The Cosmos are tangible then, if only because they've moved from out of the shadows of unclear motives and into the light of public pronouncements. But words are just that, greatest living player attached or not, and the idea that the club will be ready to become New York's second team in a few years time means nothing without the necessary funding to make it happen. Those that remember the Cosmos and waited for their return can only be excited, while the rest of us angle a skeptical eye towards an operation with little or negative soccer capital.
Pelé, as the organization's Honorary President, said the things we would expect.
“As global ambassador for the game, and as Honorary President of The New York Cosmos, it’s a great privilege to be able to give back to the future of the sport that gave so much to me,” says Pelé. “The return of The New York Cosmos will inspire footballers in this country, and embrace people around the world who love this beautiful game as much as I do.”
It's all very nice. The New York Time Goal blog has a few more details, including that the Cosmos will partner with a Queens youth club to form the The Cosmos Academy. Should their dedication to young players be real, there's hardly a negative word to be said about their first few moves.
But the professional front is a much different story. In order for the Cosmos to return, the backers of the new version and the owner of the name (former Tottenham shareholder Paul Kemsley) with need to come up with buckets of cash; never mind the expansion fee, which could be $50 million or more by the time the Cosmos are ready to jump into the league, there's the little matter of a putting a stadium in New York City. Executive director Joe Fraga calls Queens "the sweet spot" for a facility, an idea that will undoubtedly bring major cost. Does this group have deep enough pockets?
For most of us, the Cosmos, just as they were before, will be out of sight and out of mind. The fact that an actual organization exists is mildly intriguing, but until something bigger happens (not to discount the youth efforts), the Cosmos are still just an idea. An idea with some famous names trotted out in a bid to recapture the past.
It doesn't help build confidence that, per Grant Wahl, the new Cosmos "Director of Soccer" is Terry Byrne, close friend of David Beckham and the man who recruited Ruud Gullit to manage the LA Galaxy.
Make of the new Cosmos what you will. They certainly have Don Garber and the league's desire for a second New York team working in their favor, built it will take massive leaps forward in a short amount of time for this group to truly bring back the Cosmos in a way that matters to the world.
