WHO

New York Cosmos (3^rd in Fall Season Standings, 1^st Overall) at FC Edmonton (4^th, 6^th)

WHEN & WHERE

Sunday, September 27 at. 4 p.m. ET | Clarke Field in Edmonton, Alberta

WATCH & FOLLOW

• Official Viewing Party at Jack Demsey’s in New York City (36 West 33^rd Street)
  • Come by at 3 p.m. for a special pregame Q&A with Cosmos COO Erik Stover
• ONE World Sports
• ESPN3
• Follow @NYCosmos_Match and #FCEvNYC on Twitter

THE STAKES

New York Cosmos: The Cosmos’ 18-match unbeaten streak at Shuart Stadium came to an end on Tuesday night with a 4-1 loss to Ottawa Fury FC. Paulo Junior paced the Ottawa offense with two goals, and the Fury earned their first-ever victory over the Cosmos in NASL play.

The momentum did shift the Cosmos’ way two minutes into the second half, when Andrés Flores netted an Ayoze cross to equalize at one apiece.

.@andresflo1 bringing the 🔥🔥🔥in the second half. #NYCosmos #NYCvOTT pic.twitter.com/oxsVvLmOGq

— New York Cosmos (@NYCosmos) September 23, 2015

But nine minutes later things shifted back in favor of the Fury, as Paulo Junior scored his second goal of the game. A Carlos Mendes own goal and a Tom Heinemann strike sealed the deal. The Fury extended their lead over the Cosmos in the Fall Standings to eight points, but New York maintains the slimmest of leads over Ottawa in the Combined Standings.

The Cosmos led the Fury in attacks (17-9), corners (9-1), shots on target (5-3) and time of possession (52-48), but fell victim to a few counterattacks.

“I think it’s a good game for us to learn a lot of things and be prepared for what is coming in the postseason," said Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese.

The Cosmos will enter Clarke Field Sunday afternoon eager to return to their winning ways and create separation at the top of the Combined Standings. Maitaining that lead would mean home field advantage throughout the postseason.

FC Edmonton: Edmonton is heading into Sunday’s match on a three-match unbeaten streak (2-1-0). The latest result came Saturday evening in Indianapolis, where Edmonton defeated Indy Eleven 2-0.

In their league-leading sixth clean sheet of the Fall Season, Edmonton implemented a second-half offensive attack as Daryl Fordyce and Sainey Nyassi netted the match's two scores, giving Edmonton their sixth victory of the Fall Season.

The Eddies are currently one point behind the Cosmos for third place in the Fall Season Standings, but sit 12 points behind the league leaders in the Combined Season Standings. With six games remaining, the time to make a postseason push is now.

MATCHUP HISTORY

This will mark the Cosmos’ first matchup against FC Edmonton in the Fall Season. Edmonton and the Cosmos last met in the Spring Season, with New York cruising to a 4-2 victory at Shuart Stadium back on May 10. The offensive flurry was paced by two goals from captain Carlos Mendes.

The Eddies will come back to Shuart Stadium on October 11 for the final regular season matchup between these two teams.

NOTES

Tough stretch ends: Sunday afternoon’s contest in Edmonton will mark the third game in nine days for New York. The Cosmos drew with Minnesota United on the road last Saturday and fell at home to Ottawa Fury FC Tuesday night. Ottawa, Minnesota and Edmonton are ranked first, second and fourth in the NASL Fall Standings, respectively.

Contrasting styles: The NASL’s top and bottom clubs in shots taken this season will be on display. The Cosmos have attempted 211 shots, while FC Edmonton have taken 99. The results? New York has scored 37 league goals this year; the Eddies have 35.

Timely scoring: FC Edmonton’s Daryl Fordyce has scored two of Edmonton’s four goals in their recent three-match unbeaten streak. One came in stoppage time on September 6, the equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United FC.