page_title: New York Cosmos (2010)
section_title: 1985–2012: Fall of the original Cosmos and revival
hierarchical_section_title: New York Cosmos (2010) / History / 1985–2012: Fall of the original Cosmos and revival
caption_attribution_description: English: New York Cosmos players at Old Trafford before their match against Manchester United on August 5, 2011 for Paul Scholes's testimonial match.
context_page_description: The New York Cosmos is an American professional soccer club based in Uniondale, New York that plays in the National Independent Soccer Association. The club has previously competed in the National Premier Soccer League and North American Soccer League. The present formation of the team and organization, established since August 2010, is a rebirth of the original New York Cosmos that played in the previous North American Soccer League, the former first division of North American soccer.
  The Cosmos' ownership group is headed by chairman Rocco B. Commisso.
  The team won the Soccer Bowl Trophy in 2013, 2015, and 2016. After a hiatus due to the cancellation of the NASL's 2018 season, the club announced they, along with ten other clubs, would launch a new professional league "in association with the National Premier Soccer League" to begin in 2019.
context_section_description: The original New York Cosmos club was founded on December 10, 1970, and was named on February 4, 1971. The original North American Soccer 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, various New York City area entities approached Pinton about using the name for an MLS franchise. The existing franchise in New York, the MetroStars, made relevant inquiries both before and after becoming the New York Red Bulls in 2006. Pinton was reluctant to let the name be used by an MLS team, believing that the league was unwilling to respect the Cosmos' heritage; however, after seeing MLS reintroduce historical NASL names, he changed his mind. In late August 2009, Pinton sold the name and image rights to Paul Kemsley, the former vice-chairman of English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, who headed a group intent on establishing a new Cosmos team in MLS. As the group's honorary president, Pelé 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. Former Manchester United forward Eric Cantona was added as director of soccer in mid-January 2011, with former United States player Cobi Jones as associate director. The original Cosmos' top goalscorer, Giorgio Chinaglia, was also named an international ambassador before his death in 2012.
  The new Cosmos' first match was on August 5, 2011, when they played against Manchester United at Old Trafford in Paul Scholes's testimonial match. Cantona managed a team of guest players from around the world.
  On October 26, 2011, Kemsley was bought out by Sela Sport, a Saudi Arabian sports marketing company. The departure of Kemsley as chairman and CEO was announced by the Cosmos with an official club statement saying that he wished "to pursue other interests and commitments". 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 owners – "unequivocally" to become an MLS team.
  Within weeks of purchasing the club, new chairman and CEO, Seamus O'Brien, had a series of meetings with MLS commissioner, Don Garber, about joining Major League Soccer. Garber was eager to add the Cosmos to MLS, but O'Brien balked at the $100M expansion fee, single-entity structure, and requirement that the league control the brand. O'Brien decided not to apply for MLS entry after all.
caption: The Cosmos team at Old Trafford before the first match of the revived franchise v. Manchester United in August 2011
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