In 2007, a supporters group named the "Borough Boys" was formed to push for a team in New York City itself, and in his 2010 "State of the League" address, Commissioner Don Garber confirmed that was indeed the goal.

In late August 2009, Pinton sold the name and image rights for $2 million to Paul Kemsley, the former vice-chairman of English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur,[21][23][24] who headed a group intent on establishing a new Cosmos team in MLS.

[26] Kemsley's group included English soccer businessman Terry Byrne as vice-chairman, as well as former Liverpool CEO Rick Parry.

"[25] To that end, Kemsley signed a deal with Umbro to produce a line of merchandise, including tshirts, jackets, and a "home jersey".

The Blackout collection was unveiled at a pop-up shop on the Lower East Side, featuring a DJ playing period songs from 1977.

[31] With two full fashion lines before the club had joined a league or signed a single player, some journalists viewed this new Cosmos as a "money-grab" more interested in "selling shirts" than actually playing soccer.

[30][32] The group's first high-profile hiring, announced on January 10, 2011, was former United States midfielder Cobi Jones as associate director of soccer.

One of their first acts was to sign Pelé to a five-year, five million dollar promotional contract as the team's "honorary president",[26][40] and original Cosmos players Shep Messing, Carlos Alberto, and Giorgio Chinaglia were named "international ambassadors" for the club.

[46][47][48][49] The departure of Kemsley was announced by the Cosmos with an official club statement saying that he wished "to pursue other interests and commitments", while the New York Post reported that he had been ousted by his partners, with Sela "apparently tired of the flamboyant Brit, who was long on flash but has to this point been short of substance".

[32] Within weeks of his appointment, new chairman and CEO Seamus O'Brien had a series of meetings with MLS commissioner Don Garber about joining Major League Soccer.

[52][11][53] The Cosmos announced on July 12, 2012, that they would start competitive play in the second-tier North American Soccer League in 2013, but insisted in the same press release that the club was still bent on ultimately joining MLS.

Stover had previously been managing director of the New York Red Bulls, during which time he had been named MLS Executive of the Year, and was seen as instrumental in getting their stadium built.

[59] On November 9, 2013, the team emerged as the winner of Soccer Bowl 2013, winning 1–0 against the spring season champions, the Atlanta Silverbacks.

[62][63] In 2015, Cantona sued the club, claiming that they had failed to pay him almost one million dollars in salary and a four percent equity interest he had been promised.

[71][72][12] The Guardian pointed out that "(d)espite the team’s on-field achievements, the Cosmos have been plagued by mismanagement, dwindling attendance and practical irrelevance in the New York market.

[11] Empire of Soccer pointed out that while O'Brien was saying that, the Cosmos were being sued for over $50,000 in unpaid rent on their Garden City, Long Island offices.

[77] Despite O'Brien's public statements, the team came within a few hours of going out of business altogether, as he came to an agreement to sell the Cosmos brand to a private equity firm.

On December 15, 2016, the day O'Brien was to finalize that deal, he began negotiations with Rocco B. Commisso, a cable television executive with a lifelong interest in soccer.

At the same time, owner Rocco Commisso was accused of "back burnering" the Cosmos in favor of his investment in Italian Serie A club ACF Fiorentina, which he had purchased in 2019.

[81] After the EoS article was published, TICC founder Luis Hernandez received a phone call from Cosmos Senior Vice President Joe Barone.

Barone complained about TICC's coverage of the Cosmos, and claimed to have himself received an angry phone call from Commisso, then in Saudi Arabia for a friendly match.

[122] The Cosmos were originally broadcast by One World Sports, a network that was run by the team's chairman Seamus O'Brien,[123] and live or tape-delayed on SportsNet New York.

The majority of the games featured the on-air team of play-by-play announcer JP Dellacamera and Janusz Michallik as the color analyst.

[125] Ed Cohen and Jonathan Yardley handled play-by-play, alongside Sal Rosamilia and Janusz Michallik as color analysts.

[132] An under-23 Cosmos side was accepted into the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the United States soccer pyramid, in May 2011, and was expected to join for the 2012 season.

[142] However, when Raúl retired in that year, he instead took a position with La Liga, overseeing its offices in the United States,[143] and his son Hugo went into the New York City FC academy.

[145] At the time of the Cosmos' return in 2010, MLS was made up of 16 franchises, with three new teams set to join over the following two seasons: Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Portland Timbers in 2011, and the Montreal Impact in 2012.

Newsday reported in late April 2011 that the league was committed to placing the next franchise in the New York borough of Queens if a deal could be reached.

By the end of 2011, the Cosmos decided not to apply for an MLS franchise after all, in part because they rejected the league's single entity structure, and because they did not want to relinquish marketing rights to their name and logo.

[149] Cosmos chairman Seamus O'Brien, however, noted that London had fourteen professional soccer teams, so New York City could "handle three.