MATT KREMKAU - EMPIRE OF SOCCER

by DAVE MARTINEZ

The New York Cosmos are preparing for the end — and this may be the most definitive proof of that statement to date.

Cosmos players received termination letters on Monday, assuring that the Cosmos will not be taking the field in 2017.

Or ever again.

Players will be paid through the month of November and have been promised to be paid their bonus money for the year. However, no player will be paid for December or for the remainder of their contract — no matter the length of their current deals.

Sources continue to tell EoS that Seamus O’Brien is looking for potential investors to take over the club. That search has included groups in Asia, Europe and a group of potential New York based investors. Interestingly enough, several sources also tell us Seamus O’Brien could be looking to offload his shares in the team as well. O’Brien, the Chairman of the team’s current ownership which includes Saudi outfit Sela Sports, bought the team name in 2012 from then-owner Paul Kemsley. O’Brien has been the public face of the ownership group since its reboot in 2013 and was directly involved in shaping the club’s mission, which included an apparent 10 year plan to reach the “top” of the American soccer pyramid.

Meanwhile, team staff and front office continue on their second week of furloughs, which will now likely become a mass layoff for the organization. Many office staff are now bracing for their third consecutive billing cycle without pay, equating to nearly six weeks of unpaid wages.

The Cosmos and the NASL are expected to make an official announcement on their futures following this week’s USSF Board of Governors meeting in Manhattan on Tuesday.