New York Cosmos add two time NASL Best XI midfielder Walter Restrepo

For the second winter running, the New York Cosmos have poached an NASL Best XI player from the San Antonio Scorpions. Last year, it was forward Hans Denissen. On Monday, it was Walter Restrepo.

Restrepo joined the Scorpions from the Fort Lauderdale Strikers last winter, being traded in a cost cutting maneuver for the Strikers. Like last season with the Scorpions, he was an NASL Best XI player in 2012 as well.

Restrepo had the following to say about the difficult decision to head north and east:

"It was a difficult decision for me to leave San Antonio, especially after winning the NASL title there last year, however, the Cosmos’ vision and commitment to winning and the opportunity to play with players such as Raúl and Marcos Senna was one that was hard to turn down."

Restrepo has the ability to play either centrally or out wide, and that versatility was likely a key thing that caught the club's attention. The 26-year old will likely feature heavily in Gio Savarese's rotation.