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COSMOS PRESEASON RECAP: JANUARY - MARCH 2017

Published Mar 24, 2017

The historic New York Cosmos were able to announce their return for the 2017 NASL season thanks to cable TV entrepreneur Rocco B. Commisso, who became majority owner in Jan. 2017. A native of Italy, Commisso brought with him a reinvigorating spirit and a true New Yorker's passion for soccer that is sure to inspire the reigning NASL champions to reach even greater heights.

The club immediately began the difficult task of rebuilding the roster and staff. They not only brought back Championship-winning head coach Giovanni Savarese, but also a series of players that contributed to the club's success in the modern era. Midfielder Eric Calvillo, central defender David Ochieng, and right back Ryan Richter became the first three players to sign for the Cosmos in 2017.

A plethora of familiar faces soon followed, including goalkeepers Kyle Zobeck, Brian Holt, and Jimmy Maurer, defenders Ayoze, Jimmy Mulligan, Alexis Velela and captain Carlos Mendes, and midfielders "Ruso" Flores, Danny Szetela and Walter Restrepo.

Sadly, January also marked the loss of two former Cosmos players, forward Roberto Cabañas and winger François Van der Elst. Both played for the club in the early 1980s and were teammates in a 1980 Championship-winning side. Cabañas was the NASL's top scorer and MVP in 1983. Van der Elst made 43 appearances for the Cosmos, tallying an impressive 12 goals and 19 assists. 

 

More than a year after making their Brooklyn debut, the New York Cosmos can call the borough home. The club announced their move to Coney Island's MCU Park on Feb. 2, 2017. That same day, they signed the first forward for the 2017 season, Irvin Herrera, on loan. Herrera's impressive record of 25 goals in 45 appearances for Santa Tecla FC in the El Salvadorian Primera Division helped the club win the Clausura 2015 for the first time in history.

Andrea Mancini, son of former Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini, made his return to the club in early February. A product of the Inter Milan and Manchester City academies, the 24-year-old midfielder has also played professionally in England, Spain, and Hungary.

On Feb. 16, the Cosmos announced the signing of Richard Menjivar. The Salvadoran midfielder previously featured for NASL teams Atlanta Silverbacks and San Antonio Scorpions. He qualified for the Soccer Bowl with the Silverbacks and was named to the NASL Best XI. The 26-year-old joined his fellow El Salvador teammates, Andrés Flores and Irvin Herrera. All three helped the national team finish third in the 2017 Copa Centroamericana, earning La Selecta qualification for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

On Feb. 21, new Cosmos Chairman Rocco B. Commisso attended the team's first practice at Columbia University, whose soccer stadium bears his name. In his first-ever meeting with the team, Commisso took a moment to reflect on his time at Columbia as a player, to say a few encouraging words, and to welcome new signing Amauri. The Italian striker previously played for such clubs as Juventus, Napoli and Fiorentina, scoring over 80 goals in the Serie A. He also featured for the NASL's Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

The Cosmos continued to welcome returning players and staff, signing Goalkeeper Coach, Guillermo Valencia and Fitness Coach, Luis Gutierrez to contract extensions. They were joined by new First Assistant Coach, Alberto Gallego. The Barcelona native formerly served as General Manager and Sporting Director at Rayo OKC, helping the team reach the 2016 NASL semifinals. 

The club's next signing was midfielder and Espanyol product Javi Márquez, whose extensive experience includes over 165 La Liga appearances.

The Cosmos' own academy product, David Diosa, re-signed with the team right before they set off to the Dominican Republic for their 2017 preseason training camp.

The team kicked off their three-game preseason tour in the DR with a 1-0 win over Atlántico FC. Venezuelan midfielder Juan Guerra, who joined the Cosmos in late January, netted in the lone goal of the game.


The Cosmos' next opponent, Dominican National Champion Atlético Pantoja, went down 2-0. Ukrainian-American midfielder Eugene Starikov, then still a trialist with the Cosmos, opened the score. He later assisted Herrera, who scored the second.

Game three of the team's preseason saw even more goals. A 5-1 win over the Dominican National Team included a spot kick from Javi Márquez, as well as goals from trialist Emmanuel Ledesma, a brace from Herrera, and a goal from Mancini.

On March 17th, the Cosmos signed trialists Eugene Starikov and Kalif Alhassan to the first team. Winger Starikov began playing in the USL Premier Development League in 2008 at IMG Academy Bradenton and last played for Chornomorets Odesa in the Ukrainian Premier League, scoring 2 goals in 10 games. Ghanaian midfielder Alhassan previously played for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Minnesota United, and the Portland Timbers.

The Cosmos wrapped up their preparations for the regular season with a trip to Bermuda, drawing 1-1 against the national team. A Flores equalizer in the final minutes of the match maintained the team's undefeated record in the 2017 preseason. The Cosmos outscored their preseason opposition 9-2.

The visit to Bermuda was special for another reason – ex-Cosmos forward Randy Horton met the current team. Horton scored the first ever goal in the club's history and was part of the first Championship-winning Cosmos team. His honors include 1971 NASL Rookie of the Year and 1972 NASL MVP.

On March 21st, the Cosmos made themselves available to the press during Media Day in Brooklyn. Following speeches and a Q&A from club owner Rocco B. Commisso, Sporting Director/Head Coach Giovanni Savarese and others, the club announced its new partnership with new kit sponsor Inaria and presented the new home/away jerseys for the 2017 season.

The club added four more players to the roster ahead of Saturday's season opener at Puerto Rico FC – defenders Dejan Jaković, and Darrius Barnes, and midfielders Emmanuel Ledesma  and Salvatore Barone. 

The Cosmos will be on the road against Puerto Rico FC for their season opener on Saturday, March 25th before facing Miami FC on April 1 in their first home game at MCU Park. Tickets are on sale now, for more information click here.