Cosmos vs FC Edmonton: A Song of Ice and Fire

Spoilers for S7 E4 of Game of Thrones Ahead (If you’re not caught up, what are you doing?)

New York may have had a disappointing loss last week, but they have a great opportunity to bounce back a few days later. Tomorrow the Cosmos will play FC Edmonton in a Friday night thriller. Also, I can’t stop thinking about last week’s amazing episode of Game of Thrones.

Much like House Stark, FC Edmonton has been struggling for a while, but it seems like things may finally fall into place. Don’t underestimate them due to being second to last in the standings. Edmonton has started the Fall season with a chip on their shoulder, beating Indy Eleven 3-1. Eddies center back Abdoulaye Diakité was named NASL player of the week after his performance in the victory. Dustin Corea, who had a brace in their most recent match, has been an impact player for the Eddies as well. Earlier in the year, Edmonton beat the Cosmos 4-2 as well. With the way NASL playoff qualification works, they still have a chance of making a run if they can catch heat. Are they prepared for the Long Winter or will they bend the knee?

The Cosmos are going into this match in a similar position to Daenerys after last week’s epic battle. Initially, thanks to a Drogon-esque performance from Eric Calvillo, New York was flying high. However, at the zenith of their success they were shot out of the sky by the San Francisco Deltas. Just like Khaleesi’s use of her dragons in battle, it will be interesting to see how Gio Savarese decides to line his team up during this match. It seems that the major questions for the Cosmos lie in the attack. Just like the Starks returning to Winterfell, Juan Arango and Lucky Mkosana will soon be making their presence felt for New York. Players like the red-hot Calvillo, and Starikov will have to keep form in order to stay in the starting eleven one Arango enters the fold. Speaking of Vranjican, it seems likely that he will start, as Mkosana steadily returns to match fitness. The aggressive Argentinean has been making the most of his playing time, including scoring in his last match. In a similar way to Jaime Lannister’s fate after charging Khaleesi and Drogon, there’s a lot of ways Gio can go with his lineup.

Match Prediction

Goal scoring has been a major problem for the FC Edmonton this season. While the Eddies have conceded the same amount of goals (24) as the Cosmos over this campaign, New York has dramatically outscored the Canadian side, with 26 goals to their 15. A Jimmy Maurer shutout could be key to the Cosmos besting the home team. I’m predicting a 1-0 away win.

Like Jaime and Euron above, you’ll want to watch this match, even with your enemies. The New York Cosmos and FC Edmonton kick off at Clarke Stadium this Friday night at 9pm. The match can be streamed live on ESPN3. Winter is Here.