Chivas USA Sign Former New York Cosmos PDL Player

New York Cosmos PDL star Marvin Iraheta (r) shields the ball from Paul Scholes (l) during the Scholes Testimonial match between Manchester United and the Cosmos at Old Trafford. (image source: chris brunskill/getty images via nycosmos.com)

Despite genuine enthusiasm and promises of a new stadium from Major League Soccer, the woes of the New York Cosmos keep getting more woeful. It wasn’t a big surprise to learn that the Las Vegas Winter Kick was being shelved due to the lack of the Cosmos involvement. In fact, the Cosmos never even acknowledged their participation, first reported here back on August 9, 2011.

And while the Cosmos appear to be moving forward with the Cosmos Copa NYC tournament, it’s unclear as to how they will manage it after letting go the founders and brains behind it – Spencer Dormitzer and Chris Noble. Next to Academy Director Gio Savarese, the Cosmos only have three full-time employees on staff. And though they are a talented and committed crew, it’s far from the army of workers that pulled off this thrilling tournament last year.

While the Cosmos Copa NYC remains a possibility, however hard to imagine at this point, it doesn’t look promising for their particiaption in the PDL. The Cosmos U23 squad made an exciting entry into the PDL last season, playing a number of exhibition games with the intention of joining the league full-time this season. But it appears that they won’t be fielding a side this year, as they have been removed from the league’s list of teams.

Again, not surprising, but what does this mean for the Cosmos? Yes, they are losing fans, but fans can always be lured back, right? That remains to be seen. But now they are losing talent – the players they had hoped to be part of the first Cosmos squad to play in MLS someday.

Chivas USA has confirmed that they have signed Marvin Iraheta, a 19 year-old El Salvadoran who had played for the New York Cosmos PDL exhibition team. He was one of the stars of the Cosmos development program, and featured prominently in their 6-0 loss to Manchester United during the Scholes Testimonial. My compatriot Cesar Diaz did an in-depth interview with the kid that you can read here.

This is good new for Iraheta, and Chivas USA. But it’s bad news for the Cosmos and their new owners, Sela Sport. While they silently wait for MLS to secure them a stadium, all the hard work they had invested in – developing fans and players alike – is steadily eroding away. A Cosmos PDL side not only would give fans something to sink their teeth into, but more importantly it would keep the senior talent from the Cosmos Academy engaged until an MLS franchise can be secured.

[Editor's Note: This story also appears in my new Total Cosmos column on the This Is Cosmos Country site.]