FC Edmonton defeat NY Cosmos 4-2
The New York Cosmos went down 4-2 to FC Edmonton Wednesday night at MCU Park.
“We had two goals scored against us and two red cards that proved difficult to recover from,” said Cosmos Head Coach and Sporting Director, Giovanni Savarese. “We dominated the game up until the 65th minute, but couldn’t close the game the way we wanted.”
In the 4th minute shot from distance by Cosmos defender, Ayoze, kicked off the night. Goalkeeper, Brian Holt, who made his third consecutive start this season, was called into action in the 14th minute, punching out an Edmonton corner. New York continued moving forward with Danny Szetela testing Eddies goalkeeper, Nathan Ingham. Ayoze made his mark once again in the 30th, latching onto the end of a rebound from a blocked shot by Irvin Herrera. Minutes later, the Salvadoran forward took advantage of a great cross by Andrés Flores, sending a volley bound for the net.
The Cosmos’ home field advantage payed off in first half stoppage time. A cross from Walter Richter found Herrera, who opened the scoring and his account for the club, sending a header into the top right corner from the center of the box.
New York sought a sequel at the start of the second half, continuing the onslaught. Juan Guerra kept Ingham on his toes, producing a close attempt from outside the box. Ayoze drove a low shot just wide of the net in the 56th. The Eddies found the key to the Cosmos net in the 69th minute, with Sainey Nyassi scoring against the run of play. Minutes later, Tomi Ameobi gave Edmonton the lead. Cosmos forward, Eugene Starikov, came close to bringing his team back in the game, only to see the ball cleared from the goal line.
The hosts continued to fight back, even after being reduced to nine men after straight red cards to Darrius Barnes and Juan Guerra. Two late goals by Jake Keegan and Ameobi, however, secured the win for Edmonton. Back-to-back penalties in stoppage time gave the Cosmos opportunities to alter the score. Ingham parried the first spot kick, but was helpless against Ayoze, who ended the night with 2-4 on the scoreboard.
Herrera earned Emirates Man of the Match honors in a challenging game for New York.
The Cosmos remain in Brooklyn, as they host North Carolina FC on Saturday, June 10 at 4:00 pm.
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