NEW YORK – Danny Szetela couldn’t feel his legs. After nearly 90 grueling minutes and in the midst of yet another season ravaged by injuries, the New York Cosmos midfielder was practically deadweight. He was spent. He was done. He was tired.
Yet, as the ball flicked off his head and into the back of the net for what proved to be an emotional game-winner, all Szetela could do was run and run in celebration of a moment that seemed impossible just several years ago.
Szetela, once discarded by MLS due to injuries that threatened to derail his career, was the hero. The veteran midfielder’s header spurred the Cosmos to victory over local rivals New York City FC for the second straight year in a 1-0 victory in Wednesady’s U.S. Open Cup clash.
Just several years back, Szetela seemed destined to be forgotten, just another American soccer prospect derailed on his way to the top. But on Thursday, Szetela rose once again with a moment that the Cosmos won’t forget for quite some time.
“I looked up in the 85th minute and said to myself, ‘Listen. My legs are tired. I’m not going to overtime. The next time the ball gets out wide, I’m just going to make that run that I always make, right down the middle’,” Szetela said. “Moffet played a great ball out wide to Orozco, and he played a great ball into the box. I attacked the ball and finished.
“It’s up there. This rivalry for the fans is huge, especially for our fans. We want to be the kings of New York. New York is forever green, at least in my heart it is and with all the fans here. It’s a great feeling, scoring that goal, especially late in an Open Cup match.”
Since their revival, the Cosmos have had a chip on their shoulder. While NASL success has certainly come, the Cosmos have always desired more. The club wants to be respected and held among the top teams in North America, and particularly finds joy in taking down their MLS competitors
Szetela, in many ways, is the perfect embodiment of that attitude. Written off for several years, the midfielder now carries that chip as well, and plays with a hunger that is all but unmatched.
Less than a decade ago, the now 28-year-old was one of the hottest prospects in the U.S. Soccer pool. Youth national team success yielded an Olympic team spot and a trio of caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Yet, disaster soon struck. After a failed move to Spanish club Racing Santander that produced zero appearances and an extended loan to Italian side Brescia, Szetela returned to the U.S. to join D.C. United.
A destructive knee injury was followed by surgery and, ultimately, his release from his MLS contract. After a series of failed operations, Szetela was out of the game and appeared to be another tale of what could have been.
Szetela’s climb back began with Icon FC in the fifth division before impressing enough to earn a shot with the Cosmos. It was a perfect match. A player in need of a new life found a club in pursuit of one of their own, and neither party has looked back since.
“I played in MLS, had an injury, was out,” Szetela said. “There’s been rumors and talking to my agent that there’s been interest from MLS, but my heart is with the Cosmos right now. They gave me the opportunity when I was injured, and this game was huge for me because I want to still prove that I can play against MLS teams and play in MLS.
“There was a lot of doubt when I was coming back from injury. For me, this was a huge game, scoring a goal against NYCFC.”
The fact that Szetela was the one to make the difference on Wednesday made the moment all the more special.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Szetela as been a regular of the local soccer scene for years. Now an integral member of the Cosmos, Szetela has emerged as a leader, especially following the retirements of Marcos Senna and Raul.
“It’s a successful story. It’s a story that you can tell kids,” said Cosmos head coach Giovani Savarese. “It’s a story that there is so much to it that is so inspiring. There were so many moments where he looked like he was going to be the next amazing player coming from the United States, and then a moment where he was kind of retired.
“He had a second life. He took advantage of it. Tonight, he scored a goal to give us the win. It’s the way he goes about it. The karma that he has, the willingness to work. His second opportunity in soccer, he appreciates it very much. He deserves everything that he gets.”
With the NYCFC victory now behind him, Szetela isn’t a player that is going to rest on his laurels. He can’t, and he knows it, as the Danny Szetela Revenge Tour is set to continue as long as he can continue playing.
Szetela is the first to admit that Wednesday is just a step for his team. Against an NYCFC team without all three Designated Players, the Cosmos took care of business, but the team knows it will only get harder from here.
The midfielder says they never took NYCFC lightly, and he believes the opposition never took the Cosmos lightly either. At the end of the day, Szetela believes the Cosmos can go toe-to-toe with any MLS team, and Wednesday was another chance to prove just that.
Now, a new challenge awaits for Szetela and the Cosmos, as the midfielder and his team look to continue to emerge from their past following a series of rebirths.
“Our goals are set high, and everybody knows it in the organization,” Szetela said. “From every player, from 1-25, from the coaching staff to the organization to the fans, they believe in us too. We go out there to win every game.
“That’s the challenge you want. We don’t want to play USL teams. We want to play MLS teams. We want to prove that we can be the best in this country.”