CONGRATS BROOKLYN ITALIANS

Congratulations are in order for the Brooklyn Italians as they have qualified into the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.The Italians beat FC Sonic Lehigh Valley 2-1 this past weekend to advance.

Good Luck Italians!

FIFA - HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD

All,

This is not just a post for Borough Boys but for soccer fans all over the country. 


Many fans are frustrated with the corruption at FIFA and many have asked what we can do to help.We encourage all soccer fans to reach out to Sunil Gulati and ask him to abstain from the vote this Wednesday and speak out against the corruption. Perhaps delaying the vote can allow either for a proper investigation or another candidate to enter the race.

[email protected]


Some of the Borough Boys have had success in reaching out to Mr. Gulati.

Kemsley in Vancouver

Recently, Cosmos Chariman and CEO Paul Kemsley was at Empire Field in Vancouver to take in a Whitecaps game. During his stay, he met up with Whitecaps Ambassador Carl Valentine to discuss the happenings of the Cosmos. Below are some quotes from the video.


When asked what is going on:
"Had Eric Cantona in New York with me training our PDL side" 

"Talking at length with MLS and working on our stadium solution"

When asked about the buzz:
 "I think we had something like 1.4 billion ipressions on the internet. And both the New York Cosmos and Cantona were the number 1 tweeting trends when we announced Cantona's appointment""

When asked if he is happy with the way negotiations are going:
"Yea, I cant complain, we're exactly where we wanted to be at this point of time"

Paul later jokes that he must not be doing so bad if he has an all access path granted from the league.

There will be a lot of speculation as to why Kemsley was in Vancouver checking out the stadiums, but it has to be positive.

With Garber talking of the Cosmos recently and Kemsley's words here, you have to conclude that things are moving along. This has been a tiring ride but signs are positive that it might end favorably.

Patience is a virtue, even in Cosmos Country.

GARBER SPEAKS AGAIN - "FOCUSED ON NY"

Don Garber has spoken about expansion again, this time at the AT&T Sports Franchises and Facilities conference, hosted by SBJ/SBD.

Q: Next year MLS will welcome a team in Montreal, which is the league’s 19th club. You have publicly said you support growth. What markets appear best for growth?

Garber: We are focused on New York. It’s a big market. The Cosmos have a great legacy and they have a great soccer history that so far the Red Bulls have not been able to tap into. For the most part Red Bulls fans come from New Jersey. The challenge for [the Cosmos] is to build a stadium, and as we all know New York City is not the easiest place to build. And we’ve put a high price on the 20th team. In 2007 we were asking around $7 million, and last year [teams] sold for $40 million. This could be in the $75 to $100 million [range]. 

Q: Is the Wilpon family still a viable option for MLS given their recent negative press?

Garber: We have talked with [the Wilpons] about MLS. They have a good situation when it comes to stadiums in the site around Citi Field. Willets Point is one of the largest pieces of undeveloped property in New York. 

Nothing new in terms of information but it is interesting that he was very quick to speak about the Cosmos. It almost seems from this quote that the Cosmos are the front runner to be that New York City franchise. 

Lets hope that the price of this franchise is closer to the $75 he mentioned. We understand the need for income into the league, but when you start talking about figures of $100 million, there stands a good chance that the fee will trickle down to ticket prices. 

The Wilpon quote seems to emphasize a point that  we have spoken about in the past. Despite many rumors out there, we do not feel the Wilpon family will be a minority owner in the Cosmos, but rather be involved in the facility, which in the long term, will generate lots of income. Think Concerts! 

With the Gold Cup, a soccer game at Citi Field and Cosmos U-23 friendlies, this next month should be an entertaining one. Lets not even start to think of July and the Cosmos Copa! 

GBA#50'

ECUADOR Vs. GREECE AT CITI FIELD

 

Get your tickets to the inaugural soccer game at Citi Field 

Messing joins Cosmos

Earlier today, this site talked about Shep Messing on WFAN discussing the relaunch of the Cosmos. Some were confused why Shep, who covers Redbull games for MSG, would be talking about the faith he had in the Cosmos return. Any confusion should be cleared up now as on the latest episode of  MLS Extra Time Radio Messing says that tomorrow the Cosmos will announce him as an international ambassador.

