Welcome to the 2026 Cosmos Tracker, where we keep you updated on all news, rumors, and developments around the New York Cosmos squad as it plays a first season in USL League One. We will have fresh updates to this post throughout the season as news develops. It's for members of NY Soccer Journal, but you can sign up for free, and the first, most recent update is always free for anyone to read.
• Erik Stover no longer Cosmos CEO, departs club
October 2, 2026
Status: Confirmed
The seismic changes continue for the Cosmos as Erik Stover, the club's Chief Executive Officer, is officially out of that role, according to an announcement shared by the club on its website.
New York Cosmos
Stover's departure comes two weeks after a similarly abrupt Friday executive exit, when Giuseppe Rossi, Head of Soccer for the Cosmos, left his post. When Rossi left his role, he shared a statement on LinkedIn that indicated, in part, that his "perspective and that of ownership were no longer sufficiently aligned."
In departing the Cosmos, Stover got a 52-word statement from the club that thanked him for "his dedication and the role he has played in helping lay the foundation for the club's next chapter."
The seasoned soccer executive got "officially" involved in this latest Cosmos chapter in May 2025, when the project was simply "North Jersey Pro Soccer," with Stover announced as co-founder and CEO when the expansion USL franchise was first awarded to Paterson, NJ, with plans to begin play in 2026 at Hinchliffe Stadium. Prior to that, dating as far back as 2021, Stover had been leading the Hinchliffe Stadium redevelopment project. Stover and commercial real estate executive and former deputy mayor of Newark, Baye Adofo-Wilson, were referred to as the ownership group bringing North Jersey Pro Soccer to life.
By July of 2025, it was clear the team in Paterson would be the Cosmos, continuing Stover's connection to the historic franchise. The Cosmos first hired Stover in 2012 as Chief Operating Officer, not long after Stover served as Managing Director of Red Bull New York, a role in which he won MLS Executive of the Year honors in 2010.
Stover was with and around the Cosmos franchise for much more than this most recent reincarnation in Paterson, New Jersey, but becomes the latest high-level figure to leave near the end of the club's first season in USL League One, a season that has been largely unsuccessful, with the club in 15th place out of 17 teams.
• Giuseppe Rossi out as Cosmos head of soccer
September 18, 2026
Status: Official
The Cosmos front office has gotten a major shakeup.
