A new USL League One franchise based in Paterson, New Jersey, is banking on nostalgia by reviving a legendary soccer identity from the past.

The team — which will play out of the newly renovated Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson starting in 2026 — announced on Thursday, July 10, that they’ll play as the New York Cosmosthe same name as the team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1970 to 1985 and the team that played in the revived NASL and the National Independent Soccer Association from 2010 to 2020.

The announcement was accompanied by a reworked version of the Cosmos’ iconic logo, designed by Mark Jenkinson and Shawn Francis. It features light blue, yellow and green blades around a white soccer ball inside a navy blue circle. The ball has a star in its centre pentagonal panel, and “COSMOS” is written out in a white font in the space above and to the left of the ball.

The club is majority owned by Paterson native Baye Adofo-Wilson, who is also the co-owner and developer of Hinchliffe Stadium. Former Italian national team player and New Jersey native Giuseppe Rossi is an investor in the club and will serve as its Head of Soccer.

Adofo-Wilson’s corporation, North Jersey Pro Soccer, bought the Cosmos’ intellectual and physical property, history and heritage from New York Cosmos LLC, controlled by Rocco B. Commisso, in January 2017. New York Cosmos LLC will retain minority ownership in the new club.

“Since acquiring the New York Cosmos in 2017, our primary goal has always been to preserve the rich history of America’s most iconic soccer club,” said former Cosmos general manager Thomas Larsen in Thursday’s announcement. “It is extremely gratifying to know that new generations of fans will be able to experience the excitement of Cosmos soccer at a revitalized venue overlooking the New York City skyline and within a league structure that rewards on-the-field success through promotion and relegation.”

Hinchliffe Stadium is a National Historical Landmark that was once home to Negro League baseball teams like the New York Black Yankees, the New York Cubans and the Newark Eagles. It reopened in 2023 after renovations converted it into a 7,800-seat multi-sport venue. It anchors a $110-million development that also includes seniors’ housing, a child care facility, a museum dedicated to Negro League baseball and a parking structure.

The original New York Cosmos began playing in the NASL in 1970, and they played their home games at three different stadiums around New York before finally settling at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 1977 (which led to the team briefly going by just “Cosmos” for two seasons). During the 1975 season, the Cosmos made a huge splash by signing Brazilian legend Pelé. He was joined the next season by Italian international forward Giorgio Chinaglia.

The second incarnation of the Cosmos played in the revived NASL from 2010 to 2019, winning Soccer Bowl championships in 2013, 2015 and 2016. In 2020, they played in the NISA’s fall season, but then suspended operations in late January 2021, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.