If you didn't know any better, you would have thought Cosmos B was preparing for an important game rather than going through a routine training season.

 

However, no one went through the motions at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, N.Y. as the players went through spirited practices Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

Playoff goalscoring hero Zaire Bartley, who tallied four goals in as many matches, said it "wasn't difficult" training after such a disappointing playoff defeat.

 

"Losing is part of the game," he said. "You're going to win or you're going to lose. We went a whole season without losing. Eventually we lost a game. You've just got to deal with it and move on."

 

The National Premier Soccer League team officially will call it a season on Thursday as players will go their separate ways in the wake of their playoff elimination. Cosmos B lost to FC Motown, 3-2, in the Northeast Region Final last Saturday.

 

"We love this game, right?" veteran right back Jonathan Borrajo said. "I've been playing longer than a lot of these younger guys on the team. I know a lot of these ups and downs of this business and unfortunately, I've had this feeling before. You could never prepare for it. All you could do is take away what you learned from each experience. You can take away the good and the bad, what you could have done better and just keep moving forward. That's all you can do. You can't change the result from Saturday. All we can do now is to prepare for the next opportunity."

 

Despite the disappointing finish, the players had nothing but positive things to say about the past season in green and white.

 

"It was a great season being with these guys," said striker Bledi Bardic, who finished with a team-high 12 goals. "It was a pleasure play to play with everybody. We had a great season. Only the end, one game. It was probably one of the best seasons, if not the best season. It wasn't the NASL, it was NPSL, still, it was great. I wouldn't have been able to do it without my teammates. You have to look on the positive side."

 

Cosmos B ran through the North Atlantic Conference unbeaten at 10-0-0, finishing at 12-1-1, including the playoffs.

 

"You know what? I can't say one bad thing about my experience here thus far," midfielder Rafa Garcia said. "The organization has been tremendous. From Rocco [Commisso, team owner] to Joe [Barone, senior vice president] to the coaching staff, the training staff, my teammates, everyone has been absolutely amazing. It's been a pleasure working here. I can't say one bad thing. I feel terrible that we weren't able to bring us [more] silverware, but I leave with the thought that I did everything in my power to contribute and help in every way i could. Working with the Cosmos has been an outstanding experience."

 

Garcia said that he will miss being around his teammates the most.

 

"You get closer to each other," he said. "I came out here by myself. So I spent a lot of time with my teammates and the guys, travel and all that. I'll certainly miss the guys. The organization has been amazing, and they treated me with open arms in the beginning, so I am nothing but grateful to the New York Cosmos."

 

After Wednesday’s practice session, the players went out to a local restaurant for one last team meal together.

 

Borrajo, who played against the Cosmos with the San Antonio Scorpions, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and Miami FC in the North American Soccer League, said he had "an unbelievable experience."

 

"I was talking to somebody this morning and I was saying, unfortunately I got to play against them for four years," he said. "From the outside you could tell how professional the club was and the way it ran itself and their product on the field and obviously, their history. Now, being on the inside, it's amazing to see that not only do they talk the talk, but they walk the walk. Inside this club, the organization from day one everyone was super professional. everything was taken care of. All we had to do was focus on soccer, they took care of everything else, from the medical to the off-the-field stuff. That's all you want to do as a professional. If they would have me, I would love to continue to be a Cosmos."

 

For some players at the start of their career, the season was an education and a half.

 

"The Cosmos experience was great," said the 20-year-old Bartley. "As a young player, I got a lot of minutes. It was good being around top players like Danny Szetela, great other players like Jon [Borrajo] and head coach Carlos [Mendes]. They taught me a lot." 

 

As it turned out, Mendes learned a lot as a first-year coach. After completing a 15-year playing career in 2017, including the last five with the New York Cosmos, the Mineola, N.Y. native decided to take a crack at coaching.

 

Mendes called it "a great experience. It's one I enjoyed very much."

 

"It sets the learning curve for me," he said. "It was great to see and develop as a coach and start to come out of a mindset of a player and that's the hardest part of adjustment. I have continued to grow. As a player, I always looked at myself first, how I can improve and what I can do better. And I think there's no difference as a coach. There's a lot of things I can look back and say, 'I need to do better,' but overall proud of the group. Hopefully there's more to come."