Raul meeting with Cosmos and attending Indy Eleven match, according to reports

According to Dave Martinez of Empire of Soccer, Real Madrid legend Raul is back in talks with the New York Cosmos. The player is in town where discussions are reportedly going well, and will be attending tonight's match with the Indy Eleven (where it's not raining anymore).

We've discussed the potential addition of Raul at length, and the Cosmos still haven't managed to find a striker that finishes consistently. Raul would certainly bring a different element to the game than the current crop of forwards bring, and would hopefully manage to help avoid some of the slumps the club have had despite dominating both possession and chance creation.

In addition to his on-field presence, Raul would be a big name signing at a time when the competition in New York is heating up. NYCFC is set to begin play next spring, and RBNY may or may not be getting sold and re-branded. A big addition on the pitch would probably go a long way toward increasing attention and media coverage, which in turn should help with the efforts to get a new stadium built.

If tonight's showing will help convince Raul to sign with the Cosmos, it looks as if the club has timed things very, very well. Not only are they hosting the league's worst team, but they'll be doing so with their strongest starting lineup, according to Eric Stover:

The rain has stopped, the sun's breaking free and we've got our Best XI playing for the first time. #NYCosmos #rallytorepeat #NASL

— Erik Stover (@ErikStoverNYC) October 4, 2014

Tonight should be fun...