IMAGE, FORBES

by JAKE NUTTING

There might a flicker of hope still out there in the middle of this dire week for the New York Cosmos.

Michael Wheeler, founder and president of MAE Agency, posted on Twitter that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim is circling the struggling New York Cosmos for a possible purchase.

Wheeler promptly deleted the Tweet, but diligent soccer fans nabbed a screen cap before he could do so.

Slim’s interest could line up with a report from Jeff Carlisle at ESPN that the current Cosmos ownership is seeking to sell the team. According to Carlisle’s source, Cosmos CEO Seamus O’Brien and the other owners are losing interest after four years of no answers from the state capital on their stadium proposal at Belmont and also as the NASL’s hope of reaching Division I status seems ever more improbable.

EoS reported on Monday that much of the Cosmos front office staff and that many staff and players had gone unpaid in November.

The Cosmos responded to EoS’ story with a statement claiming that the team’s future was in limbo until after the NASL Board of Governor meetings that began on Tuesday. The league is reportedly meeting with four potential expansion groups and discussing how to best move forward with the loss of teams in Tampa Bay, Ottawa and Minnesota, as well as the persistent rumors that Rayo OKC and Fort Lauderdale may be in doubt for the 2017 season.