By RYAN TOLMICH

Having won the NASL’s Spring Season, the New York Cosmos asserted themselves as the early season’s top dogs. Now, Giovanni Savarese and co. are forced to re-establish their claim in the Fall with a showdown with the league’s hottest team.

Ottawa Fury FC, current leaders of the NASL Fall season, take on the Cosmos tonight (7pm, ESPN3.com) in a showdown with major league implications.

Leading the NASL Fall Season by four points at the moment, Ottawa Fury FC has claimed 19 points from just eight games, winning six times along the way. Riding that hot-streak, Fury FC now sits just five points behind the Cosmos in the Combined Standings, despite finishing 9th in the Spring campaign.

In Fury FC, Savarese knows what he is up against: a very different opponent than the one the Cosmos defeated, 1-0, in Brooklyn earlier this year. Now, the Cosmos face a contender, one that could usurp them as the NASL’s top team before things are all said and done.

“It definitely does [carry more weight than other matches],” Savarese said. “We treat each game with the respect it deserves, but this particular game because we are very motivated to do well this Fall Season and this is a key game for us because it can put us in a very good situation in the table, put us closer to first place and we’ll be playing against a very difficult team, a good team that has been doing well in their own stadium.

“There’s a lot of variables there that are important that show this is going to be a difficult match. We’ve prepared for it and we feel very comfortable there and for the work we need to put in a game we want to get the three points.”

For Fury FC, Wednesday’s clash represents a lot more than three points, even though a victory would go a long way towards securing a playoff position. For a club in just its second season, a win over the Cosmos would provide something much, much bigger: legitimacy.

Unbeaten in 12 straight prior to last week’s loss to Minnesota United, Fury FC have emerged from their Spring blues and turned into a contender. However, when it comes to the league’s elite, few would look at any team other than the Cosmos as the favorites to lift the NASL’s ultimate trophy this fall.

Adding to Fury FC’s underdog status is the group’s battle with the injury bug, as Andrew Wiedeman, Julian de Guzman and Sinisa Ubiparipovic are all likely to miss out.

Still, Fury FC head coach Marc Dos Santos likes his team’s chances, as the group currently assembled is one that he believes is fully prepared to go toe-to-toe with the big-money Cosmos.

“We stuck to principals of a model of play, that model of play was very important to guide us,” Dos Santos said, according to the Ottawa Sun. “You go after players that want to be here so it tells me that, of course that a lot of money helps you, but it’s all about organizing things well and making sure you get the right people and we were blessed when it comes to that.”

“They’re not monsters, they’re not aliens, we’ll hang with them,” added defender Mason Trafford. “We’ve grown a lot since the last time we played them. I think it’s going to be a really good game between two good teams.”

Savarese expects the same, as the Cosmos head coach pointed to Fury FC’s depth from goalkeeper Romuald Peiser right on down the lineup.

Now tasked with a statement match, Savarese is looking forward to a battle against a team that is fully prepared and not willing to back down in what will be one of the biggest clashes of the NASL season.

“I think first of all they have been patient to build something up and it’s paying off right now,” Savarese said. “They have a good coach; a good setup and they’ve been able to form a good team that now understands more and more what they’re looking for. They have looked solid; they have found an XI that understands exactly how to be successful so they have confidence.

“Respect them,” Savarese added, “first of all, knowing they are a good team and they can pose a very difficult match, be able to have a lot of mobility. For us, its important to be able to be critical in our decision making and making sure when we have the ball we’re clinical in order to maintain it. If we’re able to shut them down in the things they do well, it’s going to put ourselves in a good situation to have a chance to be on top of them.”