Cosmos Drop 4-1 Cup tilt with Hartford
Updated: Jun 8
June 6, 2026 Hinchliffe Stadium, Paterson, NJ
Coming off of a frustrating 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sarasota Paradise, the Cosmos took a break from league play as they faced USL Championship side Hartford Athletic in a USL Cup match. Prioritizing the league, Davide Corti sent out a heavily rotated squad. An early goal by Hartford and a 15th minute red card by Tino Puentes, as well as a 100-minute weather delay in the first half, were key moments in a match Cosmos would end up losing 4-1.
The Cosmos featured a heavily rotated squad with only three players who started the match against Sarasota. Davide Materazzi was making his debut for the club, and Leo Guarino making his debut as a starter for the green and whites. In the early going the Cosmos had some good transition moments in attack, but looked a bit shaky defending in their area. Once again, the Cosmos would concede an early goal. This one coming in the 11th minute as Augustine Williams would capitalize on a rebound in front of goal and hit a right footed shot into the center of the goal. The goal was proceeded by two quality saves by Derrek Chan, who could do nothing on the last shot. Things would get worse in the 15th minute as Tino Puentes would attempt a reckless tackle in an attempt to recover a ball, as his studs were showing he would be awarded a straight red, leaving the Cosmos to face a 1-0 deficit with much of the match remaining. Minutes later the skies would open up and the match would be stopped due to thunder in the area, this would lead to a 100-minute delay.
Both teams would resume the match at 9:00 pm with no changes. Cosmos would shift to a more defensive formation, leaving Nick Zielonka as the lone striker. Initially the Cosmos would look more organized, and Derek Chan would do well to keep the score at 1-0. However, in the 40th minute Barry Coffey would hit a one-time volley off of a pass into the center of the box by Williams, into the top of the goal to make it 2-0 for the visitors. When it looked as that would be the score at halftime, Hartford’s Adrian Diz would find Emmanuel Samadia inside the box, Samadia would do well to get a shot off and bury it to make it 3-0 at the half. The disastrous first half would end for Cosmos, much to the excitement of the Hartford traveling supporters.
To start the second half Cosmos would insert Ajmeer Spengler, Seba Guenzatti, and Anderson Holt in place of Leo Guarino, Nick Zielonka, and Massimo Morabito. The moves would stabilize the Cosmos play as they looked more compact defensively and more dangerous on the counter. After a quality save by Chan in the 61st minute, the Cosmos would spring Guenzatti on a breakaway in the 63rd minute, Hartford keeper Anthony Siaha would take Guenzatti down just outside the box, resulting in a straight red. Hartford would bring in backup keeper Enzo Carvalho in place of Barry Coffey. The Cosmos would show resilience in the second half and look for a goal to bring them back in the match. In the 74th minute Jordan Chavez would enter the match for Materazzi. In the 87th minute the boys in green would get into the scoring column, after a Spengler free kick, Jordan Chavez would pounce on a rebound and shoot the ball into the bottom right cornet to make it 3-1. The brief Cosmos enjoyment would not last long as a minute later Hartford would make it 4-1, after a quick transition Sadat Anaku would find an unmarked Andres Hernandez would deposit the ball under the legs of a diving Chan. After three minutes of injury time Hartford Athletic would celebrate a big victory, now controlling their chances of advancing in the USL Cup.
Cosmos Updates:
Davide Corti used this match to give some of the seldom used players an opportunity to prove themselves on the pitch. With the teams’ priority being to move up in the League One table, the team can now focus on league play. Davide Materazzi had a decent outing, which allows Corti to have more options in the back, other players did not take advantage of their opportunities, but the red card to Puentes in the 15th minute changed the teams’ ability to attack, limiting players like Guarino from being able to showcase what they can do.
With the same mistakes being repeated match after match, it is evident the team needs to upgrade its roster. Cosmos continues to trial players and is looking to make more additions in the near future.
Luis Del Rio, the 18-year-old center back has departed the club. The young Florida native asked for his release after not seeing any first team minutes. Braden Backus, who has yet to appear in a match this season, is currently recovering from shoulder surgery and is not expected back until the end of the season.
NEW YORK COSMOS (4-2-3-1): Chan; Materazzi (74’ Chaves), Noecker, Morabito (46’ Holt), Galazzini; Puentes, Sidoel; Guarino (46’ Spengler), Bohui, Koffi; Zielonka (46’ Guenzatti). Subs: Jawneh, Garcia, Manzano, Mendonca. Coach: Davide Corti.
HARTFORD ATHLETIC (3-4-3): Ngepi; Diaz Pe (80’ Nije), Presthus, Fischer; Samadia, Makangila (57’ Moreira), Careaga, Anderson; Ngalina (80’ Hernández), Williams (80’ Anaku), Coffey (63’ Carvalho). Subs: Taofeek, Flynn. Coach: Brendan Burke.
Goals: 11′ Williams (HFD), 40′ Coffey (HFD), 45′ Samadia (HFD), 87′ Chavez (C), 88′ Hernández (HFD).
Bookings: 44′ Bohui (C), 45’+2 Ngepi (HFD), 45’+2 Sidoel (C), 57′ Materazzi (C), 76′ Diaz Pe (HFD), 90’+3 Guenzatti (C).
Sent Off: 15′ Puentes (C), 63′ Ngepi (HFD).
Match Stats:
Possession: Cosmos 43.4% – Hartford Athletic 56.6%
Shots: Cosmos 8 – Hartford Athletic 20
Shots on Target: Cosmos 3 – Hartford Athletic 9
Corners: Cosmos 4 – Hartford Athletic 6
Saves: Cosmos 6 – Hartford Athletic 2
Fouls: Cosmos 12 – Hartford Athletic 15
Yellow Cards: Cosmos 4 – Hartford Athletic 2
Red Cards: Cosmos 1 – Hartford Athletic 1
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