By RYAN TOLMICH

The New York Cosmos are off to the league’s hottest start, but the early season has, to this point, seen its share of injuries.

Head coach Giovanni Savarese says that expects Raul to be ready to go this weekend, despite previously experiencing some discomfort in his back in the build-up to last week’s victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

“He had a little discomfort from the previous two matches,” Savarese said on a conference call. “The week in, he didn’t feel right and probably wouldn’t be able to make it all the way through the game. He had a great recovery very quickly through the end of the week and he was able to play until the last few minutes. He felt a little tired, but he feels very, very good. We managed him to be able to do a very good workout (Tuesday) so he’s looking good. He’s looking a lot better.”

Raul is not the only Cosmos player seeing his health improve, as defender Hunter Freeman continues to recover from plantar fascitis. In addition, defender Samuel Caceres is poised to join the team’s roster ahead of this weekend’s matchup with the Silverbacks after joining the team in early April.

“Freeman is not yet able to do everything during practice, but (Tuesday) was the first day that he joined the team for a practice session,” Savarese said. “We expect him to be on and off for the whole week and the plan is to have him ready for next Tuesday to start with the team and hopefully be able to be available for the next match the following week.

“He is available for this weekend,” Savarese said of Caceres. “He’s playing well, so he’ll be part of the decision from the coaches to see who will be included in this coming weekend, for sure. He’s available for us to be able to select.”

Here are more of Thursday’s NASL news and notes:

SMITH, SILVERBACKS LOOKING TO BUILD HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE

On paper, Atlanta Silverbacks head coach Gary Smith knows what he’s up against when is side takes on the New York Cosmos this weekend.

Arguably the team’s most talented team, the Cosmos have players and resources that far outweigh that of the Silverbacks, who, like the Cosmos, remain unbeaten to this point. Yet, despite the disadvantages, Smith remains confident due to one of the game’s great equalizers: home-field advantage.

“We’re probably running into the marquee team of the league, so therefore the odds are very much stacked against us, even though we are at home,” Smith told SBI. “They have the resources that massively overshadow what we have. The key is to try and make our home turf, which is not the easiest place in the world to play, a real platform for us… It’s not going to be easy at all, but I don’t think there’s a better time for us to be playing them.

“Can we stop them from doing what they’re good at? Well, they’ve got so many dimensions to the team. They’ve got guys out wide, they’ve got creativity and experience in the middle and they’re a strong group as well. It will be no easy challenge, but I think the question is to ask them if they’ll be looking forward to coming to Atlanta Silverbacks Park because I can’t imagine that they will be.”

FC EDMONTON TOPS OTTAWA FURY IN CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Down a goal just moments into their Canadian Championship clash with Ottawa Fury FC, FC Edmonton’s second half substitutes made all the difference.

Daryl Fordyce, Lance Laing, and Tomi Ameobi all scored in the game’s last 10 minutes, leading FC Edmonton to a 3-1 victory in the first leg of the Canadian Championship’s preliminary round in Ottawa.

After seeing Fury FC striker Oliver open the scoring in the opening moments, FC Edmonton struggled until the second half and the introduction of Laing and Fordyce.

It was the latter who opened the scoring in the 83rd minute off a rebound from an Abeobi shot. Laing than added one of his own in the 88th minute before finding Ameobi in stoppage time to secure the 3-1 road victory for FC Edmonton.