WHO

New York Cosmos (3^rd in Fall Season Standings, 2^nd Overall) vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies (7^th, 4^th)

WHEN & WHERE

Saturday, October 31 at 7 p.m. ET | James M. Shuart Stadium

• Fan Appreciation Night: It'll be a Halloween to remember with pregame ArtBattles, halftime giveaways and another performance from DJ Zeke. Costumes are encouraged! Cosmos players will pick out the best ones, and winners will receive prizes.
• Raúl and Marcos Senna Appreciation Day: We're honoring two of the greatest players of their generation, who are each playing their final regular season match.

WATCH & FOLLOW

• ONE World Sports
• WRHU Sports (88.7 FM)
• Follow @NYCosmos_Match & #NYCvTBR on Twitter

THE STAKES

New York Cosmos: It's simple, really. The Atlanta Silverbacks host Ottawa Fury FC Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. If the Fury win they'll lock up The Championship's top seed, rendering New York unable to make up enough points in its 7 p.m. kickoff against Tampa Bay. That'll mean home field advantage throughout the postseason for Ottawa and a date with Minnesota at MCU Park on Nov. 7 for the Cosmos.

If Atlanta scratches out a draw or captures all three points, though, things get interesting. A stalemate in that match coupled with a Cosmos win would leave the two teams tied on 56 points, leaving it up to goal differential to break the tie. As it stands the Fury have a two-goal edge (+19 vs. +17 for New York), but that gap is by no means insurmountable. 

If the Fury lose and Cosmos win, New York clinches home field throughout The Championship and, depending on how the No. 4 seed shakes out (see below for more), could host the Rowdies two weekends in a row.

Tampa Bay Rowdies: Runners-up in the race for the Spring Season title by a single point, at times the Fall Season has been cruel to Tampa Bay. But a three-game unbeaten streak has the Florida side clinging to a one-point advantage in the race for the league's final postseason berth.

A win at Shuart Stadium Saturday night and the Rowdies are in The Championship. Anything less and they'll have to hope the Fort Lauderdale Strikers don't collect any points in Jacksonville on Sunday afternoon.

MATCHUP HISTORY

The Cosmos and Rowdies have traded blows this season in one of the league’s premier rivalries, past and present. New York opened its 2015 NASL home campaign with a 2-0 win over Tampa Bay on April 18, but that scoreline flipped in Tampa Bay’s favor on September 5 at Al Lang Stadium.

If either side can win on Saturday night, it’ll take the season series.

NOTES

Night of Spanish stars: Cosmos forward Raúl and midfielder Marcos Senna, teammates on the Spanish national team, will each play their final regular season game Saturday night. In three seasons with New York Senna has scored 12 goals, including the match-winner in Soccer Bowl 2013. Raúl has scored seven goals and added three assists this year for the Cosmos.

We meet again: Former U.S. international starlets Danny Szetela and Freddy Adu are set to square off on the pitch. The two midfielders were instrumental members of a U.S. Under-20 squad that made the 2007 U-20 World Cup Quarterfinals in Canada. That team knocked off Brazil and Poland in group play and Uruguay in the Round of 16 before falling 2-1 to Austria in added time. 

Unbeaten October: New York is 3-1-0 (WDL) this month, outscoring opponents by a combined total of 9-2 in those four fixtures. A win or draw against the Rowdies would lock up the Cosmos’ fifth unbeaten month this year.