Cosmos Notes: Valencia friendly in the works, Mancini departure imminent

Following an initial report from the11.ca, TICC can confirm that the Cosmos are in discussions to play a friendly with Valencia CF of La Liga at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Canada, the second year in a row they play a Liga side in a friendly and their third overall.

TICC has also learned that Cosmos midfielder Andrea Mancini will be departing the club shortly and looks to return to Europe. Continue reading

Soccer, politics, and oil intersect in Venezuela’s dire tailspin

Photo: Steve Hamlin/TICC

Gloria al bravo pueblo

que el yugo lanzó,

la Ley respetandola

virtud y honor.

These words abound from the mouths of the chorus with fiery pride, with a raucous orchestra sprinting behind them. This is the beginning of the Venezuelan national anthem, proudly played every day on radio and television broadcasts at 6am, 12pm and 12am. The hymn, “Glory to the Brave People”, was originally composed as a rallying cry for rebels fighting for Venezuelan independence against Spain in 1810. Within it, the tune screams for death to oppression and unity amongst the Venezuelan people.

Just over 200 years later, Venezuela again is in a struggle. This time, the war is internal. Many parallels remain: struggles against oppression, the courage of the people. But, a new element has come to the forefront: soccer. The sport, long struggling to gain national importance in baseball-crazy Venezuela, has reached new heights in popularity in recent years. Now well imprinted in the national conscience, soccer has reached a new political importance, challenging many of those who play it both in the country and outside of it, including the Cosmos’ very own Juan Guerra and Giovanni Savarese.

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Players and history: Why Giovanni Savarese stayed with the New York Cosmos

Giovanni Savarese [Photo: Steve Hamlin/TICC]

“Savarese, que lo hizo usted aguantarse o esperar cuando se hizo el anuncio de que los Cosmos ya no iba existir?”

The question hangs out there for Giovanni Savarese, head coach of the New York Cosmos, to answer. Posed by a Latino journalist at Media Day, it’s one that has weighed on the minds of many that follow this team. In a moment where every player had been released, where nearly every staffer had been terminated and while owed money, where the team was on the verge of being sold to an unknown party who would effectively end the Cosmos for the second time around, why did Savarese stay? What made him withstand everything, wait when the announcement was made that the club would no longer exist?

For anyone who’s followed Gio’s career as a coach closely, the answer should come as no surprise.

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2017 Preview: New York Cosmos

2016 Season Review 

Fresh off a title in 2015, the New York Cosmos came out of Raul and Marcos Senna’s joint retirement poised for the same result. Boasting new signings such as former Tottenham star Niko Kranjcar, MLS standouts Michael Lahoud and Jairo Arrieta, and returning many key elements of the 2015 team, many believed the Cosmos had assembled their deepest and most talented squad in the modern era. In fact, many in Cosmos Country expected this to be the year the Cosmos advanced another round deeper into the U.S. Open Cup. Continue reading

New York Cosmos announce Inaria partnership, unveil new kits

[L-R] Carlos Mendes, Jimmy Maurer, and Ayoze in new kits [Photo: Eytan Calderon/TICC]

At Tuesday’s Media Day, the Cosmos officially announced their new partnership with Inaria, a Canadian designer and manufacturer of soccer apparel and equipment. The deal, coming after the Cosmos relationship with Under Armour soured, is the third of its kind this season for Inaria, who also recently agreed to deals with FC Edmonton and the San Francisco Deltas. Inaria also had deals with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Minnesota United in 2016 and boasts a partnership with 2015 MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco. Continue reading

Cosmos announce Spring Season TV schedule, deals with WPIX and MSG Networks

In their first broadcasting moves in the post-One World Sports era, the Cosmos announced Thursday morning that they had reached agreements with both WPIX (Channel 11) and MSG Networks to broadcast Cosmos games locally during the 2017 NASL Spring Season. The club also announced that a number of games will be available through the national television deal expected to be announced by the NASL next week, which could hint at Rocco Commisso’s repeated promises of the Cosmos arrival on beIn Sports. Continue reading

Spare squares: Erik Stover comments on presence of Nexxfield at MCU Park

Nexxfield being laid down in its previous home at Miller Stadium for Rayo OKC [Photo: Nexxfield]

With the New York Cosmos’ move from Hofstra University’s James M. Shuart Stadium, gone are the jokes of lacrosse lines and giant Hofstra lettering. Despite concerns of brown “infield” turf and the massive “Brooklyn Cyclones” logo in the outfield at MCU Park, the club will no longer contend with any of these distractions as they will use a turf system designed to present a soccer-only experience. Continue reading

Offseason Review: From a title, to Brooklyn, with near death in between

On Sunday, August 1st, 2010, Pele stood in the middle of a soccer field in Flushing Meadows Park and proclaimed the New York Cosmos were back.

On that day, NYC Poland defeated NYC Jamaica in the then-COPA NYC final and BW Gottschee partnered with the Cosmos organization led by Paul Kemsley. The mission was on to get the legendary New York Cosmos back into the top level of the US Soccer ‘Pyramid’.

Fast forward to today and we are just under two weeks away from the start of the 2017 NASL season. Meanwhile, the league and Cosmos are coming off a near death experience this offseason. Continue reading