PREVIEW | Cosmos vs. Eddies

FC Edmonton heads out on the road for its fifth match of the 2015 Spring Season, facing the first-place New York Cosmos at Shuart Stadium, May 10 at 2:00 p.m. ET for a Mother's Day matinee. With Wednesday’s match against the Vancouver Whitecaps postponed due to unplayable field conditions at Clarke Field, the Eddies will now face a packed schedule that includes five matches over the next two weeks. 

New York has had a positive start to the season, recording three wins and a pair of draws in their opening five matches. The 2013 NASL Champions have collected points through solid defensive play, recording four clean sheets and one goal against so far this season. The Cosmos, however, have scored only five goals so far in 2015. 

Brazilian midfielder Leo Fernandes leads New York with a pair of goals and an assist in five appearances so far, while superstar Raúl and teammates Lucky Mksana and Marcos Senna have contributed the squad’s remaining three goals. The duo of Hunter Gorskie and Carlos Mendes have provided the Cosmos’ back line with stability, playing every minute of their team’s five matches so far this season, while goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer has shouldered the responsibility in net. 

“It’s a huge fixture for us and an exciting game to play, especially the way our team is playing as well at the moment,” FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller explained. “The Cosmos with Raúl and Senna in their team; they are both or have been world-class players. The incentive for our players couldn’t be any better to play against that caliber.”

FC Edmonton is in the midst of five-game unbeaten streak that includes three wins and two draws across Amway Canadian Championship and NASL competition. The team’s offense has exploded during that stretch, posting 11 goals while allowing seven against.

Edmonton’s Tomi Ameobi, Ritchie Jones, and Lance Laing lead the Eddies with two goals apiece in NASL play. Ameobi has found recent chemistry with Laing, adding to his two-goal NASL total with a pair of goals in the Canadian Championship to put his overall tally at four. The 26-year-old striker has seized his opportunity since an injury sidelined fellow striker and teammate Frank Jonke and is playing some of the best soccer of his career since joining the Eddies. Laing currently sits in a tie for first-place in league assists with Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Georgi Hristov with three. In goal, ’keeper Matt VanOekel has been consistent for the Eddies, starting every match this season and coming up with countless, timely saves when called upon.

“We’ve been extremely dangerous on the counter attack,” Miller added. “I’m not saying we’re just going to go there and park the bus by any stretch. We know that we can cause them problems, we can cause any team in the league problems with the pace and athleticism that we have. We go there full of beans – it’s a bit of a blessing we didn’t play the Whitecaps because the squad is that much fresher.”

Edmonton and New York have met five times in total since 2013. Last season, the Cosmos shut out the Eddies 1-0 in their 2014 home opener at Clarke Field. The teams then met a pair of times in the Fall Season, playing to 0-0 and 1-1 draws. Both contests between the clubs in 2013 also resulted in draws.