The New York Cosmos lit up the sky in a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Indy Eleven Tuesday night at MCU Park.

 

“I think we could have utilized more spaces to create danger,” said Cosmos Head Coach and Sporting Director, Giovanni Savarese. “Even though we were able to fight back and get a tie, we could have done more to win the game."

 

The Cosmos worked hard to keep Indy at bay at the start of the half, dispelling any potential danger before it reached the target. David Ochieng did well to deny an opener in the 19th minute, despite Éamon Zayed being offside. The Cosmos defender then made his mark in the attack, bending high a right-footed effort in the 24th minute. Two minutes later, Juan Guerra tried to curl the ball into the far post, forcing Indy Eleven goalkeeper, Jon Busch, to make an uncomfortable catch. Walter Restrepo tested Busch again in the 33rd minute. The visitors responded instantly, jumping out to a 1-0 lead that same minute. Ben Speas drove a right-footed shot from the center of the box through Jimmy Maurer's legs, giving Indy Eleven the lead.

 

New York worked hard to improve, swiftly moving forward and doing well to regain possession. Ayoze fired a shot from distance with five minutes to go in the first half, but Busch came through with the save. The visitors were on the prowl again in the 42nd minute, only to watch as Maurer displayed heroics, kicking out Zayed's close range header, then clawing out the ensuing corner.

 

The Cosmos were persistent at the beginning of the second half, maintaining a strong presence in the final third. The subbed-in, Eugene Starikov, caused plenty of problems for Busch, skewing a dangerous header wide. Starikov then set up Emmanuel Ledesma, who rattled the boards behind the goal in the 59th minute, keeping the veteran shot-stopper on his toes. The forward continued the onslaught, winning one set piece after another.

 

The hosts served up some more excitement in the 68th minute, courtesy of Pablo Vranjicán. The Argentine, who got his first start for the Cosmos, crafted a tough header from the center of the box. A Guerra header was punched away by Busch in the 77th minute, as New York continued to search for the equalizer. The 83rd minute saw more of Starikov, as Busch dived to clear the forward's right-footed effort.

 

The Cosmos found a breakthrough in the 85th minute, earning a penalty after a reckless challenge on Ledesma. The midfielder converted the spot kick with a confident shot past the keeper in the 86th minute. Maurer was called into action at end of regulation time, diving to his left to deny David Goldsmith and keep his team in the game. New York had one last go at goal in the third minute of stoppage time when the subbed-in, Bljedi Bardic, headed wide from the center of the box.

 

Cosmos goalkeeper, Jimmy Maurer, was named Emirates Man of the Match, as the Cosmos took a point in a thrilling 1-1 draw in front of 6,734 fans at MCU Park.