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The Cosmos return from a week off for their penultimate regular season game, a Sunday afternoon showdown against the Scorpions in San Antonio.
Published Oct 24, 2015

NOTE: This match has been moved to Sunday afternoon due to severe weather concerns. For more information, click here.

WHO

New York Cosmos (3rd in Fall Season Standings, 2nd Overall) at San Antonio Scorpions (9th, 10th)

WHEN & WHERE

Sunday, October 25 at 2 p.m. ET | Toyota Field in San Antonio, Texas

WATCH & FOLLOW

THE STAKES

New York Cosmos: The Cosmos come out of their bye week hungry to regain the top spot in the NASL Combined Season Standings. Heading into the bye, the Cosmos snapped a short winless streak by taking each of their last two matches 3-0. Their most recent result was against FC Edmonton back on October 11 at Shuart Stadium.

Great offense buoyed the result as Sebastian Guenzatti, Raúl and Ruben Bover all scored in the decisive victory. In a match where the Cosmos led the game on corners (3-0), attacks (6-3), shots on target (6-0) and time of possession (67-33), goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer and the defense got plenty of help. They kept a clean sheet anyway, New York’s second in as many matches.

The Cosmos (50 points overall) currently sit five points behind Combined Season leader Ottawa, who took the Fall Season title via a midweek win in Jacksonville, with a game in hand. If the Cosmos can get ahead of the Fury by season’s end they would clinch home field advantage throughout The Championship, the league’s four-team postseason tournament, which begins on November 7.

San Antonio Scorpions: The Scorpions did not help the Cosmos’ quest for home field advantage, as they fell 1-0 to Fury FC on the road this past Sunday afternoon. An Ottawa goal by Mauro Eustaquio in the 68th minute was all the Fury needed to defeat the Scorpions.

On Wednesday night, San Antonio turned in a brave performance at Lockhart Stadium to tie a streaking Fort Lauderdale 0-0, but that wasn't enough to keep the club in The Championship race. The Scorpions come into their match against New York bearing just five points from their last seven matches. They’re officially out of the postseason race and are looking to play the spoiler role at Toyota Field on Sunday.

MATCHUP HISTORY

The Cosmos and Scorpions will face off for the second time this fall and for the third time this season. The Cosmos won both prior encounters against San Antonio, with their most recent result coming in a 2-1 victory back on August 15.

Down 1-0 after a 45th-minute goal by the Scorpions’ Milton Palacios, Leo Fernandes knocked home an equalizer for New York just before halftime. The Cosmos came back strong to start the second half, as Scorpions defender Brad Rusin kneed in a Hunter Freeman cross for an own goal, giving the Cosmos a 2-1 lead. They would hold on to that lead for the rest of the match.

The match on Sunday will mark the Cosmos’ first and only visit to Toyota Field this season.

NOTES

Road finale: Sunday's match will be the first one since Cosmos forward Raúl officially announced his retirement last Thursday. He joins Cosmos midfielder and fellow former Spanish international Marcos Senna, who will also hang up his boots at season’s end. This game could be the last away match of both their careers should the Cosmos earn home field advantage for The Championship.

Race for the prize: The Cosmos and Ottawa Fury FC, this year's Spring Season and Fall Season champions, are duking it out for NASL Combined Season supremacy. Neither side has ever finished first overall. The team that does gets home field advantage throughout The Championship.

In a rhythm: Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer is coming off his second straight clean sheet. He lowered his goals against average (GAA) to 0.96 this NASL Season with commanding performances in Atlanta on October 7 and against Edmonton on October 11. Maurer trails only Ottawa’s Romuald Peiser for the league lead in GAA.

Heating up: Cosmos winger Sebastian Guenzatti enters Sunday’s match on a roll, having scored the opening goal in each of the Cosmos’ recent 3-0 victories. The Cosmos are 10-2-0 (WDL) when they score first this season.