Photo by New York Cosmos
By RYAN TOLMICH
The New York Cosmos continue to stand alone atop the NASL thanks to the efforts of their captain.
Unbeaten entering Sunday’s matchup, a Carlos Mendes’ brace helped keep the Cosmos’ record unblemished with a 4-2 victory over FC Edmonton. With the victory, the Cosmos now sit on 14 points, five ahead of second-place Jacksonville Armada, who have a game in hand.
It took just two minutes for the Cosmos to open the scoring through Mendes. The defender was alert in the box as Raul’s cross to Lucky Mkosana was headed straight into the goalkeeper, allowing Mendes to pounce and finish for the early lead.
Following a Tomi Ameobi penalty kick equalizer — the Cosmos’ first goal allowed in 368 minutes — Raul provided the go-ahead goal in the 23rd minute.
Raul’s finish came after Danny Szetela twice struck the crossbar, as the Spaniard pounced on the second close call to finally slot home and restore the advantage.
Mendes, who became a father on Thursday, turned up yet again in the 36th minute, heading home a perfectly weighted ball from Ayoze to extend the lead to 3-1.
Following a Mkosana finish in the 49th that pushed the scoreline to 4-1, FC Edmonton snagged a consolation goal through Ritchie Jones, although it would not be enough to prevent another Cosmos victory.
The Comsos return to action May 16 with a visit to the Carolina RailHawks, while FC Edmonton hosts the San Antonio Scorpions one day later.
While some people focus on attendence numbers and playing in Hempstead, the Cosmos have built a really good team. A nice US Open Cup run is the next step.
If they played in MLS, they’d have the fewest points in the league. Just like last year, they’ll be beaten in the Cup by the first MLS team that takes the competition seriously.
Falling trees…
Not a bad showing by the Cosmos, but the 4k fans at their game vs the 25k at Red Bulls vs NYCFC shows what their real issues currently are.