One of the great untold stories in the history of the Cosmos was how the club throughout the years has been a showcase of some of the best soccer players the United States has ever produced. In many ways, those Cosmos players from the late 1970s and early ’80s are the lost generation of American soccer.
First, the NASL was in the process of folding as the U.S. fielded a team for the 1984 Summer Olympics. The U.S. failed to qualify for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, then sent an inexperienced group to the 1990 tournament in Italy.
Things have changed, drastically over the last 30-plus years, and last week, when the reborn Cosmos played their inaugural match in USL League One, five young Americans made their professional debuts wearing the crest of perhaps the greatest name in American club soccer — the Cosmos.
“It definitely was special,” starting goalkeeper Tristan Stefani said about last Saturday’s game at Hinchcliffe Stadium in Paterson, NJ. “I’ve worked hard. I started playing when I was 3 years old and worked 20 years for this moment. To say it’s not special would be crazy. It was a special moment for a lot of guys. You dream of playing in that environment. It was really special for me. Going forward, I would like this to continue, prove myself, get more comfortable and continue to progress.”
In addition to Stefani, who is from Norfolk, Mass., the other young debutants included two players from New Jersey, striker Nick Zielonka, 23, from Wallington and midfielder Tino Puentes, 23 from Garwood; one from Brooklyn, midfielder Justin Milovanov, 22; and one from Philadelphia defender Massimo Morabito, 17. All five made their professional debuts and four started the game.
“We have a lot of guys, especially from New Jersey,” Milovanov said. “It’s cool to have people like me, who grew up hearing about the Cosmos and have an understanding of the history.”
Milovanov, who grew up in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, finished his college career at Marquette last fall. In two years in Milwaukee, he started 28 of 30 matches he played in, totaling 2,401 minutes. In his final season he finished the 2025 season with 5 goals and an assist.
“I definitely remember going to see the Cosmos” when the team played in Coney Island as part of the NASL 2.0.
Talking about the club’s introduction to USL League One, a 3-1 loss to Portland Hearts of Pine last week, Milovanov said: “I thought we played well playing against contenders, a strong team that’s supposed to compete, I thought we created a lot of chances, there were some lapses of concentration and that’s what can lead to a goal. They showed that they were clinical and took their chances. But I think we have a good group. It’s going to take time, yes, but once it clicks it will really, really click. I have a lot of confidence in this group. We’re building chemistry day in and day out. When it clicks we’ll be unstoppable.”
Though Stefani, the goalkeeper, is from Massachusetts, he played as a graduate student last year for Fordham University in the Bronx (after four years at Holy Cross), starting 13 of the Rams’ 18 matches, posting a 0.98 goals-against average.
He prides himself on being a student of the game and is up on the history of the Cosmos.
“Being a soccer fan for a while, I recognize the names [Franz] Beckenbauer, [Shep] Messing, Pelé … those names give me a clear understanding of the club’s legacy, the legacy of the name and what brought me to this club. The history and the success. When I first signed, my buddies from home and their parents were like ‘no way, the New York Cosmos?’ There are teams in this league that don’t have the history or culture.
“After the game I was out with my family at a grocery store and a man came up to me and said ‘you’re the keeper for the Cosmos?’ He was a staff member back in the day. I asked him about his experience. Then we did a photo shoot with [former goalkeeper] Hubert [Birkenmeier] and I was curious and asked him what it was like to play with some of those great players. It was special to hear about his experience first hand.
“It’s really special to be able to be in this environment. It helps me learn, being new to a professional environment.”
Zielonka, a skillful, two-footed striker who played in college for UMass-Amherst and Kentucky, has experience in USL League Two, the amateur league composed mostly of college players who stay active in their offseasons. He most recently spent time with FC Cincinnati 2 in MLS Next.
“It feels amazing to be able to play in front of a lot of people, friends from my community,” he said. “I had between 100 and 150 people at the game I had some sort of connection to.”
He added: “This is a great opportunity for me and for these guys to develop. Obviously we’re high-level players to be in this position. Being in this environment will constantly be a challenge, but in the long run it will be great for all of us.”