Our MLS future is bright, say Cosmos

The New York Cosmos remain confident of becoming the 20th MLS franchise when the league decides to expand.

MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed on Tuesday that New York was the preferred site for a new team, but cast doubt over whether the Cosmos would be the successful bid to run the franchise because of perceived internal issues.

But in a statement on Wednesday, Cosmos Vice Chairman Terry Byrne said the team is excited to hear that Garber has made New York his first choice and was working hard to find a suitable location for a new stadium.

“It’s wonderful that the league continues to support having an MLS team in New York. We all know the stadium is the lynchpin to getting this done,” Byrne said.

“And we have done our own due diligence over the past year, looking at sites for a proposed New York Cosmos team and stadium – and keeping the city and the league abreast of our progress.

“Randall’s Island has always been our emotional favorite – as the birthplace of the New York Cosmos.”

“However, after conducting a transportation viability study, we found that the infrastructure costs would far outweigh the costs of the stadium itself.”

The Cosmos have denied there are any internal issues which would put their bid in jeopardy, and Byrne revealed the group were willing to collaborate with other ownership groups to bring a franchise to the Big Apple.

“We also know that other potential ownership groups are in the picture, the league has always made it known,” he said.

“Matter of fact, we have met with a number of them. We said from Day One that we want to be an MLS team, and whether it’s doing that with our own ownership group or in collaboration with other ownership groups presented by the league – we are still committed to this vision.”