New York Cosmos B To Begin Play In NPSL During 2015 Season
The New York Cosmos announced today that the club has created a reserve team that will commence play in 2015. The reserve team, which will be called New York Cosmos B, will join the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) as an expansion team.
“This is a key step for us in terms of our player development plans,” said Erik Stover, Chief Operating Officer of the New York Cosmos. “The creation of New York Cosmos B to play in the NPSL provides us with the flexibility and a structured development path for our reserve players to flourish. We see it as a training ground that will not only help develop younger players vying for more first-team action but also help integrate and accelerate the progress of our academy players.”
New York Cosmos B will play in the Northeast Region’s North Atlantic Conference. Their 2015 opponents will include the Brooklyn Italians, Greater Lowell United FC, New York Athletic Club, Rhode Island Reds, Seacoast United Mariners, and Seacoast United Phantoms. Details for the team’s training facilities and location of games are still in the process of being finalized and will be announced at a later date.
“The NPSL is tremendously excited to welcome the New York Cosmos into the league,” NPSL Chairman Joe Barone stated. “The Cosmos are known globally and have been such an important part of the American soccer community for many years. Personally, this is an incredible honor as I remember with great joy attending my first Cosmos match at the age of eight. Having them join us is one of the great moments in the history of our league and we couldn’t be more delighted.”
The Cosmos join the Carolina RailHawks, Atlanta Silverbacks, and Minnesota United as North American Soccer League (NASL) teams with reserve or developmental squads in the NPSL.
The NPSL has experienced meteoric growth since its inception in 2002, growing into a robust league with teams across the country. Currently the NPSL has over 70 teams in four regions: West, Midwest, Northeast, and South. Current Cosmos players Dane Murphy (New York Athletic Club) and Jimmy Mulligan (Brooklyn Italians) are both NPSL alumni.
