Cosmos draw 1-1 in Portland
- Emilio Lopez
- Jul 12
- 3 min read
July 11, 2026 Fitzpatrick Stadium Portland, Maine
The Cosmos returned to USL Cup action on Saturday night in front of 6,231 spectators in Portland, Maine as they faced Hearts of Pine. With the Cosmos already eliminated from advancement in the competition, they put forth a solid performance against a Hearts of Pine team that needed a lopsided result in hopes of advancing in the Cup. The Cosmos would settle for a 1-1 draw before going to a penalty kick shoot out in which HOP would earn the additional point.
Despite not having a chance at advancement in the competition, Davide Corti fielded a lineup with most of his regular starters, with the exception of Tristan Stephani in goal and Davide Materazzi at center back. Looking to build on the Wednesday victory over FC Naples the squad looked to build momentum and provide another solid performance. Portland controlled much of the match in the early going, creating numerous chances in the first half but Tristan Stephani was up for the task, providing his best performance of the season. In the 15th minute Stephani did well to deny Ollie Wright on a break-away to keep the match level. The Cosmos were forced to make an injury substitution in the 24th minute as Davey Mason once again was forced to leave a match in the first half in place of Massimo Morabito. Portland would continue to create chances but a solid defensive display by Cosmos would thwart the home side. In the 42nd minute Cosmos would threaten as Lamin Jawneh would find space out wide and find Chevone Marsh in the box. Nothing would come out of the sequence and the match would enter the half scoreless.
Hearts of Pine would continue to press after the break, and against the run of play, the Cosmos would find the opener in the 60th minute. A quick attacking move by Ajmeer Spengler would leave Chevone Marsh with space inside the penalty area, and the Jamaican would nicely finish the play to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Cosmos would start to regain some control of the match and it looked a good possibility they would leave Portland with a victory. In the 74th minute Nick Zielonka would enter the match for Cosmos in place of Lamin Jawneh. Soon after, in the 80th minute substitute Diego González would intercept a Marsh pass outside the penalty area, and weave through two defenders to calmly slott a low shot inside the far post to bring the match level at 1-1. The Cosmos would continue to press forward and in the 88th minute Spengler would find Marsh in the area and the Jamaican would slot the ball into the back of the net. However, Marsh was ruled offsides and Cosmos would have to settle for a 1-1 draw.
All matches ending in draws in the USL Cup enter a penalty kick shootout with the winner taking home an additional point. Nich Mendonca and Nick Zielonka would convert from the spot for the Cosmos, but Kashope Oladapo would block penalty attempts from Ajmeer Spengler and Sebastián Guenzatti, sending Portland Hearts of Pine to a 4-2 shootout victory and an additional point. Despite the pk shootout results, Cosmos provided another solid performance, showing improved defensive play and once again displaying the added threat that Marsh provides to the attack.
PORTLAND HEARTS OF PINE 1 (4) – 1 (2) NEW YORK COSMOS
PORTLAND HEARTS OF PINE (4-4-2): Oladapo; Mohamed, Evans, Espinosa, Jones-Riley; Wright, Poon-Angeron, Hersi, Varela; Georgallidis, Sing. Subs: Barbosa, Drack, Gonzalez, Kunga, Huck, Morse, Faye. Coach: Bobby Murphy.
NEW YORK COSMOS (4-1-4-1): Stephani; Holt, Materazzi, Mason (24' Morabito), Cabrera; Sidoel; Marsh, Mendonca, Spengler, Jawneh (74' Zielonka); Guenzatti. Subs: Garcia, Chavez, Bohui, Milovanov. Coach: Davide Corti.
Goals: 60′ Marsh (C), 80′ Gonzalez (POR).
Penalty Shootout:Portland Hearts of Pine: ✓ Joshua Drack, ✓ Diogo Barbosa, ✓ Tyler Huck, ✓ Diego GonzalezNew York Cosmos: ✗ Ajmeer Spengler (saved), ✓ Nicholas Mendonca, ✗ Sebastián Guenzatti (saved), ✓ Nick Zielonka
Bookings: 28′ Hersi (POR), 34′ Sidoel (C), 85′ Barbosa (POR).
Match Stats:
Possession: Cosmos 39% – Portland Hearts of Pine 61%
Shots: Cosmos 10 – Portland Hearts of Pine 16
Shots on Target: Cosmos 5 – Portland Hearts of Pine 8
Saves: Cosmos 7 – Portland Hearts of Pine 4
Fouls: Cosmos 8 – Portland Hearts of Pine 12
Accurate Passes: Cosmos 207 – Portland Hearts of Pine 358
Pass Accuracy: Cosmos 73% – Portland Hearts of Pine 82%
Tackles: Cosmos 13 – Portland Hearts of Pine 22
Clearances: Cosmos 32 – Portland Hearts of Pine 18
Blocked Shots: Cosmos 4 – Portland Hearts of Pine 1
Game Information:
Date: July 11, 2026
Venue: Fitzpatrick Stadium – Portland, Maine
Attendance: 6,231
Referee: Joe Surgan
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