The legendary New York Cosmos were at the pinnacle of US Football, only to disappear and try and make their way back to the top.
They currently play in a league that started its first campaign before being shut down due to the covid-19 pandemic - while fighting the traditional U.S. football structure.
The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is made up of only 8 teams and is currently ranked on level #3 of the U.S. soccer pyramid. It is the lowest division a club can play in and still be considered professional. But things used to be very different.
Glory Days
The New York Cosmos were the first globally known club out of the United States. Originally founded in 1970 at the beginning of U.S.’s first football boom, the Cosmos entered the young but entertaining National American Soccer League, better known as the NASL. The first few years brought some instability as they bounced around looking for stadiums to play in all over the New York Metropolitan area, however they managed a few playoff appearances, and won the championship in 1972.
Everything changed in 1975. The Cosmos somehow signed football legend Pelé. Yes! That Pelé. The Brazilian was paid an annual salary north of $1 million, inconceivable at the time. The transfer made global headlines and Pelé brought many people to the stadiums. Soon after, the Cosmos were competing for attention with other major sports teams in the area.
However, with still nothing to show for, the ambitious club set out for another star - Italian Giorgio Chinaglia, a Lazio legend, with 14 caps for the Azzurri. Unlike Pele, Chinaglia was in the prime of his career. The NASL was now becoming a hotspot for international stars and it was all headed by the Cosmos.
In 1977, Pelé’s final season, he was joined by fellow Seleção teammate Carlos Alberto, and Der Kaiser himself, Franz Beckenbauer. That season the Cosmos won their second NASL title, and set a record that still holds for attendance at a U.S. club match, at 77,691 spectators. This legendary season made the Cosmos a household name for many football fans, and even inspired a pretty bad film starring Pele.
After Pelé retired, everything started to change. Less people showed up to matches, and the NASL was losing money. The United States’ brief boom of football was declining. Throughout all the turmoil, the Cosmos won the championship again in 1978 and in 1980. After the 1980 season both Alberto and Beckenbauer left, along with the TV deal that the NASL had with ABC. The league fell apart in 1984, and the Cosmos folded in 1985. That seemed to be it for the history of the NASL.
Fighting the System
Fast forward to November 2009. The NASL was planning a return. MLS is already established and rapidly growing at this point. But some people in the country’s football sphere didn’t like how it's being run. Nailing down two points that they believe hinder the growth of the sport in the U.S.: No promotion-relegation, and the salary-cap.
The Cosmos joined the NASL for the 2013 season, but their big focus was on becoming an MLS franchise. At the time, MLS was gaining popularity all across the country and was looking to expand. They already had one team in New York (the Red Bulls) but were looking to expand within the metro area. The final two candidates were the Cosmos and City Football Group backed NYCFC.
The Cosmos took their return to the field seriously from the start. Although playing in the second pyramid of U.S. football they captured some big names early on. Signing Giovanni Savarese as their inaugural manager, and MLS veteran Carlos Mendes, who grew up in Long Island, laid the foundations for the new squad.
Their ambitions were followed up on the field winning the 2013, 2015, and 2016 NASL championships. They had signed global superstars to help boost them on and off the field. Marcos Senna, Juan Arango, Jairo Arrieta, and none other than Real Madrid legend and former captain, Raul Gonzalez. They played in a friendly against the Cuban National Team, and began reclaiming their status as a global franchise.
Despite bringing in relatively big crowds for an NASL club, the team was a mess off the pitch. In 2014, NYCFC were awarded an MLS franchise all but ending the Cosmos’ hopes of ever playing in MLS. This brought a lot of uncertainty to the club and its supporters. Owner Rocco B. Commisso began to criticize the structure of U.S. football and it’s reluctance to institute a promotion-relegation system.
After the 2017 season, the NASL folded and a few months later filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Football Federation. They cancelled their season, which forced some of the clubs to move to the United Soccer League (USL), their rival league in the second pyramid. The Cosmos refused to join the USL, and were forced to play as a B team in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) which lies on the fourth pyramid. For two seasons the Cosmos struggled to remain relevant and financially stable in a semi-pro league.
The supporters are identified with the club’s resistance against mainstream football in the United States, forming an original view and creates a unique atmosphere in the US football culture. They bring ANTIFA posters to matches and consistently show support against fascism. In 2019, they played a friendly against F.C. St. Pauli, marking the game as an “Anti-Fascist” friendly.
In 2020, they helped establish the NISA and were planning to achieve success once again until the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. Only time will tell what will happen with the beloved New York Cosmos. We hope the U.S.’s most historic club can someday make it back to the pinnacle of football - but for now, patience is key.
