Cosmos draw Ft. Lauderdale 0-0

In their last two matches, The Cosmos scored a total of nine goals. However, last night New York were not able to find the back of the net and drew the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 0-0. Although the result says otherwise, this match was all about the Cosmos. The away side dominated the ball with 62% possession. New York took twenty shots but they couldn’t get one past Strikers keeper Bruno, who made eight saves on the day.

New York started the game aggressively with Ayoze rocketing a shot from outside the box, which was saved by Bruno. Ayoze left the game later in the half with an apparent injury, allowing eighteen year old Alexis Velela to make his professional debut. In the twenty sixth minute, in-form striker Jairo Arrieta almost broke the deadlock; he struck a towering header off of a Guenzatti cross, but he hit the crossbar. Guenzatti himself had a goal disallowed for offsides right before halftime.

It was more of the same for the Cosmos in the second half. Bruno continued to stand on his head and save everything in sight. Reuben Bover snuck past two Ft. Lauderdale defenders, but his effort on goal was deflected by Dalton in the direction of Bruno. The Cosmo’s best chance of the night fell to substitute Yohandri Orozco, whose hard and low sliding volley was saved in the eighty second minute.

With the draw, the Cosmos are now undefeated in their last seven matches. Although the Cosmos were unable to score, they should be proud of two consecutive clean sheets they have earned. The Championship winning defensive pair of Carlos Mendes and Roversio were back in action, as the latter played eighty five minutes for the first time this year. The draw doesn’t see the Cosmos drop in the standings, for now. FC Edmonton are breathing down New York’s neck in both the Fall and Combined standings with two games in hand. The Cosmos return home next Saturday to face MLS-bound Minnesota United FC.