(Credit Image: Dennis Schneidler/Delaney B. James Sports Photography/FC Edmonton)
NEW YORK – The New York Cosmos were held by FC Edmonton to a scoreless draw on Wednesday night at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium. The Cosmos (1-2-2) had 15 of their 19 shot attempts in the second half and midfielder Marcos Senna also missed a penalty kick in the 51st minute.
Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese said he believed his team created the better of the scoring chances.
“Today we did everything,” he said after the match. “We did everything except get the goal.”
Injuries have been an issue as of late for the team, but the return of Senna and defender Rovérsio galvanized the Cosmos lineup during the first half. The Cosmos earned a penalty kick in the 50th minute after Edmonton goalkeeper John Smits fumbled a ball lofted into the box.
His attempted recovery brought midfielder Jemal Johnson to the ground. Senna, who made his first start for the Cosmos since May 24 of this year, took the penalty kick but sent the shot high over the crossbar, keeping the game scoreless in the 51st minute. Senna did not use lack of fitness as an excuse for missing the goal.
“I’ve been well-trained,” he said. “It just happens in football. This is my first (miss) and hopefully it will be my last.”
Savarese brought on forward Mads Stokkelien as a substitute in the 58th minute for Stefan Dimitrov as the Cosmos continued to press for a goal. In the 69th minute, Senna came close on a free kick 22 yards away from goal, with his shot grazing the top of the crossbar.
Edmonton forward Tomi Ameobi was issued a red card for a late sliding tackle on Cosmos midfielder Danny Szetela in the 74th minute. Up a man, the Cosmos kept applying pressure with fullback Ayoze forcing a fine save by Smits on another free kick. Deep into stoppage time, Senna had one final chance and struck a free kick that left Smits beaten but went narrowly wide.
Edmonton only had one clear chance in the first half - a 3-on-1 counter attack in the 45th minute - but Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer came up big by leaping to his left and blocking the shot attempt by Edmonton defender Lance Laing.
“Confidence is always a factor, but at the same time none of our guys’ heads are down,” Maurer said of the result. “We are not in a terrible state. I think everyone has their heads up and is working hard.”
“It’s important for us to keep it positive,” Savarese said. “We saw character and determination (tonight). We saw the team from last year. We can build on that.”
Soccer is funny. Similar to baseball when a pitcher or batter hit a slump so does the nose and eye for goal. It’s confidence. Mostly it happens with just one player but it can be contagious. Some great examples are Torres, (soccer) Benitez (baseball) both great players then lost something. I believe it is psychological. Having played soccer competitively I can relate. Some goals I missed still haunt me and hurt my confidence. I wonder how Wondo will recover after his miss in the WC. Big ones seem to hurt the most. The best athletes bounce back and bush it off and some players seem to retain that monkey on the back. I believe once we find that striker or anyone who can put the ball in the back of the net we will be back to the Cosmo tradition of winning. Unlike baseball the team moves as a unit and rely on certain role players, meaning it is less of an individual jinx, it can be a team thing. As for Marcos missing I love his bush off. I am jealous and amazed how professional he is and the confidence/ability he still shows on the field. I am the same age and at 32 I noticed a big difference in my game. The step is not there but the mind is, which cool to realize. How you can slow the game down as all these young kids fly around but still always make the right play and be creative. Pirlo is an amazing example. I just sit in awe that guys like those two can do what they do at their age and be successful at such a high level of competition. Once someone steps up and puts the
Once someone steps up and puts the ball in the back of the net others will follow suit. At least I hope. Are there superstitions in soccer?
Ceasar- I treat this blog differently than facebook. Feels more open,yet, more an area to express. Do any of the 5 points comment, regularly? I enjoy a certain freedom you have established here, which I did not realize before. THIS IS COSMO COUNTRY!!
Hey Aidan: Thanks for your kind words. To be honest, most of members tend to comment more on Facebook and that’s cool considering most of the pages are closed. The mental part of sports has always intrigued me. When I used to wrestle and in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), we had guys who were best in our teams. However, come tournament time, they couldn’t handle the pressure of facing a total stranger in front of a crowd.
In the case of the Cosmos, they have the talent. Unfortunately, they’ve been injured from the beginning of the Spring Season. As a result, Gio hasn’t been able to insert his ideal starting XI and create a flow that eventually leads to goals. On a positive note, Jimmy Maurer has been the most consistent player on the team. While a 1-2-2 record isn’t exactly what we’ve had in mind, there’s still 13 matches to be played. As far as scoring goals, they have to move the ball better inside the box in order to confuse the defenders. Too many of the shots they’ve taken tend to telegraphed. One extra pass to the open player…