Cosmos B players and coaches admitted they don't know much about FC Frederick, their opponent in Wednesday's National Premier Soccer League playoff match.

 

It has been difficult trying to find much, if any, video about the Mid-Atlantic Conference postseason champs, so Cosmos B has decided to worry more about itself.

 

New York hosts FC Frederick at Hofstra Soccer Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y., at 7:30 p.m. The winner will advance to Saturday’s regional final against the victor of the FC Motown-FC Baltimore semifinal, which is also on Wednesday.

 

"Taking into account that we don't know much about them, I think the most important thing is to focus on ourselves," Cosmos B right back Jonathan Borrajo said. "If we do the things that we know we have to do, if we take care of ourselves, if we stick to our game plan, if we play the game we know we can play, we should be fine."

 

Actually, the hosts do know some basic things about FC Frederick (6-4-2, including the playoffs), which finished in third place in the Mid-Atlantic Conference with a 4-4-2 mark. The Maryland-based side upended second-place Northern Virginia United (6-3-1) in the conference semifinals last Thursday and surprised first-place FC Baltimore (7-2-1) in Saturday's final, 2-1. Forward Jacob Gooselin, who will enter his junior year at Millersville University, led the team scoring (10 goals in eight matches) during the regular season.

 

FC Frederick, which has a four-game unbeaten streak (2-0-2) is composed of current and former college players, many under 23 years of age.

 

Cosmos B won’t take its foes lightly.

 

"They're on a good roll," head coach Carlos Mendes said. "We know they're a difficult team to play against. It's a team that works hard. They attack in numbers, they get behind the ball, and a team that's going to fight. We need to match the intensity. We need to be ready. That's most important. Our quality and things like that will hopefully get us into the rhythm of the game. But we expect a battle, a team that's in form, and obviously with a lot of confidence."

 

While Cosmos B hasn't lost a match this season (12-0), center back Alejandro Penzini stressed that the team shouldn't enter the match overconfident.

 

"Any team that gets to this stage needs to be respected," he said. "We cannot take them for granted, you cannot go into the game thinking that you're better than them. I think from the previous game against the Brooklyn Italians, we learned a lesson. We know we have to do a better job than what we did vs. the Brooklyn Italians and we have to apply those things, those corrections, into our game. We definitely have to respect them even though we might not know much about them. We still have to come out there and earn their respect as well."

 

The regular season doesn’t mean a thing right now as the playoffs are a whole new season.

 

"Come playoffs, you kind of forget about the regular season," striker Wojciech Wojcik said. "It's what team that has been able to pick up rhythm. Fortunately for us, we've been able to do that as well. We've been moving pretty well and moving onto the next round. So have they. It's going to be a pretty good matchup. We have to be ready to battle, bring the intensity, play smart football, score on our chances when we get them, and defend as a team."

 

Striker Bledi Bardic, the team's leading goalscorer (12 goals), will miss his second successive postseason match with a hamstring pull.

 

Mendes also needs a central midfielder to team with captain Danny Szetela as the squad will be without Rafa Garcia, who will sit out due to a red card he incurred in the North Atlantic Conference Final win over the Brooklyn Italians.

 

"Obviously it's a big loss, a key player for us," Mendes said. "But like I said after the game we have guys who have contributed all year. They've stepped up and done a great job. We don't expect anything different. Whoever stepped in throughout the year, whether it’s on the back line, in the net, anywhere on the field, they've done a great job, and it's someone's time to shine. Guys get opportunities to step up and that's what it's all about. We said it at the beginning of the year. If you want to win a championship, you need a deep team. We're here at this point and someone needs to step in for Rafa."

 

If Cosmos B wins, Garcia will be eligible for the Northeast Final Saturday. But first, New York must get past FC Frederick.

 

“It’s a game where if you don't bring your A game, if you don't bring your best game, you're going to be out of the playoffs, come Wednesday,” Mendes said. “We have to be ready. We respect them. We know it’s going to be a very difficult match and they're going to come at us and hopefully we're going to have enough to get through.”