this country was very different. Now, USL is working on promotion and relegation – and where that ends up, who knows?
“But what matters is that a club like ours has a path to grow, to compete, to win championships – like we did three times in five years in NASL.
“I’ve been around the world and spoken to so many sports executives, and I think one big reason soccer in the US isn’t where it could be is that we’ve locked so many communities out of the game. We need to make it more inclusive.”
Whatever the future holds, fans were simply glad to have their team back. Even after years of inactivity, many never stopped believing. A handful were there at Thursday’s announcement, exchanging emotional glances across the room at the Charles J Muth Museum at Hinchliffe Stadium, as New Jersey governor Phil Murphy made it official.
The Cosmos are back. And while they may look different this time, their spirit remains unmistakable.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jul/13/new-york-cosmos-paterson-usl-return
New York Cosmos return to North Jersey, set for 2026 USL League One debut
(uslleagueone.com 7-29-25)
The famed New York Cosmos are returning to the field—and returning to North Jersey—in early 2026.
The Cosmos will return to competition for the 2026 season and compete in USL League One, a growing league in the third tier of the U.S. professional soccer pyramid. The Cosmos' new home will be Hinchliffe Stadium, a National Historic Landmark in Paterson, N.J. Hinchliffe Stadium once was home to Negro League baseball teams like the New York Black Yankees, the New York Cubans and the Newark Eagles. Twenty members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame played at Hinchliffe Stadium, including Paterson's own Larry Doby.
Hinchliffe Stadium was renovated, restored and reopened in 2023 as a 7,800-seat, multi-sport venue that anchors a $110 million initiative which includes senior housing, a child care facility, the Muth Museum dedicated to Negro League baseball, and a parking garage. Hinchliffe Stadium will also be home to the Cosmos' first women’s team, as well as a soccer museum dedicated to Cosmos history.
"Hinchliffe Stadium is an economic driver for the region," said Mr. Adofo-Wilson, a Paterson native who is the co-owner and developer of Hinchliffe Stadium and the new majority owner and Chairperson of the Cosmos. "Bringing the Cosmos to Hinchliffe Stadium will give us an additional anchor for Hinchliffe Stadium, the City of Paterson and North Jersey. It will also give young people in our region the opportunity to watch exciting, affordable professional sports in their backyard."
"Since acquiring the New York Cosmos in 2017, our primary goal has always been to preserve the rich history of America's most iconic soccer club," said Thomas Larsen, the Cosmos' last general manager. "It is extremely gratifying to know that new generations of fans will be able to experience the excitement of Cosmos soccer at a revitalized venue overlooking the New York City skyline and within a league structure that rewards on-the-field success through promotion and relegation."
The Cosmos last played in New Jersey from 1977 through 1984, when the likes of Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia helped draw massive crowds to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford.
"As we stand just three days away from the FIFA Club World Cup Final, a little over two weeks away from the Premier League Summer Series, and look ahead to the excitement that awaits us in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, there's no better time or place to announce the return of the New York Cosmos to Northern New Jersey," New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said at an event on July 10. "I am thankful to all of the wonderful leaders and our partners in the legislature whose support makes moments like these possible. From national championship-winning teams to global soccer events and the rebirth of storied clubs, together we are quickly transforming New Jersey into the soccer capital of the world."
Mr. Adofo-Wilson will be joined on the club's board by Vice Chairman and Head of Soccer Giuseppe Rossi, a product of nearby Clifton, N.J., who starred for Villarreal CF, ACF Fiorentina and the Italy national team before ending a long and successful playing career in 2023. Sapna Shah, a New York-based entrepreneur and angel investor whose work with Red Giraffe Advisors focuses on sports organizations with minority founders, also lends her expertise.
The club's day-to-day operations will be managed by CEO Erik Stover, an award-winning sports executive who served as the Cosmos' chief operating officer for nearly a decade (2012-21). Mr. Stover is a long-time North Jersey resident, and his professional ties to the region include stints as managing director of the New York Red Bulls (2008-11) and Assistant VP, Operations of Giants Stadium (2000-05).
The Cosmos' Paterson era will be defined by proactive commitment to the community and a mission to embody the ambition and diversity of Passaic County and North Jersey, one of the country's most cosmopolitan and talent-rich regions. Under Mr. Rossi's direction, the club intends to prioritize youth player development, while championing inclusivity and access in and around Hinchliffe Stadium and across the American soccer landscape.
