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Maurer Welcomes Fall Season Competition

The Cosmos’ first choice at goalkeeper for over two years, Jimmy Maurer has been pushed to be even better this season.
Published Aug 26, 2016

Goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer has been with the New York Cosmos since the reboot season. The University of South Carolina alumnus is sitting on 80 appearances for the club across all competitions heading into this weekend’s home match against the Carolina RailHawks.

“There’s been a ton of tangible changes since I started here,” said Maurer. “Now we’ve got a nice training setup at Mitchel Field. I’ve seen the front office grow as well. A solid group of guys have been here since the start, though, and a great coaching staff.”

Maurer has been a staple at the back for the Cosmos since earning the starting job in 2014. He has kept 31 clean sheets in league play, becoming a fan favorite in the process with his own 5 Points chant.

 

No matter the result, the #5Points have @jimsmaurer's back. #ForeverGreen 💚⚽️

A video posted by New York Cosmos (@nycosmos) on

Maurer acknowledged how much the support from the 5 Points and all Cosmos fans means to everyone on the team.

“They’re always behind us win or lose. It’s great to have them out there every time,” he said. “It gives us some responsibility to try our best and put on a performance they can be proud of.”

Though he has seven shutouts this season, Maurer and fellow goalkeeper Brian Holt have combined for only one in their last seven outings.  

“It’s really just about being focused for 90 minutes,” Maurer said of playing better defensively. “Too many times we’ve had lapses of concentration. We’re playing well for long periods of a game and give up an uncharacteristic goal. It’s a thing we’ve got to cut out. We’ve got to be able to concentrate and stay tuned in from whistle to whistle.”

Holt, a 27-year-old who joined the team in 2015, has won three NASL starts in net for New York this year. Kyle Zobeck has a start under his belt, too. Maurer welcomes the friendly competition with his teammates.

“At this level you are always fighting for your job in training,” said Maurer. “Brian and Kyle did really well when they got in games; that’s what it’s all about. Every guy on the team has competition for his job. It makes us all better. You want to show the coaches during the week that you should be on the field that weekend.”

Maurer and the Cosmos take on the Carolina RailHawks Saturday night at Shuart Stadium, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. ET. The Cosmos came out 1-0 winners last time these two teams met back on May 1 earlier this year.

“Carolina is a very good team,” Maurer said. “They’ve turned things around the last few games, with Omar Bravo and Matt Fondy scoring lots of goals. It’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

There’s a special wrinkle to this match for Maurer, who, after a fan vote, will have a bobblehead in his likeness handed out at the stadium.

“It’s not something that happens every day and it should be very cool,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of friends and family asking for a couple. It’s pretty exciting.”