The New York Cosmos are charging towards another NASL Championship thanks to a big assist from the NASL’s best soccer defenders. The fierce defense of Carlos Mendes, Ayoze and company has led the Cosmos to a league-best six wins and five clean sheets so far this season.

MEET OUR BEST SOCCER DEFENDERS

#4 CARLOS MENDES

Mendes is as dedicated a center back as they come. The team captain has started nearly every game in four seasons suiting up in green and white. He anchored a Cosmos defense that set a record in 2014 for not allowing a goal in 372 straight minutes.

Mendes, a Mineola native, was the first player to join the rebooted Cosmos in 2012. Since then, he has led the team to two championships. In 2015, Mendes was named to the prestigious NASL Best XI.

#17 AYOZE GARCÍA PÉREZ

Ayoze, a 30-year-old, left-sided defender from Spain, was last season’s Emirates Cosmos Player of the Year. In 2015, he was the team’s co-leader in assists. So far in the 2016 season, he leads the NASL in total passes.

Ayoze has been one of the Cosmos’ best soccer defenders since joining the squad in 2013. In his first three seasons he notched three goals, seven assists and played more than 4,000 minutes.

#2 HUNTER FREEMAN

Freeman, the New York Cosmos’ 31-year-old right back, was the 2014 Emirates Cosmos Player of the Year. That season, he went the full 90 minutes in every league match but one.

Freeman was impressive in 2015, too. The defender scored two goals and added two assists in 15 games.

Freeman, who was born in Texas, is a graduate of the University of Virginia. He has also played for the New York Red Bulls, Norway’s IK Start and the U.S. youth national team.

#23 JIMMY OCKFORD

Ockford is the youngest of the Cosmos’ best soccer defenders at 23 years of age. The 6-foot-1 central defender is on loan from Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC.

In his first stint with the Cosmos in 2014, Ockford scored two goals in 10 games. He also scored the Cosmos’ first U.S. Open Cup goal in a 2-0 win against the Brooklyn Italians.

Ockford, who hails from Pennsylvania, is a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University.

On June 15, these Cosmos defenders and others will look to stop a strong New York City FC attack in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Fordham University.