Players

Born and raised in Mineola, N.Y., defender Carlos Mendes became the first player to sign with the rebooted New York Cosmos when he agreed to a multi-year deal on Dec. 11, 2012.

Prior to the team’s inaugural preseason camp in Godalming, England, head coach Giovanni Savarese named Mendes as team captain.

Mendes started the first 13 games of the season for the Cosmos in their reboot season before resting in the Cosmos' regular season finale against Atlanta on Nov. 2, 2013. Mendes started and played the full 90 minutes in the Cosmos 1-0 Soccer Bowl victory over Atlanta on Nov. 9, 2013.

Mendes was inducted into the Long Island Soccer Football League's inaugural hall of fame class on Nov. 22.

Prior to joining the Cosmos, Mendes spent seven seasons in MLS, including his first six in New York with the MetroStars/Red Bulls. He ranks second on the franchise's all-time games played list with 146, 128 of which he started.

During his tenure in New York, Mendes helped the team reach its first and only MLS Cup Final appearance, a 3-1 loss to the Columbus Crew.

In September 2016, Mendes became the first Cosmos player of the reboot era to reach 100 club appearances.
 

PROFESSIONAL

2017: Re-signed with the Cosmos in Jan. 2017.

2016: Started 27 out of 32 NASL games for the Cosmos and both of The Championship matches … Made 90 clearances and 70 interceptions … Had a passing accuracy of 89 percent … Became the first Cosmos player in the Modern Era to reach 100 club appearances … Named to the NASL Best XI.

2015: Started 28 out of 30 NASL regular season matches, logging 2,498 minutes, good for second-most on the Cosmos…On Mother’s Day (May 10) vs. FC Edmonton, scored two goals in a 4-2 Cosmos victory, the first match since the birth of his son...Named to NASL Best XI.

2014: Logged 2,238 minutes for the Cosmos in 25 starts…Scored first two goals of Cosmos career on April 13 against the Atlanta Silverbacks in a 4-0 victory…Anchored a defense that set a then-NASL record streak of 372 minutes without conceding a goal…Named to the NASL Best XI. 

2013: Signed with the New York Cosmos on Dec. 11, 2012, and was named team captain during the team’s preseason camp in Godalming, England … Made his Cosmos debut on Aug. 3 against Fort Lauderdale playing 87 minutes … Appeared in 14 matches, starting all 14, including the 2013 NASL Soccer Bowl.