Cosmos draw with Tampa Bay, will not get a home playoff match

The Cosmos sealed their playoff fate on Saturday night with a 2-2 draw at home. Evans Frimpong took a home finale win away from the boys in green in the 91st minute of that contest, but the one point earned has assured that New York will be the third playoff seed unless Fort Lauderdale somehow makes up a goal differential difference of 12 in the season's final match.

The game got started with a Frimpong goal 25 minutes in, but it took the Cosmos less than two minutes to find an equalizer through Hagop Chirishian. Just after the halftime break, Marcos Senna delivered a stunning goal from a free kick that probably should have been the winner. Like so many matches this season though, the boys in green conceded late, and wound up splitting the points.

The performance on the whole was pretty solid from the home side. Mads Stokkelien in particular looked dangerous after coming on at the break, and watching Marcos Senna deliver dangerous free kicks is a good sign going forward. For far too long this season, that threat wasn't there with Senna out with injury.

Unfortunately, Marcos Senna was shown red during stoppage time, though it sounds as if Gio Savarese is going to appeal the decision. A suspension with the playoffs looming could be costly, especially with so many first choice players struggling with injuries at the moment.

Like last fall, the Cosmos will now hit the road to conclude their regular season, in the same venue and against the same opponent that they'll open the postseason playing. While it was the Atlanta Silverbacks in 2013, it will be back to back trips to San Antonio to face the Scorpions this time around. Unfortunately, things could, and probably should have been different.