WHO

  vs.  

WHEN & WHERE

Saturday, May 7 at 8 p.m. ET | Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium in Miami

WATCH & FOLLOW

• Official Cosmos Viewing Party at Buffalo Wild Wings in Westbury, N.Y.
• Watch live on ONE World Sports and stream on ONEWorldSports.com
• Follow @NYCosmos_Match and #MIAvNYC on Twitter for play-by-play updates

THE STAKES

The halfway point of the 2016 NASL Spring Season is here, and the New York Cosmos find themselves in the thick of another title hunt. The 2015 Spring Season Champions have collected nine points through five matches, which puts them even with second-place Minnesota, though the Loons hold a slim edge in goal differential (+5 to the Cosmos’ +4) that breaks the tie. Even after New York’s 1-0 win over first-place Carolina Sunday night, the RailHawks remain three points clear at the top.

Now a two-game jaunt away from Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium looms, and the first stop is Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium. The Miami FC opened its debut NASL Season with consecutive 1-1 draws but has since fallen in three straight matches, letting in seven combined goals to Jacksonville, Rayo OKC and Ottawa. To enter the title race, the expansion side will need its first win Saturday night.

Attacking players both new and familiar will test the visitors’ defense. In his first season stateside, former Ajax, Boca Juniors and Nice striker Dario Cvitanich co-leads the NASL in goal scoring. Meanwhile, Miami’s leading chance creators have each competed against the Cosmos: Cuban midfielder Ariel Martinez represented his country against New York in the club’s historic trip to Havana last June, while fullback Jonathan Borrajo was an integral part of the San Antonio Scorpions during their NASL Championship-winning 2014 campaign.

MATCHUP HISTORY

The Cosmos face this Miami NASL club for the first time Saturday night at FIU Stadium. The last time New York matched up with an NASL team hailing from Miami was Aug. 10, 1976 at Yankee Stadium, an 8-2 Cosmos romp over the Miami Toros with five goals from Giorgio Chinaglia and a brace from Pelé that included his famed bicycle kick.

NOTES

Across countries: This road date with Miami is the first of two straight Cosmos matches away from Shuart Stadium. On Sunday, May 15 the team visits FC Edmonton at Clarke Field for a 4 p.m. ET kickoff. The following Sunday, May 22, New York is back home for a showdown with longstanding rivals the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Maurer power: Jimmy Maurer co-leads the NASL in clean sheets this season. The 27-year-old Cosmos goalkeeper made multiple point-blank saves in the second half against Carolina last weekend, holding his opponent goalless for the third time in four starts. Maurer has allowed only one goal in league play this year.