Cosmos look very uncertain of their future

It shouldn’t be a huge secret by now that the future of the NASL is in huge jeopardy. After being denied “Division 2” status by the USSF, a 2018 NASL campaign looks very unlikely.

To go along with that uncertainty is the beloved New York Cosmos. Despite several efforts to preserve the club, it seems that New York won’t hit the pitch this year.

Chuck Schumer made an effort to publicize the Cosmos’ current situation, while Rocco Commisso took a huge leadership role in the efforts against the United States Soccer decision. However, Commisso promised to pay the Cosmos’ salaries through December 31st, and obviously that time came and went.

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As a result, a plethora of Originals’ squad members have been released from the club. Jimmy Maurer completed a move to FC Dallas not too long ago, while names such as Dejan Jakovic, David Ochieng, Eugene Starikov, Juan Arango and Emmanuel Ledesma all parted ways with New York.

The biggest name that likely pops out is Ledesma. It’s very unusual to sell the club’s best player, who even went as an MVP candidate this season. Plus, the Cosmos made no profit as Ledesma was sold, and then signed by FC Cincinnati.

To add to the long list of painful New York exits, Giovanni Savarese created a vacancy in the managerial position when signing with the Portland Timbers in early December.

The recent wave of sudden moves aren’t out of the norm within the NASL. Teams such as Puerto Rico FC and Edmonton have gone on to sell some of their best players, including Giuseppe Gentile and Tomi Ameobi respectively.

Rather extreme roster moves might not be over either. Several teams have yet to announce anything in the roster, and it’s hard to believe that clubs aren’t going to be forced into moves considering the league’s scenario. But it has to be remembered that the number of teams in the NASL is depleting rapidly anyway.

The Eddies, San Francisco Deltas and North Carolina FC are among the clubs that are officially out of the NASL, while the Indy Eleven look more than likely to go too.

The popular option among other teams is to join the USL. It’s been discussed right here on Twice A Cosmo before, but New York haven’t been reported to have even considered a move to the league. Plus, fans can only wonder how many clubs FIFA will allow into the United League? There’s 28 clubs at the moment, but you can make it 38 including planned expansion teams.

As much as promotion and relegation would benefit the United States, the possibility of the system being incorporated into the country in the next few years is close to none. It’d honestly be surprising to see such a system in the next 30 years.

With recent roster moves, the absence of a true manager and no investments being made into the Originals, it’s almost certain that New York won’t be on the pitch this year. It’s really a shame that it’s come to this point, especially since New York stared play again a few years ago.

Nobody really knows what’s about to happen in the future. Publications haven’t suggested any developments from the club, so the hope for the NASL and the Cosmos next season seems to pretty much gone.

Still can’t figure as to why the USSF thought this would be the right thing to do. The growth of the game in the USA is one of the biggest issues at the moment, and taking away a league that attracted a lot of fans won’t help.

However, this is the reality that’s been handed to the Cosmos. It’s always key to have hope for the future; if that future ever happens for New York.

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