Freeman, Caceres, and Zobeck ruled out of Cosmos opener, Haji Wright available

On Tuesday, head coach Giovanni Savarese gave an update ahead of this weekend's North American Soccer League opener in Fort Lauderdale. Defensive depth has been a major worry for Cosmos fans all season, and it looks like the club will already be thin at the back from the opening kick in 2015.

Winter signing Samuel Caceres will need to wait to make his Cosmos debut, as the defender is still sorting out visa issues, and won't be available for the opener. Starting right back Hunter Freeman will also miss the match, as he's not yet recovered enough from his injury to take part. That means we'll likely see Roversio and Carlos Mendes flanked by Hunter Gorskie and Ayoze, and we'll have our fingers crossed that none are forced off the pitch, forcing a midfielder to play out of position or a formational change.

Behind the defense, incumbent Jimmy Maurer is almost certain to start in goal. He'll have a new backup though, likely former Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Brian Holt, as regular backup Kyle Zobeck is also going to miss out.

Zobeck, Caceres, and Freeman are the only current Cosmos who will be unavailable this weekend, and Savarese confirmed that new signing Haji Wright is available for selection. The manager didn't say whether or not the player will be in the traveling squad just days after joining the club, but confirmed that he's got the option to take him to Florida should he so choose.