The Cosmos return – with a new home, new league and old ideals

There’s a new New York Cosmos in town – in the town of Paterson, New Jersey, to be precise. One of the most storied names in American soccer has hit the reset button, finding a new league, a new city and a refreshed, community-first approach.

While many high-profile new teams in US sports are parachuted in at the top of their league’s hierarchy, this Cosmos revival feels different – some of that by design, some by necessity. Thursday’s announcement at the newly restored Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson offered longtime fans and curious onlookers a glimpse into this fresh direction, and the reasons behind it.

The message was clear in the location alone: nestled above the Great Falls of the Passaic River, embedded in a National Historical Park. It’s echoed in the club’s starting point – USL League One, the third and lowest tier of professional soccer in the US – a more stable launchpad from which to build organically. And perhaps most significantly, this iteration of the Cosmos finally has a home stadium to call its own – characterful, scenic, historic – something previous, more nomadic versions never had.

Two major themes run parallel through this reboot. The first is rooted in Paterson itself: a proudly local but cosmopolitan city, where the new Cosmos aim to foster grassroots involvement not just in soccer but in a wide range of activities.

The second is the name. Despite years of dormancy and false starts, the New York Cosmos remain one of the most recognisable brands in American soccer. Its association with Pelé helped cement that global profile, and further star power – Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, Carlos Alberto – ensured it endured.

But this version wants to be more than a brand; it aims to be a club in the truest sense, something still rare in the franchise-heavy landscape of American sports. The plan includes a professional women’s team and space for other sports and community activities, from rugby and cricket to dance and chess. Like traditional sporting institutions around the world – the Clube de Regatas of Brazil or European multisport clubs – the new Cosmos will not be just a soccer team.

“This is the perfect community for it,” Cosmos CEO Erik Stover tells the Guardian. “It’s so diverse, with people from all over the world and diverse interests, so it makes perfect sense here.

“Proper clubs have multiple sports. People from the community are volunteering, helping with the cricket club, the track club, the tennis club, whatever it is.

“For us, professional soccer will be at the top of the pyramid. But what really matters is that grassroots foundation.”

The team will retain the official name New York Cosmos, but with its identity deeply rooted in Paterson, it will often be referred to simply as the Cosmos.

“The aim is community first,” says Stover. “To build sustainably, to invest in local people – whether that’s players or front office – and to grow slowly and deliberately.”

Finding a home stadium in the New York metropolitan area is no easy feat – which is why so many “New York” teams, including the Red Bulls and both NFL franchises, play across the Hudson in New Jersey. For the Cosmos, Hinchliffe isn’t just a home – it’s central to the club’s revival.

New majority owner and chairperson Baye Adofo-Wilson, a Paterson native who led the stadium’s redevelopment, spoke of creating pathways to the professional game at a time when soccer has become increasingly pay-to-play.

“More superstars are going to come out of Paterson, Passaic County, North Jersey, who will lead future generations,” he said at the unveiling. “We want people to be able to afford this. When I was growing up, a lot of these sports were free – but they no longer are.

“Often kids don’t have access. What we really want to do is make sure we have a club that’s affordable for kids, but also exciting and dynamic – reflective of the diversity of North Jersey. A lot of people are running away from diversity at this point. We’re going to run toward it.”

There may not yet be stars on the field, but there is one in the front office: Giuseppe Rossi, the former Italy international and North Jersey native, is both investing in the club and serving as Head of Soccer.

“He’s lived it,” says Stover. “If he didn’t have that Italian passport that let him go to Europe at 12 – and he was stuck in Clifton, New Jersey, dealing with pay-to-play – who knows? Maybe he doesn’t make it to Villarreal, Fiorentina, the Azzurri.

“He understands those challenges better than anyone. He can talk to kids on their level, because he’s walked the same path. He made it to the top – and he knows what it takes.”

For Cosmos fans, there’s optimism – even if the team is starting from the bottom. It may be a far cry from the glitzy NASL days of packed stadiums and marquee names, but with the USL planning a promotion and relegation system and a new Division I to run alongside MLS, there’s a realistic path for the Cosmos to climb.

“It’s not an accident the Cosmos are entering USL now,” says Stover. “Fifteen years ago, the soccer landscape in this country was very different. Now, USL is working on promotion and relegation – and where that ends up, who knows?

“But what matters is that a club like ours has a path to grow, to compete, to win championships – like we did three times in five years in NASL.

“I’ve been around the world and spoken to so many sports executives, and I think one big reason soccer in the US isn’t where it could be is that we’ve locked so many communities out of the game. We need to make it more inclusive.”

Whatever the future holds, fans were simply glad to have their team back. Even after years of inactivity, many never stopped believing. A handful were there at Thursday’s announcement, exchanging emotional glances across the room at the Charles J Muth Museum at Hinchliffe Stadium, as New Jersey governor Phil Murphy made it official.

The Cosmos are back. And while they may look different this time, their spirit remains unmistakable.