Good news, Bad news for Cosmos' Belmont stadium bid

After nearly three years of waiting patiently for the state of New York to do anything, the New York Cosmos finally heard a bit of news in terms of their Belmont stadium proposal. That news could probably be taken as either good or bad, but either way, it's likely to lead to some actual movement on the matter, which will be a welcome sign after three years of nothing.

On Monday, Newsday reported that the state has reached out to the current Belmont bidders, asking them to alter their proposals for development, as they've reduced the size of the parcel that interested parties are bidding on. Empire State Development Corp. has offered one of the pieces of land in the original bid to the New York Racing Association, and would now require an updated proposal from the Cosmos before they make a decision on the remainder of the land.

For their part, the Cosmos have issued the following statement on the matter:

We are still evaluating the correspondence from the state and look forward to presenting our updated plan that will bring thousands of jobs, millions in economic revenue and a state-of-the-art entertainment complex to Long Island.

This news will certainly affect the Cosmos proposal, as the club had hoped to build restaurants on the removed parcel of land. At this point, the club could simply opt to keep the stadium itself more or less unaltered, simply making adjustments on the amenities they'd be building alongside their proposed home. They could reduce the size of the stadium, allowing them to build the restaurants planned for the unavailable parcel of land, or they could move on from Belmont altogether. With the state asking for an updated proposal by December 4th, at least we won't have to wait too long to see what the club is thinking.

It will be fascinating to see what the club decides to do in this situation, as three years of operating at Hofstra have probably given the front office a better idea of where they stand in the New York soccer landscape, and of what they need to do in order to improve that standing. While it may still be years before we have a definite answer, the next three weeks should at least provide a bit of clarity about what the club is thinking.