Match report: The New York Cosmos fell 3-0 to Greenville Triumph FC at Hinchliffe Stadium. The opening half was evenly contested, with the Cosmos controlling 52 percent of possession and creating several promising attacking opportunities. Greenville was forced into an early substitution in the 10th minute before the match remained scoreless for much of the half. Just before the halftime whistle, Brandon Fricke broke the deadlock with a goal in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead heading into the break despite a strong defensive effort from New York.
Greenville added to its advantage in the second half as substitute William Akio scored twice, finding the back of the net in the 57th and 64th minutes to extend the lead to 3-0. The Cosmos responded by making four substitutions in the 63rd minute in an effort to shift momentum and push numbers forward in attack. Despite controlling possession for much of the match and matching Greenville’s intensity throughout the second half, New York was unable to break through against Greenville goalkeeper Amal Knight. The Cosmos continued to press until the final whistle but were unable to find a goal as Greenville secured the 3-0 victory.
MATCH DETAILS
NEW YORK COSMOS 0-3 GREENVILLE TRIUMPH FC
NEW YORK COSMOS (4-2-3-1): Garcia; Holt, Chavez, Noecker, Cabrera; Mendonca, Sidoel; Zielonka, Spengler, Jawneh; Guenzatti.
Subs: Galazzini, Mason, Puentes, Milovanov, Bohui, Stephani, Materazzi. Coach: Corti.
GREENVILLE TRIUMPH FC (5-3-2): Knight; Fricke, Patti, Seagrist, Lee, Fritz; Herrera, Evans, Boyce; Robles, Larsen.
Subs: Akio, Meek, Agyaakwah, Bouregy, Wu, Torman, White. Coach: Mike Ayers.
Goals: 45’+7 Fricke (GRE), 57′ Akio (GRE), 64′ Akio (GRE).
Bookings: 17′ Herrera (GRE), 55′ Akio (GRE), 78′ Milovanov (C), 79′ Guenzatti (C).
Match Stats:
Possession: Cosmos 52% – Greenville 48%
Shots: Cosmos 10 – Greenville 12
Shots on Target: Cosmos 4 – Greenville 6
Saves: Cosmos 3 – Greenville 4
Fouls: Cosmos 6 – Greenville 12
Accurate Passes: Cosmos 322 – Greenville 290
Pass Accuracy: Cosmos 85% – Greenville 83%
Tackles: Cosmos 13 – Greenville 19
Clearances: Cosmos 10 – Greenville 28
Blocked Shots: Cosmos 3 – Greenville 3
