WHO

#1   vs.   #2

WHEN & WHERE

Sunday, November 15 at 5 p.m. ET | James M. Shuart Stadium

WATCH & FOLLOW

• ONE World Sports
• ESPN3 (ESPN Player or WatchESPN)
• WRHU Sports (88.7 FM)
• Follow @NYCosmos_Match, #NYCvOTT and #TheChampionship on Twitter

THE STAKES

It all comes down to this and the goal is simple: win the match. The Cosmos head into their eighth NASL title game appearance after a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers Saturday afternoon at MCU Park.

The Strikers were aggressive early in the match, as a goal from PC in the 16^th minute gave Fort Lauderdale the 1-0 edge coming out of the gate. PC almost made it 2-0 in the 32^nd minute, but a diving save from Jimmy Maurer kept the score as it was.

In the 36^th minute, a hand ball call on the Strikers in their own end set the stage for the Cosmos to equalize. Marcos Senna placed a powerful free kick on goal that was initially saved by David Meves, but Gastón Cellerino was there to knock in the rebound to level the game at one goal apiece.

The game-winning goal would be scored in the 61^st minute, as the Cosmos displayed some impressive passing. Danny Szetela received a pass from Hunter Freeman on the Strikers end of the pitch, who redirected the ball to an unmarked Raúl. The Emirates Cosmos Man of the Match struck it past Meves for a 2-1 Cosmos lead. The Cosmos would hold that lead, and now head into Sunday looking to capture their second championship in three seasons.

Ottawa Fury FC is also heading into Sunday’s final coming off a 2-1 victory, only their semifinal win came in extra time. In front of an NASL postseason record crowd at TD Place, the Fury found themselves down early in the seventh minute after Loons forward Christian Ramirez converted a penalty kick.

But Ottawa’s Tom Heinemann would ultimately be the hero of the game, as he equalized in the 47^th minute and netted the game-winning goal in the 108^th minute of extra time. Some key saves by Romuald Peiser toward the end of the match preserved Ottawa’s victory. In just their second season, Fury FC will make their first appearance in the league title game.

NOTES:

Gracias leyendas: Cosmos stars Marcos Senna and Raúl are each playing their final match on Sunday. Earlier in the year the Spanish soccer greats announced they would hang up their boots at season’s end. Raúl has totaled nine goals and three assists in 29 NASL appearances this year, while Senna has tallied 12 goals in 51 appearances over three seasons in green.

Battle of the best: The NASL’s top two goalkeepers will meet for the fourth time in 2015. The Fury will enter with Golden Glove winner Romuald Peiser (0.76 goals against average), while Jimmy Maurer (0.93) will be in goal for the home side.

Matchup history: The Cosmos and Fury FC faced off three times in three different locations during the 2015 NASL regular season. The Cosmos won at Brooklyn’s MCU Park (1-0 on May 2), drew at TD Place in Ottawa (0-0 on August 26) and lost at Shuart Stadium (1-4 on September 22).  The last result was Ottawa’s first-ever win against the Cosmos.

Two in three: Sunday’s match will mark the Cosmos’ second NASL championship game appearance of the modern era. Their last appearance came in the reboot season of 2013, and was highlighted by Marcos Senna’s game-winner in the 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Silverbacks at Silverbacks Park.

Shuart Stadium stars: Sunday will be the first time the Cosmos host an NASL title match at Hofstra since Aug. 26, 1972, when they beat the St. Louis Stars 2-1 to capture their first championship.  Josef Jelínek struck the winning penalty for New York in the 86^th minute.