The Cosmos came out looking to establish themselves in the attacking half, with Sebastián Guenzatti leading the line and Christian Koffi, Ajmeer Spengler and Lamin Jawneh providing support in the attack. New York generated the greater attacking threat throughout the opening 45 minutes, testing AV Alta goalkeeper Denzil Smith while looking for the breakthrough. At the other end, Tristan Stephani and the Cosmos back line remained organized and limited the visitors’ opportunities in front of goal. AV Alta was forced into an early change in the eighth minute, with Adam Aoumaich replacing Jerry Desdunes. Ozzie Ramos was booked in the 39th minute as the physical battle in midfield continued. Despite the Cosmos creating opportunities going forward, neither side was able to break the deadlock and the teams entered halftime level at 0-0.
The Cosmos continued to apply pressure after the restart and found the breakthrough in the 61st minute. Jawneh helped create the opportunity for Guenzatti, who finished to put New York ahead 1-0. AV Alta looked for a response and made several changes, but the Cosmos remained disciplined as they protected the advantage. Nick Zielonka replaced Jawneh in the 69th minute before Anges Bohui and Davide Galazzini entered in the 78th. With AV Alta pushing forward late, New York continued to manage the match and Darren Sidoel was introduced in the 89th minute to help see out the result. The Cosmos defense held firm through the final whistle, with Stephani preserving the clean sheet as New York secured a 1-0 victory and all three points at Hinchliffe Stadium.
MATCH DETAILS
NEW YORK COSMOS 1-0 AV ALTA FC
NEW YORK COSMOS (4-2-3-1): Stephani; Morabito, Holt, Chilaka, Acosta; Ljucovic, Ramos; Koffi (78′ Galazzini), Spengler (89′ Sidoel), Jawneh (69′ Zielonka); Guenzatti. Subs: Garcia, Puentes, Chavez, Milovanov, Bohui. Coach: Davide Corti.
AV ALTA FC (4-4-2): Smith; Christian Ortiz, Ceja, Pehlivanov, Relerford (71′ Pajaro); Bahena Jr., Lay, Maboumou (71′ Ramos), Antwi (58′ Higareda); Ibarra (58′ Acuna), Desdunes (8′ Aoumaich). Subs: Winum, Gonzalez. Coach: Brian Kleiban.
Goal: 61′ Guenzatti (C).
Booked: 39′ Ramos (C), 52′ Christian Ortiz (ALT), 58′ Relerford (ALT), 67′ Pehlivanov (ALT), 86′ Bahena Jr. (ALT).
MATCH STATS
Possession: Cosmos 34% – AV Alta 66%
Shots: Cosmos 17 – AV Alta 6
Shots on Target: Cosmos 7 – AV Alta 2
Touches in Opposition Box: Cosmos 31 – AV Alta 11
Saves: Cosmos 2 – AV Alta 6
Venue: Hinchliffe Stadium, Paterson, N.J.
Attendance: 1,174
Referee: Alejo Calume
