Match Preview: San Antonio Scorpions vs. New York Cosmos

Webcast: NASLLive.com

TV: ESPN3; ONE World Sports; KSAT12.2 MeTV

The Fall Season winners and #2 seeded San Antonio Scorpions will host the #3 seeded New York Cosmos at Toyota Field in the second semifinal of The Championship live on ESPN3. The Cosmos are looking for their second consecutive NASL Soccer Bowl trophy, while the Scorpions are making their first appearance in the league’s postseason since 2012. After losing the first two encounters of the head-to-head series in 2013, the Scorpions have won all three matches this year against the Cosmos. The last time both sides met was last week during the Fall Season Finale, when San Antonio defender Adrian Cann scored on the last kick of the match to defeat visiting New York, 1-0, at Toyota Field.                                                                                                  

Recognition:

SAS- Adrian Cann (Player of the Week-17); Adrian Cann, Rafael Castillo (Team of the Week-17)

NYC-N/A

Regular Season Stats leaders:

SAS-Goals - Rafael Castillo (7); Assists - Billy Forbes (7)

NYC-Goals - Mads Stokkelien (7); Assists - Mads Stokkelien (4)

Suspensions:

NYC-David Diosa, Dane Murphy, Alecko Eskandarian (Assistant Coach)

Regular Season Series:

NASL Head-to-Head: (5 meetings): Scorpions 3 wins, 0 ties, 2 losses— 7 GF/5 GA (+2 GD)

At Scorpions: (2 meetings): Cosmos/Scorpions 1 win, 0 ties, 1 loss - 2 GF/2 GA (0)

This Year: (3 meetings): Scorpions 3 wins, 0 ties, 0 losses— 5 GF/1 GA (+4 GD)

Last Meeting: November 1, 2014 at Toyota Field — Scorpions 1-0 Cosmos

Coaches quotes:

"Coming off an exciting conclusion to the regular season and winning the Fall Season Championship, the guys are now fully focused on the next task at hand.   They’re committed to playing with dedication and tenacity against an extremely talented and determined New York side. We’re pleased to be playing in The Championship Semifinals in front of our home crowd. The team will be ready to embrace the moment and match the intensity, energy, and passion of our fans." - Scorpions coach Alen Marcina

"In the postseason the slate is wiped clean and everyone has a fresh start. We are facing a difficult challenge this weekend in San Antonio but we’re just one game from the Final and the guys are prepared for this match." - Cosmos coach Giovanni Savarese

Referee: Ricardo Salazar

Asst 1: Ricardo Mercador Jr.

Asst 2: Christian Gordon

4th: Robert Sibiga