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New York Cosmos Prep for First Season at MCU Park

New York Cosmos

The New York Cosmos are looking to have a solid debut season at Brooklyn’s MCU Park, according to new owner Rocco B. Commisso

Commisso, the founder, chairman and CEO of Mediacom Communications, finalized his purchase of the team in January. Leading up to that point, the status of the Cosmos for 2017 had been in doubt, but Commisso invested in the team as a majority owner after the NASL was granted provisional Divisional II status for the 2017 season.

Along with the new ownership, the Cosmos have a new venue for the 2017 season. The team will no longer be playing at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium, and is now shifting its home games to Brooklyn’s MCU Park. That facility primarily serves as a ballpark, playing host to Minor League Baseball’s Brooklyn Cyclones.

In remarks that he made at an event on Tuesday, Commisso said that he has big plans in store for the team’s debut season in Brooklyn. Along with fielding a competitive team, Commisso is looking to see a spike in attendance in 2017. More from Newsday:

“There’s a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make sure the organization not only survives, but thrives,” he said.

The team’s solvency is not a problem, but the league’s future is another matter. The NASL was granted provisional Division 2 status. If it can’t expand from eight to 12 teams in 2018, that could be in jeopardy.

“I don’t want to say I have a lot of money to waste, but I do,” Commisso said. “The Cosmos are OK, but I don’t control the other teams.”

Commisso, who also has plans to televise games, wants attendance to rise in its new Brooklyn digs from the 3,500 average at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.

Noting that the metropolitan area’s population was 20 million, he said “we don’t need all of them to make the team successful.”

The remarks came as Commisso attended a team practice at Columbia University. The Cosmos will make their MCU Park debut on April 1, when they face Miami FC.

Image courtesy Brooklyn Cyclones. 

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