Cosmos Cobi speaks

Three days after Galaxy icon Cobi Jones announced he was leaving the club where he had spent virtually his entire career, the new employee of the New York Cosmos spoke with journalists today about his role with the club.

For now he plans to remain in Los Angeles, albeit doing plenty of traveling between the youth academies the Cosmos, who have ambitions of entering MLS as early as 2013, have established on each coast.

He said the opportunity to join a nascent organization was what attracted him most:

"It was a storied franchise in the past and plans to be a storied franchise in the future and it's something I wanted to be a part of.

"It was about being part of something starting out that's doing something in the right ways," he added. "It allows me to advance my position in the soccer world and the soccer community.

"I would (eventually) love to be involved in the general manager type of role where you're helping to make the decisions for an entire club."

No Cobi the coach then, apparently

Incidentally, Terry Byrne, the Cosmos director of soccer and the former personal manager of Galaxy star David Beckham, with whom he has a close friendship, reiterated he has not spoken to his former client about buying an ownership interest in any Cosmos MLS franchise and perhaps playing for the club after his contract with the Galaxy expires this year:

"There has genuinely been no conversations with David about the Cosmos," he said. "I totally respect (AEG President) Tim Leiweke's position - I would not undermine that. (David) is obviously aware of what we're doing because we speak all the time, but there are no conversations in regard to David joining the Cosmos."