BY MARIA ELENA PEREZ
The New York Cosmos — who are coming to Coney Island’s MCU Park this spring — debuted their newest player on Tuesday, February 21.
New chairperson and owner of the Cosmos Rocco Commisso and Head Coach and Sporting Director Giovanni Savarese introduced Italian striker Amauri, who has signed with Cosmos for the 2017 season, at a press conference held at Columbia University’s Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium on Tuesday, February 21.
Amauri, who joined the Fort Lauderdale Strikers last August, is thrilled to be one of the newcomers to one of the most well-known franchises in American soccer history.
“I’m looking forward to have a tremendous experience here,” said Amauri.
For Commisso, the day wasn’t only about introducing the team’s new player; it was also an opportunity for him to revisit his old stomping ground (he played soccer for Columbia 50 years ago) as well as to meet the players, many of whom were on hand for a practice session prior to the press conference.
The founder, chair and CEO of Mediacom Communications, the fifth largest cable television company in the United States, Commisso became the majority owner of the Cosmos in January.
With the new waterside stadium to call home, Commisso and Savarese are confident in the new team and the new location will benefit their organization.
“Now all of New York City can come and root for the Cosmos,” said Commisso.
“My first intentions with the new team were to move from Long Island to New York City,” he added.
After spending four seasons in Long Island playing at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium, the team had officially announced that it was moving to Brooklyn earlier this month.
Savarese admitted to enjoying playing at Shuart Stadium, but agreed with Commisso that the move will be beneficial to the team and the fans.
“I liked playing at Hofstra, but it’s difficult to get there,” said Savarese. “We needed a new location to move forward.”
The Cosmos will kick off their first game of the season on March 25, when they face Puerto Rico FC at Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium. The team’s home opener will be on Saturday, April 1 against Miami FC.
The New York Cosmos are reigning champions of the NASL, having won their second consecutive NASL Championship and eighth overall in November, 2016.
