Cosmos Drop 2-1 Heartbreaker to Union Omaha
May 27, 2026 Hinchliffe Stadium Paterson, NJ
Coming off of a difficult road loss to AV Alta on the weekend the Cosmos returned home to face first place Union Omaha. In front of an announced 2,684 spectators at Hinchliffe the Cosmos put forth a better effort but ultimately lost 2-1 in heart-breaking fashion.
The Cosmos made three lineup changes from the previous match. Darren Sidoel returned to the squad after numerous weeks out due to injury, replacing Justin Milovanov at defensive-mid, Davide Galazzini returned to the starting lineup at right back in place of Will Noecker, and Nick Zielonka replaced the injured Christian Koffi in the attack. The Cosmos in need of points to move up in the table came out in a 4-1-4-1 formation with Sidoel in front of the defense in hopes of providing some stability.
The Cosmos started off well with three solid chances in the first four minutes of the match. Guenzatti had a great chance to score off of header in the fourth minute, but his attempt went wide. The Cosmos dictated played for the first 15 minutes of the contest, possessing the ball and creating chances, but they were unable to convert. In the 20th minute Union Omaha had their first real chance of the match, Javier Garcia would do well coming off his line to disrupt an Omaha attack, however the Union were able to get a shot on goal which was saved off the line by Anderson Holt. Omaha would start to generate some chances, but the danger would be minimal as the Cosmos backline was up to the task. The match would go the half level at 0-0, with the Cosmos showing they could compete with the top team in the league.
The Cosmos would make one lineup change at the half; Darren Sidoel would be replaced by Milovanov. After a long injury layoff, the Cosmos wanted to slowly get Sidoel back into the team. Union Omaha would also bring in Kempes Tekiela for Diego Gutierrez. Omaha would start to ease back into the match and would look the better side to start the second half. Omaha would earn a corner in the 59th minute, Cosmos would do well to defend the corner, but Nick Zielonka would turn the ball over just outside the box. Omaha would quickly capitalize on the mistake, after a sequence of plays Dylan Borczak would find Josue Gomez with a cross, Gomez would get on the end of the ball and hit a left foot shot from close range to the bottom right corner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Soon after, Corti would insert Tino Puentes in place of Zielonka in the 61st minute.
The Cosmos would look for an equalizer, with their best chance coming in the 78th minute on a give and go between Guenzatti and Spengler. The Cosmos would earn a corner in the 79th minute. They would take a short corner to Lamine Jawneh, who would cross the ball towards goal and find Puentes who would head the ball to Holt in front of goal. Holt would do well to control the ball and hit a left foot shot from close range into the top left corner. Holt’s first professional goal, against his former club would level the match at 1. The Cosmos would make two changes in the 83rd minute in hopes of at least securing a point, Will Noecker would replace Jordan Chavez and Patrick Bohui would come in for Nick Mendonca. Things would get dicey a minute later as Bohui would foul Ryan Jiba in the penalty area and a pk would be awarded to Omaha. Pato Botello-Faz would take the responsibility and step up to take the PK. Cosmos could only hope that Javier Garcia’s success at saving pks would continue on this attempt. Botello-Faz would unleash a right footed shot and sky it over the bar. At this point Omaha would play it safe to ensure at least a point on the road. After a few attacks by both sides, in the 94th minute Kempes Tekiala would find himself in space and fire a left footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner to take the 2-1 lead and leave the Cosmos stunned. The match would end with Cosmos once again on the losing end.
Although the Cosmos showed they could compete with one of the top teams in USL League One, the difference between both sides was seen in the little details. While Cosmos created many chances, their inability to finish would cost them, while Omaha with a few chances would find the way to get the goals. Cleaning up mistakes will be big topic during the week for Davide Corti’s side. With players out with injury, it is evident the team needs more experienced options on the bench, and Cosmos is actively looking for reinforcements.
NEW YORK COSMOS (4-1-4-1): Garcia; Holt, Chavez (83’ Noecker), Cabrera, Galazzini; Sidoel (46’ Milovanov); Zielonka (61’ Puentes), Mendonca (83’ Bohui), Spengler, Jawneh; Guenzatti. Subs: Morabito, Materazzi, Guarino, Chan. Coach: Davide Corti.
UNION OMAHA (4-2-3-1): Nuhu; Malone, Owusu, Jiba, Lawrence (61’Boudadi) ; Gavilanes, Wootton (83’ Cabral); Gutiérrez (46’ Tekiela), Gómez (61’ Botello-Faz), Borczak (61’ Ors); Guidiri. Subs: Jensen, Kallman. Coach: Vincenzo Candela.
Goals: 60′ Gómez (OMA), 80′ Holt (C), 90’+4 Tekiela (OMA).
Bookings: 24′ Owusu (OMA), 31′ Guidiri (OMA), 45’+2 Mendonca (C), 49′ Malone (OMA), 75′ Guenzatti (C), 90’+3 Bohui (C).
Match Stats:Possession: Cosmos 35.9% – Union Omaha 64.1%
Shots: Cosmos 22 – Union Omaha 13
Shots on Target: Cosmos 3 – Union Omaha 7
Corners: Cosmos 5 – Union Omaha 7
Saves: Cosmos 4 – Union Omaha 2
Fouls: Cosmos 17 – Union Omaha 13
Yellow Cards: Cosmos 3 – Union Omaha 3
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