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Lopez’s stoppage-time header lifts Cosmos in win over Scorpions

DiomarDiazNYCosmosCelebrates1-Scorpions (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

Returning home for the first time since their opening match, the New York Cosmos followed nearly the same script as their first win of the season.

On Saturday evening, substitute Henry Lopez played the hero, heading home a goal in stoppage-time to give the Cosmos a 2-1 victory over the San Antonio Scorpions at Shuart Stadium. It was Lopez’s first goal of the season.

With two players missing due to red card suspensions and another to injury, Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese made four changes for the side that lost to the Carolina RailHawks, giving midfielder Danny Szetela his first professional start since October 25, 2009. Szetela slotted in next to Marcos Senna, while Roversio and Hagop Chirishian each made their first starts of the year as well.

The Cosmos opened the match on the front foot, but couldn’t seem find any teammates in the box on a number of occasions. Finally, after a number of close opportunities, winger Diomar Diaz was at the right place at the right time to end the team’s 222 minute scoreless streak.

Following a scrum in the box in the 42nd minute, Diaz put his right foot through the ball with a blast into the top corner, giving his side a lead just before halftime.

The match fell even more into the Cosmos favor early in the second half when Scorpions midfielder Pat Phelan limped off with an injury in the 51st minute, and seconds later, defender Greg Janicki was shown a second yellow card and was sent off for a reckless challenge.

Despite being down a man, the Scorpions seemed to play even better following the red card. Cosmos goalkeeper Kyle Reynish was forced to make two close-range stops on the Scorpions star forward Hans Denissen within minutes of each other, and in the 64th minute, his teammate Tomasz Zahorski arrived in front of goal and chested home into an empty net to tie the match.

Pushing everything forward late into the match to score a winner, Marcos Senna sent a looping header into the center of the box from the left, allowing the Guatemalan international Lopez to run onto it and power a header past Scorpions goalkeeper Pat Hannigan for the game-winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time.

Comments

  1. The Cosmos look good going foward and move the ball well they don’t seem to have a target man who can finish. Thier back line at times looked like a picket fence. They need to straighten this out – literally! I would point out to all the haters out there that they need to get a life. Yes it is a second divison team and the fact that they draw 6,800 on a night in late August when people are away on vacation is quite impressive in my book. This idea that MLS is some sort of top flight is laughable. Here is a newsflash MLS is a second rate league as well! So your arrogance makes you as they referred to Farmer Ted in Sixteen Candles as “The King of the Dipshits” as it relates to US soccer. Big Deal! I went to the game, supported my team, they won and my son and I had a good time. Remind me which part of this story is wrong? One more thing, do you think it is a coincidence that two of the best supported teams in MLS and thier fans, worked thier way up from the second flight so thier fans actually “earned’ thier pride and loyalty rather than had it given to them for a $100,000,000 expansion fee? NEW YORK IS GREEN AND WHITE!

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  2. What was attendance like at the Cosmos home game now that the debut is over?

    – Announced attendance?

    – How full did it look in reality?

    – What was the atmosphere like?

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    • 6800 announced…looked about right, i guessed 6500, which in a 12K stadium still looked respectable.

      Atmosphere was good, and winning at death again sent everyone home in good spirits.

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    • i’m sure he’s lost a step or two but you do realize that marcos senna was the starting holding midfielder for Spain’s Euro 2008 winning team. Kept Xabi Alonso out of the lineup.

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  3. Exciting finish marred by some sloppy play throughout. These games are fun to watch though I keep thinking the Cosmos should be a better side than they often look on the field. Must be memories…

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