Cosmos drop 3-1 decision in Maine
- Emilio Lopez
- May 2
- 4 min read
May 2, 2026 Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland,ME
The Cosmos returned to league action this Saturday against Portland Hearts of Pine at a sold-out Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland, Maine. The Cosmos came out in their iconic green and white kits, while Hearts of Pine wore their orange and black kits for the first time in the 2026 season.
Hearts of Pine were coming off of two straight draws at home, and were looking for their second victory of the campaign, the first coming in week 1 in Paterson against these same Cosmos by a 3-1 score-line. The Cosmos were looking to rebound from a USL Cup loss to Brooklyn FC, and to extend their three-match unbeaten streak in league play.
For the Cosmos, Tristan Stephani would again start in goal in place of the injured Derrek Chan, and the team would come out in a 5-3-2 formation. Portland Hearts of Pine lined up in their traditional 4-4-2 formation, featuring the dangerous Ollie Wright and Jay Tee Kamara on the flanks. After an initial feeling out phase, Hearts of Pine would have the first chance of the match in the 8th minute as Wright would find Kamara in the box, but his shot would be easily saved by Stephani. This would turn into a warning shot, as two minutes later Wright would find the Sierra Leone international Kamara, who would dribble to create space at the top of the box, and fire a shot outside the area into the upper 90, as Stephani’s diving effort would prove futile. The stadium would erupt as the home side would take a 1-0 lead. Seven minutes later, Kamara would find Wright in space, and after a challenge by Will Noecker, Wright would manage to get hold of the ball and expertly chip a shot over Stephani to give Hearts of Pine a 2-0 lead. Stephani was a bit in no-man’s land allowing Wright to easily chip the shot over him. The Cosmos would have their first real chance of the match in the 24th minute when Davey Mason would find space on the left and pass the ball to an on-coming Spengler, however, Portland would deflect the shot and avert any danger. The Cosmos would not manage a shot on goal in the first half as they would be plagued by turnovers in the midfield, and found themselves chasing the game. The first half would end with the home team up 2-0. During the first half the home side would manage 60% of the possession, while taking 11 shots, 3 on goal, and limit the Cosmos to two shots, none which on goal.
Both teams would return for the second half with the same twenty-two players. Any chance of a Cosmos comeback would end in the 48th minute. After a Cosmos attack was thwarted, Kamara would take advantage of the fact that Cosmos had pushed numbers forward, he would unleash a long ball over the top from the other side of the field, and find Ollie Wright who would dribble into the box, cut the ball right, and beat Will Noecker and fire a shot past Stephani. The goal would be his second of the match, and increase the lead to 3-0. The goal would also be Portland’s seventh of the campaign, six of them coming in the two matches against Cosmos.
The Cosmos would continue to press forward in hopes of getting on the scoresheet. In the 55th minute, Christian Koffi would record the teams first shot on goal, as Hunter Morse would do well to smother the shot. The Cosmos would make an offensive-minded substitution in the 57th minute, with Nestor Cabrera replacing Davey Mason. In the 68th minute, Cabrera would put a dangerous ball in the box, which would eventually lead to an Ajmeer Spengler shot from outside the area, which was saved by Morse. The Cosmos would avert disaster in the 71st minute, after a careless pass by Stephani was intercepted by Hearts of Pine, but the Maine side would not take advantage of the situation. The Cosmos would make two more substitutions in the 78th minute, Zielonka and Bohui would replace Milovanov and Morabito.
The Cosmos would show fight and push for a goal. In the 82nd minute Will Noecker would play a ball into the box which would be headed by Chaves, Morse would make a save on the play, but Guenzatti would pounce on the rebound and cut the lead to 3-1. After a few more New York chances, the match would end 3-1 in favor of Hearts of Pine.
After seven matches into the season, it is clear to see that the Cosmos have to settle on a system and implement it consistently. With the absence of Darren Sidoel, the midfield play has lacked consistency, and the team needs to have more control of the match and dictate play. The team also needs to limit costly turnovers in the back and find a way to get off to better starts.
The match on May 15th at Westchester will be a key match in determining if the club can establish its identity.
New York Cosmos (5-3-2): Stephani; Mason (57’ Cabrera), Holt, Chavez, Noecker, Morabito (78’ Zielonka); Mendonca, Milovanov (78’ Bohui), Spengler; Koffi, Guenzatti.
Subs: Del Valle, Materazzi, Guarino. Coach: Corti.
Hearts of Pine (4-4-2): Morse; Mohamed, Green, Evans, Drack (62’ Jones-Riley); Kamara (62’ Kunga), Lopez (62’ Barbosa), Poon-Angerson, Wright (81’ Georallides); Terzaghi (62’ Washington), Kidd.
Subs: Oladapo, Mensah. Coach: Murphy.
Goals: 10′ Kamara (HOP), 18′ Wright (HOP), 49′ Wright (HOP), 82’ Guenzatti (NY).
Match Stats:
Possession: Hearts of Pine 50% – Cosmos 50%
Shots: Hearts of Pine 24 – Cosmos 10
Shots on Target: Hearts of Pine 7 – Cosmos 4
Corners: Hearts of Pine 11 – Cosmos 2
Saves: Hearts of Pine 3 – Cosmos 4
Yellow Cards: Hearts of Pine 4 – Cosmos 3
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