MATCH REPORT
The Cosmos came out on the front foot at Hinchliffe Stadium and opened the scoring in the 15th minute. Ajmeer Spengler put the Cosmos ahead, finding the back of the net for his first of the afternoon. Just six minutes later, the Cosmos doubled their advantage. Lamin Jawneh struck in the 21st minute to make it 2-0 and give the home side early control of the match. Richmond responded in the 32nd minute through Zahir Vasquez, cutting the Cosmos lead to 2-1 before halftime.
The Cosmos continued to see the majority of possession after the break, but Richmond found an equalizer in the 66th minute when Sean Vinberg scored to bring the match level at 2-2. With the match hanging in the balance, the Cosmos continued searching for a winner. Nicholas Mendonca entered for Ozzie Ramos in the 75th minute before Stalyn Acosta replaced Néstor Cabrera in the 81st. The match remained tied heading deep into stoppage time, setting up a dramatic finish at Hinchliffe.
In the 90th+5 minute, the Cosmos were awarded a penalty with an opportunity to take all three points. Ajmeer Spengler stepped up and converted from the spot for his second goal of the match, putting the Cosmos ahead 3-2. The Cosmos saw out the remaining minutes to secure a dramatic victory and all three points at Hinchliffe Stadium. The Cosmos finished the afternoon with 62 percent possession, completing 412 passes while outpassing Richmond 505-294 overall.
MATCH DETAILS
NEW YORK COSMOS 3-2 RICHMOND KICKERS
NEW YORK COSMOS (4-2-3-1): Garcia; Cabrera (81′ Acosta), Holt, Chilaka, Milovanov; Ramos (75′ Mendonca), Ljucovic; Koffi, Spengler, Jawneh; Guenzatti. Subs: Morabito, Puentes, Galazzini, Chan, Chavez, Zielonka.
RICHMOND KICKERS (5-4-1): Fillion; Harold, Vinberg, Layton, Barnathan, Bolduc (82′ Anderson); Vasquez (66′ Dourado), Seufert (83′ Amer), Sasankhah, O’Malley (27′ Freeman); Pannholzer (82′ Johnson). Subs: Sneddon, Howell.
Goals: 15′ Ajmeer Spengler (COS), 21′ Jawneh (COS), 32′ Vasquez (RIC), 66′ Vinberg (RIC), 90’+5 pen. Ajmeer Spengler (COS).
Booked: 18′ O’Malley (RIC), 41′ Layton (RIC), 60′ Jawneh (COS), 62′ Chilaka (COS), 62′ Vinberg (RIC), 74′ Ramos (COS), 89′ Harold (RIC), 90’+3 Dourado (RIC), 90’+8 Ajmeer Spengler (COS).
Venue: Hinchliffe Stadium, Paterson, New Jersey.
Attendance: 820.
QUOTES
AJMEER SPENGLER
On the team’s performance
“We started off very well and had two good goals. We got a little complacent and didn’t see out the next five to ten minutes after we scored the second goal. We let them back into the game, sat back too much and allowed them to move the ball up the field.”
On the conditions
“It was very chaotic in midfield. Any ball hit with force was going to skip around, so it was more about winning that ball and making a big initial pass. Both teams struggled at times and were successful at others. The rain did not help at all.”
On the first goal
“It was something Gonzalo and I talked about a bunch of times. He forced it to one side and made it predictable. When the player took a touch and didn’t shield the ball with his body, I saw my opportunity.”
On taking the late penalty
“I was trying to clear my mind and lock in. Taking the PK was about emptying my head and having an idea of what I was going to do.”
On the next match on the road
“It’s going to be a tough game. They’re a good side, and it’s a tricky field to play on. We beat them here at home. We need to take the same work ethic, structure and intensity, remove those 25 or 30 minutes we had in the first half and build on the first 15 or 20.”
Coach Davide Corti
On the high press and the opening 25 minutes
“We prepared to put them under high pressure, as Spengler said. In the first 20 minutes, we did it properly. The mistake we made was thinking the game would be easier and we could score more goals, but there’s no easy game for us.
“I always tell the guys that we are our own worst opponent. Once we drop, that’s what happens, and it happened for about 40 minutes. We’re glad we got the penalty and came out of that situation. We didn’t give up, but we definitely need to do a better job.”
On the passing and wet conditions
“It’s the mentality. At halftime, I criticized the layoffs. Sometimes we take them too lightly, and with the spin on the ball and this turf, it’s very difficult to control the ball and put it down.
“I addressed it at halftime, but I don’t know if that was enough because I saw the same things in the second half. We’ll try to address that during the week.
“When you play on turf that is wet like this, every pass counts. We need to do a better job of passing to our teammates. We cannot create a problem for the teammate receiving the ball. We need to fix that.”
On Koffi’s performance
“You can see that he hasn’t been consistent in his performances because he’s been injured. When he feels okay, he’s a really good player.
“Now it’s time for him to get fit and be more consistent in his appearances. I hope he can get fit over the next few games and bring his quality to the team to be a game changer.”
On the goal for the final four matches
“The goal is to go as high as possible. We’re glad we’ve moved further away from Richmond, but there’s a long way to go and we need to finish better. We are the Cosmos, and everyone wants to see us in a different position in the table.”