"I grew up here, and I still play here. There's talent everywhere, and many of these kids have great potential but aren't getting a real chance like they would in other footballing nations," Mr. Rossi said. "One of our goals is to give those young men and women an opportunity to sign a professional contract and to develop in a first-class environment."
"In anticipation of the World Cup returning to the United States next year, we are profoundly proud to announce the arrival of the most famous American soccer club to Paterson," Paterson Mayor André Sayegh said. "The New York Cosmos once featured the greatest player of all time, Pelé, and energized Giants Stadium for years. Now, the team will have the same impact on the historic Hinchliffe Stadium."
In conjunction with next year's return to competition, the Cosmos will sport a refreshed version of the iconic blade-and-ball logo conceived in 1971 by artist Wayland Moore (with colors chosen by founding General Manager Clive Toye). Unveiled July 10, the modernized badge remains unmistakably Cosmos and was designed by Mark Jenkinson and Shawn Francis. The Cosmos' uniforms and training gear will be introduced in the months to come. They'll be produced in partnership with New York City's Capelli Sports.
North Jersey Pro Soccer has acquired the Cosmos' intellectual and physical property, history and heritage from New York Cosmos LLC, an entity controlled by Rocco B. Commisso since January 2017. New York Cosmos LLC will retain a minority ownership stake in the club.
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Traditional "end of soccer season" post
So soccer is over in Utah until Spring arrives, and that is a good thing. We don't need to be messing around with soccer in the Fall in Utah. There are more important things to worry about, like cleaning out my garage in preparation for winter.
This winter is going to be the one, the one where I get the garage cleaned out to the point where there is plenty of room to pull the cars in and walk effortlessly to the door with my hands full or groceries and not have to feel like I am walking through a maze of boxes and bikes.
I already have a leg up on my neighbors, they can't even park their cars in their garages due to too much junk. At least I have always been able to fit my cars in the garage. But this year I am going to put them all to shame, while they walk through the snow on their drive way with arms full of groceries I will pull into my clean garage and bask in my awesomeness.
With regards to soccer, below I posted KSL articles about RSL trying to make a big deal about how they have qualified for "5 straight playoffs" and the Monarchs trying to make themselves feel better about finishing almost last in their league.
From the Monarch's article:
Through the second half of the season, Utah finished with 10 results in the final 13 matches.
"We feel like if we can keep this momentum going, we can be a playoff contender," Utah coach Jimmy Coenraets said.
"Hitting rock bottom is OK; it gives us a great foundation to end on," he added.
Wow, "hitting rock bottom is OK"?
I guess, whatever.
With regards to RSL, I usually don't think about them but I stumbled upon a RSL conversation on ESPN 700's the Drive with Spence Checketts the other day. He had on some guy from RSL, someone from the front office, I can't remember who it was. But anyway, they were talking about the season, the playoffs, blah blah blah, whatever.
Basically the conversation ended up focusing on what MLS teams have to do to break out and get to the finals when it comes to players. Do they spend big and get a Messi or someone like him, or do they focus on more homegrown talent?
Then the RSL guy was saying how RSL used to do a good job with its academy and focusing on homegrown talent but something went array during the Deloy Hansen years. Something like that.
Then Spence said something that made me laugh out loud.
He compared RSL to a team like Everton in the EPL.
He said something to the affect that RSL is always in the middle, good enough to get into the playoffs but not good enough to get to the finals, kind of like an Everton in the EPL.
I had to smile because that is the problem with MLS. Am I the only one that sees it? It feels like I am.
In a real soccer league like the EPL, or pretty much every other league in the world, just staying in the league is an accomplishment. Not getting relegated is an achievement because the competition in you league is fierce.
But when you have a closed league like MLS with 30 teams your season is a failure if you don't reach the finals, or at least the semi-finals.
So yeah, you are doomed and your fans are going to get bored if you aren't at the top every year.
That is why I am slightly excited to start paying attention to the USL.
There is a little soccer flame burning in me again perhaps.
Ohhhh, I even toyed with the idea of someone starting a low level USL team in Provo perhaps and then watching them grow and move up the ranks. Then one day they would win promotion to USL's top tier and we would have two top tier teams in Utah.
Well, that is if you consider MLS top tier.