Sorry ladies, Shep will not be posting nude this time.

During the hour long show Simon Borg asks Messing straight out "And Shep, you would not be joining if the Cosmos were not coming back"

Messing responded saying "Well guys, you said it, I didnt"

Shep goes on to discuss the faith he has in the Cosmos group and mentions how Don Garber even stated the importance of having the Cosmos name back.

Welcome aboard Shep!

COSMOS ON WFAN

Only a New Yorker can really appreciate the importance of hearing about soccer on WFAN radio. Today on the Boomer and Carton show, Shep Messing went on to talk about his days with the Cosmos and a bit about the relaunch.

Most of the interview focuses on the past days with Pele and mingling with superstars at Studio 54, however, Messing took the time to offer a bit of insight about what is to come.

"Now is the time for the New York Cosmos to come back."

"Whats going to happen, I believe, The New York Cosmos name and team has been bought. They are negotiating, with Major League Soccer, with the City of New York, and with the politicians to build a stadium."

This is not new news, and Boomer and Carton did cut him a bit short but soccer fans in New York City should take this for what it really is. A step in the right direction.

On a day when both the Mets and Yankees are coming off wins, time was taken out on WFAN to talk about soccer.

Hedging your Bets

Over at the MLS website; I was reading on the "Kick Off" that Don Garber was in talks with local political leaders in the city of Las Vegas. So upon further query I clicked on the article from the Las Vegas Sun to seek further interest into this very announcement. Why do you ask?

Well my answer to this question is another question; is this the same Don Garber who just a week ago was talking about the great state of Minnesota being one of the leading candidates for expansion? (Your wondering why I said state and not city? 1 in 4 Minnesotans lives in the Hennapin county and 3 in 4 live in the Minneapolis/St Paul metro area; so basically the whole state is where the stadium is going to be.) So I was really curious as to what in the world great commissioner Don Garber, leader of the American soccer movement and ambassador to the world's game was going to tell Las Vegas. But to my surprise the article does more to talk about the development of the stadiums and arenas and does less to talk about the league and its teams. Even more so at the end it states this little ditty that might put most of you at ease and certainly made me feel better especially after I was shot down by a girl again this past weekend.

Still a long way to go: The bill has to pass -- and that is far from certain,
although Garber's calls may help. And then MLS has to agree to site a franchise
here. And Milam, who has put down money to buy the 51s, still has to prove he's
for real to some people.

So for right now this whole situation means nothing unless the bill passes, the developer shows the tax payers he's real, and the league says yes to expansion here. Plus if you add time here it might take three to five years for all of this to happen and in that context it might be more viable to move Chivas USA then to expand via a new franchise. Only time will tell but I wouldn't bet on LV unless you are at the Casinos.

MLS in Minnesota? The Plot Thickens

Major League Soccer has recently confirmed that there is contact with a group in Minnesota to potentially bring a franchise to the twin cities.

The Wilf family, who are the owners of the Minnesota Vikings, want to put a team in the Vikings proposed new stadium in Arden Hills, which is about 7 miles outside of downtown Minneapolis. This stadium plan is not completed though as legislators are opposed to the project because the local county would have to impose taxes to pay its share. So while MLS speaks of its intentions,  it appears that there is going to be a game of tug of war with the stadium.

Is it something to worry about? Of course! Look, it is almost June 2011 and there is still no public stadium plan in New York City. The league and New York Cosmos state that they continue to work with the city on a stadium solution, which is positive news, but until all the details are finalized, nothing is certain.

There also exists the possibility that Major League Soccer has come public with this to motivate all involved to get something done in New York. There is a bit of grandstanding going on between the league and the Cosmos and this a way for the league to make the statement "we have options".

The plot thickens in the chase for the 20th MLS expansion spot.

5 Points Press: May Issue

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