Brooklyn Boro

The Cosmos are coming to Coney Island

Legendary Soccer Club to Play Home Games at Cyclones’ MCU Park

February 2, 2017 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Cosmos fans will be regulars at Coney Island’s MCU Park, beginning with the 2017 season opener on April 1. The team, which has played a few games at the Cyclones’ facility over the past few years, will be in Brooklyn for the entire 16-game home slate during this inaugural campaign in our fair borough. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese
Share this:

The reigning North American Soccer League champion New York Cosmos are bringing their historic soccer franchise to Coney Island this spring.

The team announced Thursday morning that MCU Park, long-time home of the Brooklyn Cyclones, would host all 16 Cosmos regular-season home games, beginning with the 2017 season opener on April 1.

“When I took control of the club on January 10, our immediate priorities were to stabilize the NASL, re-hire the Cosmos’ front-office personnel and coaching staff, rebuild our team roster and relocate to a fan friendly venue within the five boroughs,” said Cosmos Chairman Rocco B. Commisso.

“In less than a month, we have achieved those objectives, including re-signing many of the starters from our 2016 Championship Team.”

The Cosmos, who have accumulated an NASL record eight club titles dating back to the halcyon 1970s dynasty that featured international stars like Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia and Carlos Alberto, grabbed the 2016 crown last Nov. 13 via a 4-2 victory over the Indy Eleven on penalty kicks in The Championship Final.

They hope to become as much a part of the Coney Island landscape as the Cyclones, who have thrived along Surf Avenue since their inaugural 2001 campaign, leading the New York-Penn League in attendance every year since landing in Brooklyn.

“During the Cosmos’ inaugural season in 1971, the team played at Yankee Stadium,” noted Commisso.

“With our move to MCU Park in Brooklyn, we are not only able to offer fans easy access to a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience, but we are also reconnecting the club to its original New York City roots.  Adding the excitement of Cosmos’ games to Coney Island’s already vibrant atmosphere will be a win-win for our club and soccer enthusiasts throughout the metropolitan area.”      

Mets Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon, who was instrumental in bringing the Cyclones here as the parent club’s Class A short-season affiliate, welcomed the Cosmos to our fair borough.

The team has already played several regular-season games at MCU over the past several seasons.

“We are thrilled to showcase MCU Park as a multi-purpose venue and welcome the Cosmos, a storied franchise in American soccer history,” said Wilpon, whose family has long been rumored to be interested in getting involved with pro soccer.

“All New York area soccer fans will enjoy watching the Cosmos make their mark in Brooklyn.”

With the NASL’s spring and fall seasons scheduled to run from April through October, the Cyclones and Cosmos will be sharing the facility throughout the Minor League short-season campaign, which runs from mid-June through September.

During their first 14 seasons in the NASL, the Cosmos brought soccer-mania to the tri-state area, consistently selling out Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., while winning five league titles.

After a three-decade absence, they returned to the professional sporting scene in 2013, winning the championship in their first season back in the NASL.

Raúl and Marcos Senna, legends at famed Spanish sides Real Madrid and Villarreal CF, respectively, suited up in Cosmos colors for modern era championship runs, adding their names to the impressive list of global soccer stars who played with the club. 

“With the Cosmos coming to Brooklyn, we’re adding a world class franchise to New York City’s proud soccer tradition,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at Thursday’s announcement.  “We couldn’t be more proud to welcome the New York Cosmos to the five boroughs.” 

“Coney Island has been an iconic destination for generations of New York families,” added Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. “This historic Brooklyn neighborhood’s remarkable renaissance will hopefully accelerate even further with the move of the New York Cosmos to MCU Park.” 

Season-ticket packages for the upcoming season at MCU Park will go on sale Friday.

* * *

The NBA-worst Nets found a way to lose their seventh straight game Wednesday night at Barclays Center despite putting together their best defensive effort of the season, and not having to deal with Brooklyn-born Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony for the final 15 minutes of the contest.

After yielding only 64 points through the first three quarters, the Nets got outscored, 31-21, over the final 12 minutes en route to a 95-90 loss to their East River rivals in front of a sellout crowd of 17,732 at Downtown’s home for professional basketball.

“They picked up their intensity, picked up their heat on the ball,” said Nets coach Kenny Atkinson after his team’s first loss in February following a dismal 1-15 run through January.

“We turned it over, didn’t get the type of shots we wanted,” he added. “Then they started getting second and third shots. It’s tough to give any team in the NBA multiple shots at the rim, multiple possessions. I think that’s the story of the game really, story of the fourth quarter. Us turning it over and then not being able to control the defensive boards.”

Anthony, who scored 15 points on 6-of-22 shooting, watched the fourth quarter from the bench as the Knicks (22-29) rallied from 10 points down to eke out their second win in as many meetings with the Nets (9-40) this season.

“I looked up one time, there was like five minutes, I was like, `Ain’t no way I’m going back in there,” Anthony said. “These guys had it rolling, there wasn’t no need for us to go back in there and kind of break up what they had going on.”

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the Nets with 16 points and Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 for Brooklyn, which held an opponent below 100 points for the first time since Dec. 14.

“Even down the stretch, when the Knicks hit a couple big shots, I thought we played great [defense],” said Brook Lopez, who finished with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting in 31 minutes

“We were right in them and we contested. I thought we played those possessions the right way, like we did a lot the game. I thought the second-chance points hurt us a lot. They killed us.”

The Nets will be back in action Friday night at Barclays against Indiana.

Subscribe to our newsletters


Leave a Comment


Leave a Comment