RSL fails to advance in playoffs for 4th consecutive season, falling 3-1 in Portland wild card game
(ksl.com 10-23-25)
Major League Soccer and its playoff structure have changed a lot over the last four years, but one thing has remained the same: Real Salt Lake can't make it beyond its first matchup.
The Claret and Cobalt fell 3-1 in Wednesday's single-elimination wild card game in Portland to make it four straight opening matchup exits since the team advanced all the way to the Western Conference final in 2021.
RSL qualified for the postseason by the skin of its teeth in the first place, squeaking into the final wild card spot on a tiebreaker with San Jose and Colorado. The Timbers, on the other hand, fell from being in the top four for most of the season to eighth place and had home-field advantage in the wild card game.
The home team was the aggressor in the first half, opening up a 2-0 lead through 36 minutes on a brace from veteran Chilean striker Felipe Mora.
Justen Glad got one back for RSL with his first goal of the season just three minutes later, but a series of close chances fell short over the remaining 50 minutes and Portland sealed the win with a third goal in the 82nd minute.
The closest chance for the road team was a free-kick goal by Brayan Vera in the 76th minute that was called off due to a foul on Rwan Cruz, who was subbed on for Zavier Gozo in the 65th minute. William Agada also came on at that time for Victor Olatunji, who scored both goals in the Decision Day draw that got RSL into the playoffs.
"I think it's a microcosm of how our season's been," head coach Pablo Mastroeni said. "We have 20-some odd chances on goal and can't seem to make the play that tips the scales. Whether it's a crossbar, Victor not sliding across the front of the goal on a ball that's rolling in front or Rwan fouling on Vera's free kick."
The missed opportunities and "moments," as Mastroeni puts it, started to add up for RSL and resulted in yet another disappointing end to a season for the team with the longest active playoff streak in the league.
While the result and disappointment are still "fresh," in Mastroeni's words, the manager who has made the postseason every year at the helm of RSL acknowledged there will be "some tough decisions to make" in the coming weeks.
"We'll get together in the next couple of days with Kurt (Schmid) and Jason (Kreis) and figure out how to best move forward," Mastroeni said of meeting with the team's top brass.
Players with expiring contracts at the end of 2025 include: Vera, Agada, Braian Ojeda, DeAndre Yedlin, Alex Katranis, Sam Junqua, Philip Quinton, Noel Caliskan and Johnny Russell; though Ojeda, Vera, Yedlin, Katranis and Quinton all have club options, should the team decide to bring them back in 2026.
RSL qualifies for MLS-best 5th consecutive playoffs with 2-2 draw in St. Louis
(ksl.com 10-18-25)
Real Salt Lake rebounded from a disastrous first half of the season to rattle off eight of its 12 wins over the final 17 games to squeak into the ninth and final Western Conference playoff spot on MLS Decision Day on Saturday.
"I think the spirit of the group overrides some of the things that haven't gone right," head coach Pablo Mastroeni said. "And tonight, I think, was a great display of resilience, of execution and coming up trumps; when really there's no reason — with the season that we had — to believe in ourselves."
The team entered the day in the final playoff spot and could guarantee its league-best fifth consecutive postseason appearance with a win on the road against the already-eliminated St. Louis City.
A first-half brace from Victor Olatunji had RSL well on its way with a 2-0 lead through 32 minutes, but a penalty from Eduard Lowen just before halftime brought St. Louis within one, 2-1, at the break.
Joao Klauss tied the game at 2-2 in the 88th minute, and late leads from fellow playoff hopefuls Colorado and San Jose made the final minutes at Energizer Park a little tense for Mastroeni and company, who had already endured 90-plus minutes of pouring rain in St. Louis.
LAFC equalized against Colorado at 2-2, though, and RSL held onto a valuable point with the 2-2 draw, keeping the Rapids, Earthquakes and RSL all tied at 41 points at the end of the night. The first tiebreaker for playoff qualification was total wins, with RSL holding the slight edge with 12 to the other two teams' 11.
Goalkeeper Rafael Cabral came up big, once again, completing his first season in Utah playing every single minute of every game, and putting up five saves on 27 St. Louis shots to hold the home team to two goals, despite a 3.5-1 lead in expected goals.
"I feel we play as a family, and we just love each other," Olatunji said of his short time in Utah since joining the squad in August. "We trust and play like what we want. So far, so good. I love being here."
The margin in the standings was about as thin as it could have been for the Claret and Cobalt, who became the team with the most losses to qualify for the playoffs in MLS history at a 12-17-5 (win-loss-draw) record.
