By Wilson Sy

Who

New York Cosmos (0-0-0) vs. Fort Lauderdale Strikers (0-0-0)

When & Where

April 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET | Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Watch

• ONE World Sports
• ESPN3
• Follow @NYCosmos_Match on Twitter for live updates
• Viewing parties in Manhattan and on Long Island

The Stakes

New York Cosmos: The new-look Cosmos immediately bolstered their attack by securing legendary Spanish striker Raúl along with Lucky Mkosana, Leo Fernandes, Walter Restrepo and a permanent deal for Andrés Flores in the offseason. The addition of 17-year-old striker Haji Wright, one of U.S. soccer’s top young prospects, is a move for the (hopefully not-so-distant) future.

With all the offseason changes, the Cosmos look to capture a regular season championship for the first time since the fall of 2013. After finishing a solid preseason with exhibition matchups in El Salvador, California and Hong Kong, the Cosmos will finally look to carry the momentum into the start of this season.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers: Fort Lauderdale had one of the most momentous years in club history last season, and they’ve had a busy offseason of their own. Head coach Günter Kronsteiner led the Strikers to The Championship Final in 2014 but the club’s new ownership group, which includes Brazilian legend Ronaldo, announced in January that Marcelo Neveleff would be his replacement. The Strikers have signed a bevy of new players, perhaps the most high profile being former Flamengo captain Léo Moura.

Matchup History

The Cosmos and Strikers met three times last season, resulting in two wins and one draw for New York. The last matchup took place on Sept. 7, 2014 with the Cosmos defeating the Strikers 2-0 at home. Marcos Senna delivered on a penalty strike in the 30^th minute of that contest.

In the matchup on July 26, at Fort Lauderdale, it was a hard-fought contest resulting in a 1-1 draw. During the Spring Season the Cosmos dominated the Strikers in a 3-0 victory at Lockhart Stadium. All three goals were scored in the second half, including a Hunter Freeman free kick.

Notes

• Read Madrid star Raúl will make his regular season debut with the Cosmos
• Going into this matchup, the Cosmos hold an undefeated record of 4-1-0 against the Strikers during the modern era
• Cosmos winger Walter Restrepo faces one of his old NASL clubs, where he was named to the league’s Best XI in 2012
• If New York wins, they will be 2-0 against the Fort Lauderdale in season-opening fixtures; they bested the Strikers with a stoppage-time score from Alessandro Noselli in their 2013 reboot match at Shuart Stadium

Quotes

“We’re deeper with fewer players, which shows that we have more quality. There are battles at every position, and competition makes us better. It has helped us have a good preseason. We have high standards based on the efforts of the club in the past. We want to live up to those and put in the effort to be successful. Right now we have to worry about beating the Strikers and that’s it. We have to be ready for this first game.”

-Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese