Cosmos record Historic 2-0 Victory over Fort Wayne FC

(Hinchliffe Stadium, Paterson, NJ)

Two clubs looking for their first ever win in USL League One faced off in another windy afternoon in front of 1,146 spectators in Paterson, New Jersey. The Cosmos looked to bounce back after a 2-3 loss on the road against Greenville Triumph, while Fort Wayne looked to improve on a 2-2 tie to Sarasota Paradise two weeks ago.

The Cosmos made four lineup changes with Derrek Chan replacing Tristan Stephani in goal, Will Noecker replacing Massimo Morabito on defense, Nick Mendonca in place of Justin Milovanov, and Davide Galazinni in place of Patrick Bohui, although in a different role. The Cosmos switched to 5-3-2 formation while defending, while attacking in a 4-3-3 format with Italian right wing-back Davide Galazinni pushing up on the right wing. After making his professional debut on Wednesday, Will Noecker made his first professional start playing as a right center-back with Jordan Chavez and Anderson Holt in the back.

The match started with Fort Wayne dominating possession but not generating many clear chances. The first big chance of the match occurred in the 7th minute when Ajmeer Spengler maneuvered into the corner of the area to find an open Sebastian Guenzatti, who mishit the ball as it hit the left post and bounced out of bounds. Fort Wayne recorded their first shot of the match in the 9th minute, a shot from just inside the box that sailed high over the goal post. Fort Wayne would see more of the ball and in the 18th minute generated their first real dangerous shot of the match as a Jack Thomas shot from outside the area hit the right post, as the Cosmos narrowly avoided an early deficit. In the 21st minute the Cosmos would find the breakthrough, Ajmeer Spengler would intercept a ball 10 yards outside of his penalty box and dribble the length of the field past the Fort Wayne defense and find Sebastian Guenzatti in the box. The Uruguayan striker would slot the ball into the back of the net. The goal would give the Cosmos their first lead of the season and was the first goal scored by a Cosmos forward in 2026, the prior four goals were scored by midfielders. Spengler’s sensational play would activate the 5-point Supporters groups.

Fort Wayne would continue to have more of the ball, with the Cosmos being content to sit back and counter. The Cosmos had a good chance in the 33rd minute when Ajmeer Spengler would find Christian Koffi in the box, but the Frenchman was unable to get a shot off. Fort Wayne would continue to look for an equalizer as the half would end with the Cosmos leading 1-0.

The second half would commence with the same 22 that started the match. Fort Wayne would continue to take the initiative, and in the 48th minute Thomas would blast a shot towards goal, with Derrek Chan making a diving saved to maintain the Cosmos lead. Minutes later, in the 50th minute Christin Koffi would find Ajmeer Spengler in the center circle and Spengler would deliver a long ball over the top to the fleet-footed Davide Galazinni on the right side of the field. The Italian winger would streak into the box and rifle a shot past Bernd Schipmann to extend the Cosmos lead to 2-0. The rest of the match would see Fort Wayne push numbers to try to get back in the match. The backline which was led by Anderson Holt and Jordan Chavez were up for the task as they thwarted attack after attack. The Cosmos would make their first substitution in the 71st minute as Nick Zielonka would replace Sebastian Guenzatti at striker.

Derrek Chan would once again come up big in the 73rd minute as he would turn away a shot by Taig Healy in the box. Nick Mendonca would pick up a yellow card in the 73rd minute and be replaced by Justin Milovanov a few minutes later. With Fort Wayne continuing to attack the Cosmos would add fresh legs in the 82ND minute. Massimo Morabito would come on for Davey Mason, Nestor Cabrera for Ajmeer Spengler, and Julien Lacher for Christian Koffi. The match would end after three minutes stoppage time, with the Cosmos recording a 2-0 victory, a historic victory for a side that had been out of the professional game for many years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFL4sKk3AiE

Unlike the prior three matches of the season, in which the Cosmos generally maintained a good percentage of possession, in this match Fort Wayne maintained the ball 72% of the time. The Cosmos in need of a result to jump start the season, while not playing the attractive style they started the season with, relied on a solid defensive effort by the entire backline. Will Noecker and Davey Mason helped solidify the backline and should be important players as the season progresses. Overall, Fort Wayne outshot the Cosmos 20-6, but Chan’s leadership and the team’s defensive commitment helped the Cosmos to a much needed three points. After the match Coach Davide Corti stated that while the match may not have been the prettiest, the short week led to some of the adjustments in the style of play, and the team will look to work on certain areas to improve during the break that begins after Friday’s match against Charlotte Independence.