Mastroeni has now made the playoffs in each of his five seasons at the helm of RSL, fulfilling a promise he made to fans after a tough month of August when the team lost all three of its matches.
"In 2021, it took until the last game (to make the playoffs)," Mastroeni said on Aug. 23. "Even if it takes until the last second of the final game, we're going to make it."
RSL will travel to Portland to face the eighth-seeded Timbers in a single-elimination wild card game on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. MDT.
Utah Royals send off 2025 season, 3 retiring teammates with 1-0 win over Washington
(ksl.com 11-2-25)
Sunday evening's season finale provided Utah Royals FC a chance to celebrate the past, including the retirement of three key members of the squad's return to the Wasatch Front three years ago.
It also may have given a glimpse into the NWSL side's future.
Paige Monaghan scored her fifth goal of the season, and Mandy McGlynn made three saves to make it stand up as the Royals wrapped up the 2025 season with a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit.
"The togetherness of this team was everything," Monaghan said. "I'm just so grateful to be their teammate; it was such an honor."
Lara Prasnikar — the 27-year-old midseason addition Slovenia — delivered quickly in her debut start for the Royals, finding No. 4 in the fourth minute to set up Monaghan's fifth goal of the season and give Utah a 1-0 lead.
It's the second straight match with a goal for Monaghan, who had a goal or an assist in five consecutive matches that paced the Royals' club-record eight-match unbeaten streak midway through August and September.
If there's something to build on the Royals' 7-13-7 season, it's Monaghan and her career-best five goals — as many as the previous two years combined.
Through the second half of the season, Utah finished with 10 results in the final 13 matches.
"We feel like if we can keep this momentum going, we can be a playoff contender," Utah coach Jimmy Coenraets said.
"Hitting rock bottom is OK; it gives us a great foundation to end on," he added.
It was also the year of Monaghan, who arrived in Utah via the now-defunct NWSL expansion draft as an occasional goal scorer — nine goals and an assist in four seasons with Sky Blue/Gotham FC and Racing Louisville — and became a pivotal member of the Royals' attack, a team captain and the second-leading scorer on the team.
What started as a season on the mend from a broken foot ended with a career year: five goals, two assists in over 1,000 minutes played across 16 matches, including 14 starts.
"The belief that my teammates and coaching staff had in me, that goes a long way," Monaghan said of her campaign. "For me, I'm a repetition player; that's what made me good in college, what helped give me experience and exposure, what led me to U23 camp and to get drafted.
"I've been craving that so long in my career, but it's just something that lacked," she added. "This year, the Royals made hires that helped me do what I need to do every single week to get ready for the weekends."
Most of the announced crowd of 9.170 fans weren't there for the win-loss record, too.
In a game that was meaningless in the 14-team NWSL standings — Washington entered Sunday afternoon locked into the No. 2 seed for the playoffs, while Utah had been eliminated from the postseason and was stranded at No. 12 — Spirit coach Adrian Gonzalez started two of the state's natives in midfielder Heather Stainbrook and attacker Courtney Brown.
Brown had more than 100 friends and family on hand to see the former Fremont High and Utah midfielder's 15th match of the season, which she started before a halftime substitution.
Stainbrook, the former Alta High star who was Utah Valley's all-time goal scorer when she graduated in 2023, went the distance for the Spirit.
The Royals, too, had their own celebrations to attend — their own flowers to hand out. Imani Dorsey, who came to the newly relaunched club as a free agent following the 2023 season, played the final match of her seven-year career.
The sixth player signed in Utah's relaunched history made her first appearance since Sept. 6 in a second-half sub.
But the biggest ovation came for Claudia Zornoza, the 35-year-old Spaniard who played the final match in her 17-year career that included stops with Real Madrid and the European Champions League prior to her final two seasons in the NWSL.
The Royals also honored former BYU defender Olivia (Smith) Griffitts, who retired this season following the berth of her first child, a daughter with former BYU football tight end Kyle Griffitts.
"All players with completely different personalities," Coenraets said of the three retirees, adding that he and Monaghan wanted Zornoza to wear the captain's armband but the Spaniard declined. "If you look back on Claudia's career, there aren't a lot of players in this league who present what she presents.
"Imani is probably one of the most intelligent players I've ever worked with," he added. "I'm very grateful that I was able to work with them; I hope I added something to their career, but I'm 100% certain they added something to my career."
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