Javi Márquez, who has been a pivotal player for the Cosmos (starting nearly every game in which he’s played) will be going up, once again, against Valencia Club de Fútbol, a team that he knows very well.

 

“Valencia is a team that has a very decorated history in the Spanish league. It’s one of those teams that fights every season in major European competitions,” admits Márquez. “It's a team that has a great stadium and a great fan base, too.”

 

The last time that Márquez played against this Spanish giant was last January. It was for the Spanish Cup (known as Copa del Rey), and unfortunately Javi’s team at the time, Granada C.F., lost 4-0. Now, the talented midfielder awaits his revenge against Valencia on July 22nd in Regina, Saskatchewan.

 

“It has never been easy to play against them, but I have beaten Valencia before and it’s nice to enjoy that because it is a very popular team in the Spanish league,” says the Cosmos' starting midfielder. 

 

“It's great that the New York Cosmos are playing against Valencia. This will allow us to see how we compare to a big team in Europe, and it's good to see at what level we can play against a team of this caliber."

 

 

Márquez recognizes that the Cosmos is a very well-known team in the world of football, and that this match is very good for this club to be able to grow as a soccer organization in the long term.

 

“When you think of Valencia, you always think about their great runs like those of the Champions League, like Benítez’s [Rafael Benítez] winning campaign," explains Márquez. “It's a team with a lot of history in Spain and it will always be tough playing against them."

 

Márquez has a lot of experience playing at Valencia’s local stadium, Mestalla. Out of the nine times that Javi has played against "Los Che", six were away games, at Valencia’s home field.

 

“With all the teams I had to play with, I went to Mestalla many times,” he says. “It has always been a difficult stadium to play in because they have always had great players, great teams, and great lineups. This field, above all, is very demanding. And if things do not go well for the home side, the fans get nervous.”

 

Márquez played for several teams in Spain. He played for Espanyol for several years, then spent one season at Mallorca and another at Elche, before continuing his Spanish soccer career with Granada Club de Fútbol. After all of his seasons in the Spanish league, the fantastic number six of the Cosmos mentions which Valencia player New York should be aware of.

 

“I think Dani Parejo is a great leader and reference of the team. He gives rhythm to the team and is the main component that Valencia has to generate their game, which is primarily attacking football.”

 

The team travels to Saskatchewan to face Valencia C.F. on Saturday, July 22. It will be a difficult match for the Cosmos, but very good for the growth of the team as a whole.

 

The Cosmos will return to MCU Park to play Miami FC on Saturday, July 29 at 7:00 pm in the first game of the 2017 NASL Fall Season. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, click here.