No region of the country is richer in soccer history, heritage and tradition than Northern New Jersey, and now the world’s game is returning to its Garden State roots with the relaunch of the New York Cosmos in the urban heart of Passaic County.Once the home of Negro League baseball teams, Paterson’s venerable and refurbished Hinchliffe Stadium now anchors a $110 million development and revitalization initiative featuring soccer at its center. The Cosmos men’s and women’s teams will be part of the United Soccer League, a growing group of fully professional, semi-pro and amateur/youth circuits that already is the largest of its kind in North America. Launched in the 1980s and now spanning the continent, the USL offers Paterson and the North Jersey region a perfect platform. USL soccer is competitive, and it’s a well-respected part of the sport’s international ecosystem. But it remains accessible and locally focused. Through men’s and women’s soccer at Hinchliffe, New Jersians can gather to support and celebrate their community, while simultaneously projecting their pride and passion across the country.