Giddy-Up! The Cosmos Come Back

I have been keeping a close eye on the "Name the NYC FC" poll on the sidebar and the New York Cosmos are making a comeback after a slow start. Even though I am anti-Cosmos for personal reasons (they abused the 1982 Peruvian National Team by a score of 5-1 in my first live soccer match), I feel that the Cosmos are worth discussing because their legacy will likely be linked to any NYC FC.

So why should we keep the Cosmos memories alive? Mainly because the team history is a storied one. They had some all-time soccer greats on the roster (Pele, Beckenbaur, Chinaglia) and they won. They won a lot. They were four-time North American Soccer League (NASL) champions and had an impressive international record.

At a time when the Major League Soccer is trying to make the leap internationally with the Super Liga and other tournaments, the Cosmos legacy can give a NYC club instant credibility. I read somewhere that worldwide the Cosmos have remained the most famous team from New York... I believe it.

Of course these positives can hurt a new New York franchise by placing undo hardship on the club. Any MLS team cannot spend the type of unregulated money that the Cosmos did to obtain their star players. Also many blame this out of control spending for killing the NASL. Without the NASL, soccer's popularity in America decreased dramatically. No one wants to see that happen again.

A New York City FC should have its own identity that hopefully will be as prestigious as the Cosmos. This identity should be tied to the current state of NYC/American soccer and be formed by the ownership group, players and club supporters.

I would like to see a compromise. Do not name the New York City franchise after the Cosmos, but show respect for what the Cosmos meant to the city by honoring its accomplishments. I think that is what will happen if Wilpon owns the team. He has already shown a desire to link the current Mets with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

With all of that said, if the Cosmos do make a real-life comeback I will be wearing the Green & White... but can Peru get an apology for 1982?