Disappointing draw leaves Cosmos in need of points

At the start of Saturday evening's game in Fort Lauderdale, things looked pretty good for the New York Cosmos. The club looked excellent in the early going, and went ahead just six minutes into the contest when Jemal Johnson found the back of the net.

It didn't take the Strikers long to respond, as mid-way through the first half Ayoze was called for a handball inside the penalty area. Jenison Brito stepped up and converted from the penalty spot, leveling the score at 1-1.

New York was handed a golden opportunity with about five minutes remaining in the half, as Ronaldo VIeira was sent off for a reckless and dangerous attempt to tackle midfielder Danny Szetela. Fort Lauderdale were forced to play the remainder of the contest with just ten men, a situation that the possession-heavy Cosmos should have been able to take advantage of.

Despite having a man advantage for just over 50 minutes. the Cosmos didn't look the more likely team to score. Luckily, Jimmy Maurer managed to make make a few key stops to prevent the short handed Florida club from taking maximum points, but given the length of time the Strikers were down a man, it's still a draw that feels like a loss.

New York now finds itself with just four points from the first three games of the 2014 fall season, so taking three points next week when the host the Carolina RailHawks will be hugely important. The RailHawks have also struggled since the fall season kicked off.