PREVIEW | Silverbacks vs. Cosmos

The New York Cosmos head on the road for the third time this season where they’ve had success so far, picking up four points on their travels. This Saturday, April 25, they visit Atlanta and Silverbacks Park, where they’ve never lost. With the Silverbacks starting the Spring Season strong as well, the match will be a top-of-the-table clash and could play a large role in deciding the Spring Season Champion.

Team Overview

New York Cosmos: Coming off of a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies in their home opener, the Cosmos travel to Atlanta to take on the Silverbacks. Marcos Senna converted a penalty kick to put the Cosmos up 1-0 against Tampa Bay in the 11th minute last Saturday. In the second half Leo Fernandes fired home a second goal following strong build-up play from Senna and Walter Restrepo, who recorded his third assist of the season.

The Cosmos (2-1-0, seven points) are fighting to stay undefeated and on top of the Spring Season standings. Three points in Atlanta on Saturday would likely propel the Cosmos to an even stronger position at the top of the league.

Atlanta Silverbacks: The Silverbacks played against the Carolina Railhawks this past weekend, and picked up their first win of the season, 2-1, on the road. They scored two goals after halftime before Carolina pulled one back late in the game. The scorers were Shaka Bangura and Jonathan Okafor for the Silverbacks.

Atlanta (1-2-0, four points) enters this game with five points on the year via last week’s win and back-to-back draws to open the season. The Silverbacks are also looking to remain unbeaten and snatch first place from the Cosmos.

Matchup History

All three contests between these two clubs played in the 2014 NASL season resulted in victories for the Cosmos. The first match came at the beginning of 2014, and saw the Cosmos thrash the Silverbacks, 4-0.

Their most recent meeting came on September 13, 2014, at Shuart Stadium. The result was a 3-2 victory for the Cosmos. They were able to jump out to an early two-goal lead, but the Silverbacks drew even in the second half. It took a late winner by Danny Szetela to decide the match in the 84th minute.

Notes

• The Cosmos are the only team in the league with two wins in the first three weeks of the season. New York is currently two points ahead of Indy Eleven and the Silverbacks in the NASL’s Spring Season standings.
• Raúl is making his fourth consecutive start for his new club. He’s scored a goal and looked threatening in attack thus far.
• Leo Fernandes is the Cosmos’ leading scorer entering this match with two goals in three games.
• Walter Restrepo has been brilliant for the Cosmos, one of the club's most valuable players across the first three games of the season. He was named to the NASL Team of the Week following his performance against the Rowdies.
• Goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer has only allowed one goal in the first three games of the season. While the shot-stopper can credit some of that to his strong back line, the American has been brilliant for the Cosmos thus far.
• With a win at Atlanta the Cosmos will prolong their best start to a season in the Modern Era. They will look to have three wins and a draw, with 10 points in the standings following Saturday’s match.
• The Cosmos bested Atlanta all three times in 2014 by an aggregate score of 9-2. The Silverbacks have never beaten the Cosmos in the Modern Era and fell, 1-0, to New York at Silverbacks Park in the 2013 Soccer Bowl.

Quotes

"It was an unbelievable atmosphere to play in. I thought we put in a really good performance and scored a couple good goals." – Hunter Gorskie on the Cosmos first win at Shuart Stadium

"We just need to keep doing the things we've been doing right; keeping possession and putting away our chances." – Leo Fernandes on facing Atlanta at Silverbacks Park

"We expect this game to be very difficult, playing against Atlanta there. For us it's another final." – Giovanni Savarese on the upcoming matchup