Juan Arango nets a brace in his debut to pace New York past Ottawa at Shuart Stadium.
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – (April 3, 2016) The New York Cosmos title defense got off to a ringing start with a 3-0 win over Ottawa Fury FC Sunday night in both teams’ 2016 opener.
The last time the New York Cosmos were at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium, confetti littered the field as they celebrated another North American Soccer League championship, sending Spanish legends Raúl and Marcos Senna into retirement with a bang.
“We knew we were going to be different without them,” Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese said of Raúl and Senna. “We have different players, but I feel we have more depth this year. You saw when we made substitutions. Everyone who came in is a player who could change the game.”
Leading the charge was Venezuelan attacking midfielder Juan Arango, who struck for a first-half brace in his Cosmos debut.
“Any player dreams of having a great debut,” Arango said. “Even better when you can score two goals. It’s a dream.”
Arango’s impact was felt almost immediately. Combining well with fellow newcomer Jairo Arrieta and returning midfielders Sebastian Guenzatti and Andrés Flores, Arango scored twice in a two-minute span late in the first half.
Arrieta beat Ottawa goalkeeper Romuald Peiser in a race for a loose ball and crossed in front to Arango, who easily buried the ball into the open net to put the Cosmos in front, 1-0, in the 36th minute.
Two minutes later Arango had his second, tapping into the empty net after Peiser spilled a low Sebastian Guenzatti cross.
“Arango had a very good game,” said Savarese. “He was smart in finding spaces and getting those balls in the right area to be able to score."
Savarese also praised Arrieta, the Costa Rican international who previously played for Columbus Crew and D.C. United.
“I thought Arrieta was fantastic today,” Savarese said. “He’s another smart player with good movement. You could see how well he was holding the ball with big guys on him."
Midfielder Adam Moffat made a triumphant return to the field for New York after missing the tail end of last year and most of the preseason due to injury.
“I missed every single preseason game, but the doctors were encouraged with my progress and I started practice a few weeks ago,” Moffat said. “To get some minutes was great, but to get a goal personally was really good. I’m happy with that.”
Less than 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute for Ruben Bover, the midfielder put the game away, chipping Peiser from 45 yards after the goalkeeper came well off his line to slide and kick away a Flores cross from midfield.
“When it comes to you like that, there are so many things going through your mind," said Moffat. "Do you take a touch or do you hit it hard? I kind of composed myself and thought I’d try to use the wind to guide it over there. Let's call it finesse.”
Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer had to make four saves, including a kick save in the second half, to preserve the clean sheet. But the Cosmos are encouraged by the start, the impact of the newcomers and the three points most of all.
“It was a good result, but we have a lot to work on moving forward,” Maurer said. “First game, so obviously you’re happy to get out of there with a 3-0 victory at home, but it’s early in the season and we have a lot of work to do.”