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Cosmos looking at new additions ahead of preseason trips abroad

GiovanniSavareseNYCosmos1-AtlantaSilverbacks (Getty)

By RYAN TOLMICH

The NASL season is rapidly approaching and the New York Cosmos are preparing for a preseason that will take the club to three different continents and give new additions plenty of chances to impress.

Head coach Giovanni Savarese revealed on Wednesday that the Cosmos already have a few new faces preparing for the club’s opening trip to Hong Kong, including former Toronto FC defender Nana Attakora and Philadelphia Union defender Austin Berry, currently a trialist with the club with views toward a potential loan.

In addition, the club has been linked with Argentine defender Samuel Caceres and Chile’s Jaime Valdes in moves that Savarese said remain works in progress.

“They’re definitely players that we have been conversing with,” Savarese said via teleconference. “One of them (Attakora) has been training with us at the moment and we are evaluating the possibility to be able to keep him. The other ones, we are advancing in the possibility to join us. On the point of Caceres, this is something that is in the works… We have been speaking with him.

“As well as Valdes, he’s a player that has been talked about and we feel that we are deciding and looking at the situation there. We right now are focusing on that we have the positions that we have now.”

Berry and Attakora, boasting a combined 146 MLS appearances between them, would bring welcome experience to a Cosmos side that struggled on the defensive end last season. Caceres, a 25-year-old defender out of Argentina’s Nuevo Chicago, would also bolster the back line, while Valdes would add experience to a midfield following a career that has seen the 34-year-old spend time in Portugal, Italy and his native Chile.

Savarese pointed to the Cosmos’ recently announced reserve side as a major factor in player acquisition. Due to the increased opportunities that come with having a second team, Savarese is not afraid to give extra players looks in the coming weeks, including in the upcoming trips.

“We have Austin Berry, who will be traveling. Attakora will be traveling with us and we’ll have a few more players that will be with us. We haven’t finalized the roster. We’re still looking at players and there will be some other players that will be coming with us to Hong Kong and then we will decide whether we want to go into the direction to sign them.”

Overall, Savarese is hoping to look at both trialists and his full squad throughout the club’s busy preseason. With trips to Hong Kong, California and El Salvador on the horizon, the Cosmos will have plenty of chances to both train and play out of the club’s normal element.

“It’s important for us in the preseason to play these kinds of matches, competitive matches, that are going to help us see the players, try different things and, especially, be able to practice in a warm weather location,” Savarese said. “For us it’s exciting to travel first to Hong Kong, being able to be there, playing a competitive match against South China before coming back to California to play these two matches that we have here.

“We’re excited. We’re happy to have been able to schedule these matches to prepare.”

Comments

  1. The Cosmos are what they are…. why the heck are they not trying to get Freddy Adu signed and in playing shape… you want to sell tickets…he will sell tickets in NY for what is basically a club in a league nobody pays attention to.

    Reply
      • He could still come in, get in shape and be quality enough to be on that team.. the guy did not forget how to play… He is just slow and older… He still has a skill-set that can be useful and he is marketable.

      • They already have players who play his position better & are in better shape. It’s not worth it. Let him go back to the Union or maybe Montreal, which seems to have lagging fan interest & a hole in the lineup where Oyongo is supposed to be.

    • i was wondering the same thing about Adu. apparently the Cosmos aren’t interested in much Adu or he would be there already. i wouldn’t be surprised if Freddy signs for the Rowdies…

      Reply
  2. I would had love for Donovan to play one more year in MLS as a DP or no DP with toronto, red bull or even nycfc, and tried to win another MLS cup.
    Then after go to cosmos and help cosmos and NASL grow, then retire.
    Another scenario, is for Donovan to come back and go to cosmos for 1 year , along with ronaldinho and casillas and help them win NASL and open cup. It’s sounds very realistic given that cosmos has money to spend and there’s no rules in NASL.
    Imagine having Donovan, ronaldinho, casillas in cosmos and NASL. It’s an easier league obviously but they want to win us open cup and go to the World clubs cup and those 3 would give MLS a hard time.

    Reply
    • Why would he switch when he just won a MLS Cup with LA and he could have stayed there. I don’t get it.

      I think the NASL guys are really living for something they hope for, rather than loving how great it is now. That is true with way too many fans of US soccer, but really true of the NASL posters on this site.
      The Cosmos finished 7th, they have their hands full with a great league, and it is going to be a great year. Enjoy.

      Reply
      • History my friend, he loves MLS and he could easily won another MLS cup with another MLS team with a proper squad.
        If Donovan would have said,I want to to go red bull like DP or not to help them win, then Henry and Cahill would have stayed and that would be a scary team. ( what if altidore would have follow Donovan to red bull)
        If leweike would have taken him to tfc for one year as a DP or not, imagine having Bradley, jozy, Donovan and plus giovinco.
        He could of should of would of, but Donovan has some internal issues that we don’t know about until he writes his memoir.
        But in reality, he can easily go to cosmos for one years along with ronaldinho going there and maybe casillas as well. You never know my friend 🙂

      • Spring 2014:

        1 Minnesota United (C) 9 6 2 1 16 9 +7
        2 New York Cosmos 9 6 1 2 14 3 +11
        3 San Antonio Scorpions 9 5 2 2 13 9
        4 Carolina RailHawks 9 4 2 3 11 15 −4 14
        5 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 9 4 1 4 18 18
        6 Ottawa Fury FC 9 3 1 5 14 13 +1 10
        7 Tampa Bay Rowdies 9 2 4 3 11 16 −5 10
        8 Atlanta Silverbacks 9 3 1 5 12 20 −8 10
        9 FC Edmonton 9 2 2 5 11 11 0 8
        10 Indy Eleven 9 0 4 5 14 20 −6 4

        Fall:

        1 San Antonio Scorpions (C) 18 11 2 5 30 15
        2 Minnesota United 18 10 5 3 31 19 +12
        3 FC Edmonton 18 8 5 5 23 18 +5 29
        4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 18 7 6 5 20 21
        5 Carolina RailHawks 18 7 3 8 27 28 −1 24
        6 New York Cosmos 18 5 8 5 23 24 −1 23
        7 Indy Eleven 18 6 5 7 21 26 −5 23
        8 Tampa Bay Rowdies 18 5 5 8 25 34 −9 20
        9 Ottawa Fury FC 18 4 5 9 20 25 −5 17
        10 Atlanta Silverbacks 18 3 4 11 20 30 −10 13

        I don’ see why you keep saying 7th.

        And if you look at the combined standings, they are Top 4.

      • Combined Standings

        1 Minnesota United 27 16 7 4 47 28
        2 San Antonio Scorpions 27 16 4 7 43
        3 New York Cosmos 27 11 9 7 37 27
        4 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 27 11 7 9 38
        5 Carolina RailHawks 27 11 5 11 38 43
        6 FC Edmonton 27 10 7 10 34 29 +5
        7 Tampa Bay Rowdies 27 7 9 11 36 50
        8 Ottawa Fury FC 27 7 6 14 34 38
        9 Indy Eleven 27 6 9 12 35 46 −11
        10 Atlanta Silverbacks 27 6 5 16 32 50

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