It makes perfect sense that a couple of Jersey guys, Giuseppe Rossi and Jose Angulo, are at the forefront of the return of the New York Cosmos as a Paterson, NJ-based, community-driven club that will begin play in USL League One in 2026.
“Knowing the Cosmos ’history in New Jersey and being from [Clifton], it’s about bringing back a historic name—building the team, the brand—the way we want to and get it back to where we should be,” Rossi said.
“I’m part of a phenomenal team,” he continued. “To do this now, being the Vice Chairman and Head of Soccer, knowing players that came before me, what they represent and what they did for the game of soccer in this country—it’s a big responsibility and I’m happy to have it. The pressure is on. I know the pressure. It’s what my life is about. It’s nothing new to me, which is making it easier to go about this work.”
Rossi, 38, played high school soccer in Clifton where his father, Fernando, was the long-time coach. The Rossis moved to Parma, Italy, when Giuseppe was 12 years old to be part of Parma AC’s youth program. He went on to spend time in England (Manchester United and Newcastle United), before playing the lion’s share of his career in Spain with Villarreal (136 appearances, 54 goals) and in Italy with Fiorentina (34 games, 16 goals). He also played internationally for Italy at nearly every age level, including in the 2008 Summer Olympics, and earned 30 senior caps with the Azzurri.
Rossi’s vision, which is shared by Angulo, the club’s Scout and Manager of Youth Partnerships, is to build a squad from the ground up between now, the start of training in January and the inaugural League One season at historic Hinchliffe Stadium, hard by the Great Falls in Paterson.
“I want to build a team that’s young, [so] that we’re able to help develop these young kids and just give them this platform they so desperately want,” Rossi said. “I don’t want to sacrifice development of players in the first years. It’s very important to create a competitive atmosphere and a winning culture. It’s something I will be adamant about. It’s not only about you the player—it’s about the club, the teammates. I’ve been down this road. I know what it takes. It’s nothing new to me and it’s important to share my knowledge of the game and hopefully we’re able to develop a platform here.”
Angulo, 37, is a Paterson native who grew up playing for a club (Colso) founded by his late father José, in Pennington Park along with other immigrants from Colombia. He went on to play in high school at St. Benedict’s Prep and had a long professional career with many stops along the way—none more interesting than the time he spent playing for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Championship. That club, for which Angulo played 47 games and scored 23 goals, recently announced a plan to expand its riverfront Highmark Stadium.
“I scored the first goal in Highmark,” Angulo said about the 5,000 seater that opened in 2013. “It was a team and a place that took me in after my first stop with the Red Bulls [in 2012]. They gave me an opportunity to show my skill. In my first game, I came on as a sub in the second half and on my first touch I scored my first goal there.”
Now as the Cosmos lead scout, Angulo said that he’s compiled a database of New Jersey-based players that includes “hundreds” of names.
“I came on the team officially at the end of July,” Angulo said. “But my process mentally started when I had my first contact with the Cosmos. I already had some players I had seen and tracked. I started preparing six months ago.
“I have a bit of an obsession,” he added. “I watch games, wanting to know what players are out there and I wanted to be ready. I knew at some point my work could be put to use. I’ve always been prepared … where the game is, the league, how the structure is going to change [with promotion and relegation coming to the USL]. So I started to prepare, watching games all over New Jersey in the UPSL, NPSL, USL Two, MLS Next, USL One, USL Championship and NISA. I’ve gone to some other states to check out some games. That’s the process.
“The job that never stops. You always need a database of players you can plug into, being ready with players year round. It’s a process that takes a long time, understanding the identity of the club and the type of players Giuseppe wants. There’s so many players in North Jersey, New York and surrounding states in a 50-mile radius. So many players, so many to look at—guys who may have fallen through the cracks. There are good players in this area.”
The work has already begun, with a series of local tryouts designed to put together a group of young men who may know the Cosmos only from historybooks and old, grainy videos, but who are proud to wear the Cosmos’ name on their custom Capelli jerseys.