Cosmos Win By Two Against Rowdies, Claim Top Postseason Seed

In the final regular-season game of his illustrious career, Raúl scored the game-winning goal in a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday night at Shuart Stadium.

Sebastián Guenzatti added an insurance goal for the Cosmos, who closed out the regular season with four consecutive wins and clinched the top spot in the NASL’s Combined Standings on a tiebreaker.

The Cosmos, who have home-field advantage throughout the postseason, will host either Tampa Bay or Fort Lauderdale in The Championship Semifinals at Brooklyn’s MCU Park next Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.

After Ottawa played Atlanta to a draw earlier on Saturday, the door was opened for the Cosmos to finish atop the Combined Standings. To do so, the Cosmos would have to beat the Rowdies by at least two goals.

Those goals came four minutes apart in the second half. First, Raúl netted his eighth goal of the season when he took a pass from Ruben Bover and put a low left-footed shot under Matt Pickens and inside the far post in the 54th minute.

Guenzatti followed with his fifth goal of the season in the 58th minute, sliding to latch onto a Walter Restrepo cross after Marcos Senna played him behind the defense.

Raúl and Senna were honored before their final regular-season game in their storied careers and video tributes to both Spanish legends were played at halftime.

Raúl twice nearly set up Guenzatti in a span of two minutes midway through the first half.

In the 29th minute, Guenzatti tried to latch onto a Raúl through ball, but Pickens raced off his line to challenge. The ball deflected off Pickens and nearly caromed into the net, but it sailed just over the bar.

Two minutes later, Raúl played a free kick to Guenzatti, who put a first-time volley over the bar from 10 yards out.

In the 41st minute, Guenzatti had another quality chance, but his attempt from 16 yards out kissed the outside of the post.

In the first minute of first-half stoppage time, Walter Restrepo found space down the left and sent a dangerous cross in the box, but Gastón Cellerino couldn’t put his shot on frame.

In the 51st minute, Pickens made a pair of glorious saves to keep the game scoreless, first robbing an open header by Cellerino on the edge of the six-yard box and the ensuing rebound by Restrepo.