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Raul injures hamstring in Cosmos debut, to be evaluated Tuesday

Victor Fraile/Getty Images

The Cosmos opened the 2015 season with a victory, but the first substitution of the match had many fans worried aout a potential loss. Raul Gonzalez lasted less than an hour in his NASL debut. before making way for Sebastian Guenzatti. Head coach Gio Savarese confirmed after the match that the substitution was, in fact, due to a minor hamstring injury:

"It was a precautionary substitution. We want to make sure we don't push our players that we're not going to have them for the whole season. We felt it was better for him to come out. It's important for him to be ready for the next game."

The Cosmos are in action again next Saturday, when they head to Indianapolis to take on the Indy Eleven. They'll get a better feel for the extent of the injury on Tuesday.

Overall, the Cosmos head coach was pleased with the performance of the Spanish legend:

"He did a lot of great things. He found the ball in good areas. He created some good situations going forward. He's a player that has a lot of mobility and knows how to notice and find good situations. I felt he did very well for his first game. He's very intelligent on the field. He's communicating well with the guys, organized. He brings a lot of quality to our team."

If Raul is unable to play this weekend, that could open the door for youngster Haji Wright to make the matchday squad.