PREVIEW | Eddies Continue Postseason Chase In New York

The New York Cosmos ended a four-game winless run with three points midweek against the Atlanta Silverbacks and now FC Edmonton. The Cosmos are fighting to claim the top overall seed after clinching a spot in The Championship with a Spring Season title, while the Eddies are sitting just outside a postseason place.

TEAM OVERVIEW

New York Cosmos: The Cosmos come back to New York after picking up a crucial three points in Atlanta against the Silverbacks on Wednesday night.

In the second game of a home-and-home against Atlanta, the Cosmos broke through offensively, scoring three goals for the first time since a 3-2 victory against the Carolina RailHawks on August 30.

Sebastian Guenzatti opened up the scoring with a 16-yard strike in the 29th minute. Off an Atlanta throw-in in the 54th minute, Gastón Cellerino would take advantage of an errant pass between Paulo Mendes and Paul Black to charge downfield and score on a second-chance effort, driving his own rebound into the net for his first Cosmos goal. Leo Fernandes sealed the victory with a goal in the 88th minute, netting his team-leading eighth of the season.

The shutout moves the Cosmos into sole possession of second place in the NASL Combined Standings, sitting just one point behind leader Ottawa Fury FC (48 points). With three matches left to play in the Fall Season schedule, it’s anyone’s race to secure home-field advantage throughout The Championship.

FC Edmonton: The Eddies took their four-match unbeaten streak to TD Place last Sunday, visiting surging Ottawa Fury FC. A pair of Sinisa Ubiparipovic goals for Fury FC in the 23rd and 72nd minutes gave Ottawa a 2-0 victory over Edmonton. With the win, Ottawa clinched a spot in The Championship, the NASL’s four-team postseason tournament.

The Eddies enter Shuart in the second game of their four-match road trip. Their season ends with Carolina and a home-and-home set against Jacksonville.

As it stands, Edmonton is deadlocked in a three-way tie with Fort Lauderdale and Tampa Bay for the fourth spot in the Combined Standings with 34 points. Fort Lauderdale, however, holds a six-point advantage in goal differential. All remaining matches are critical for Edmonton’s push for a spot in The Championship.

MATCHUP HISTORY

The Cosmos will be out for redemption after suffering a 2-1 loss in Edmonton back on September 27.

The Eddies took advantage with two goals in the 41st and 43rd minutes. The Cosmos would answer back with a Marcos Senna penalty goal in the 58th minute but could not find the equalizer in the match.

The Cosmos still kept pace with Edmonton, being very close on attacks (13-11 Edmonton), shots on target (7-7), total shots (9-9), and time of possession (54-46 Cosmos).  Sunday will be the second and final time these two will meet in the Fall Season.

NOTES

Rest To Come: The Cosmos’ tough stretch of three matches in eight days will come to its conclusion with Sunday’s match against Edmonton. After this, the Cosmos do not have a match scheduled until October 24, when they will visit the San Antonio Scorpions.

Like A Cat: Jimmy Maurer put up a clutch double save in the 68th minute of Wednesday night’s match, preserving a shutout in his hometown and earning his 10th clean sheet of the season. With the performance, Maurer lowered his goals against average to 1.00.

First Dibs: The Cosmos improved their record to 9W-2D-0L when they scored first in a match with their 3-0 win against Atlanta. New York remains undefeated against Atlanta since the reboot season, going nine games without a loss.