News

Cosmos Fall 2-1 to Deltas in San Francisco

Pablo Vranjicán scored his second goal in five starts for New York
Published Aug 5, 2017
The New York Cosmos lost 2-1 on the road against the San Francisco Deltas on Saturday afternoon at Kezar Stadium.
 
"We had control of the match in its early stages. However, two isolated plays put us in a difficult position going into the break," said Cosmos Head Coach and Sporting Director, Giovanni Savarese. "We tried to recover on the second half, but the game turned physical and unfortunately, we ran out of time to come back." 
 
The Cosmos dominated possession in the first half, passing the ball well and closing down the Deltas in midfield. New York opened the score in the third minute after Eric Calvillo found plenty of space down the right, setting up Pablo Vranjicán's second Cosmos goal. The 10th minute saw more from Calvillo, who gave Eugene Starikov an effort from outside the box that just missed the near post. The 19-year-old U.S. youth international continued to steal the show, dribbling outside the area in the 22nd minute before sending a ball wide of the target.
 
The game got more and more physical leading up to the Deltas' equalizer. A 36th minute free kick by Dagoberto found Patrick Hopkins, who finished on a half-volley to tie the game against the run of play. The tension escalated quickly when referee, Malik Badawi, awarded the hosts a 45th minute penalty after spotting a Cosmos elbow in the box. Thomas Heinemann smashed in the spot kick, and the Deltas were up 2-1 in the first minute of stoppage time.
 
Starikov tried to bring one back for New York before the half time whistle, turning in place and sending a left-footed effort at Deltas goalkeeper, Romuald Peiser, in the third minute of first half stoppage time. However, the hosts retained their lead at the break.
 
The Cosmos kicked off the second half by pressuring the opposition in the final third. A slippery pitch continued to cause both teams problems, with players occasionally losing their footing. Nonetheless, the game's intensity continued to build. The 56th minute saw Cosmos keeper, Jimmy Maurer, deny Heinemann at point-blank range.
 
New York reinforced their midfield by bringing on Javi Márquez in the 58th minute. The Spaniard had an instant impact, sending a left-footed cross towards the far post. An ever hardworking Starikov kept Peiser on his toes, forcing the keeper into a difficult save in the 63rd minute. Márquez had the next attempt, sending the ball off a Deltas player as well as the side netting to earn his team a corner.
 
New York kept searching for the equalizer. Calvillo was back in action in the 76th minute, having a go at the far post from outside the area. A key substitution in the 78th minute added some sharpness to the Cosmos attack, as Lucky Mkosana took to the field for the second time since his return. The Zimbabwean made his mark two minutes after coming on, heading the ball just over the bar. In the 82nd minute, Mkosana kept a Márquez free kick in play, delivering to David Ochieng, whose header was saved by Peiser.
 
Five minutes of stoppage time were not enough to bring back a point for the Cosmos, who went down 2-1 after playing 90 minutes of dynamic and creative soccer.
 
The Cosmos will be on the road against FC Edmonton on Friday, August 11 at 9:00 pm.
 
The team returns to MCU Park to face Indy Eleven on Saturday, August 19 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, click here.