By: Lucky Ngamwajasat
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In most leagues, an end-of-the-season result like the Cosmos recorded against FC Edmonton on July 15 would seem innocuous.
Mathematically eliminated from Spring Season contention, New York finished the campaign with a 1-0 win in Alberta. They finished the 16-game schedule with a record of 6-6-4 with 24 points overall and in third place behind Miami FC and the San Francisco Deltas.
Miami FC is guaranteed a berth in the chase for the NASL Championship at the end of the season as the winners of the Spring Season. The winner of the Fall Season, set to begin on Saturday, is also locked into a berth in the postseason tournament. Should the Cosmos not win the Fall Season, the result in Edmonton could play a factor. The final two berths in the postseason tournament are given to the teams with the combined best records in both the Spring and the Fall.
By virtue of goals scored, the Cosmos finished in third place ahead of the Jacksonville Armada due to goals scored during the Spring campaign. That could prove vital should the two teams find themselves battling for a coveted playoff spot.
New York finished two points behind the Deltas but had a superior goal differential in the Spring. Should the two teams find themselves tied for a berth in the postseason tournament, the Cosmos would just need to better the Deltas in the Fall Season by two points in order to clinch the tiebreaker.
ARANGO RE-JOINS COSMOS
In the brief period between the Spring and Fall Seasons, New York reloaded by adding a former NASL MVP to its ranks.
Juan Arango will return to the Cosmos in the Fall after being re-signed earlier this week. The former Borussia Monchengladbach man and Venezuelan international is back after a brief stint earlier this year with Venezuelan club Zulia FC.
“We welcome the 2016 NASL MVP, Juan Arango, back to our club,” said Cosmos Head Coach and Sporting Director Giovanni Savarese in a statement released by the club. “His experience and quality will provide a tremendous resource to our team this year.”
Arango is the all-time leader for Venezuela in appearances and goals, recording 127 caps and 23 goals. In 29 games for the Cosmos in 2016, the midfielder tallied 15 goals and 9 assists.
RYAN RICHTER SOUNDS OFF ON TEAMMATES
Recently, MSGNetworks.com had the opportunity to speak with Cosmos right back Ryan Richter and asked the 28-year-old some pointed questions about his teammates. Find out what he had to say in the premiere of Teammates!
A LOOK AHEAD: VS. MIAMI FC
The Cosmos begin the Fall portion of their schedule Saturday night against Miami FC at MCU Park. Live coverage gets under way at 7 PM on MSG+.
New York played Miami FC three times during the Spring campaign, recording a record of 1-2-0.