Ledesma rescues a crucial point for the Cosmos in Edmonton

August 12, 2017 By Scott Enman Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Emmanuel Ledesma (right) scored a wonderful goal on Friday night in Edmonton to salvage a point for the New York Cosmos. The Argentine’s 66th minute brace will likely be a candidate for NASL Goal of the Week. Photos courtesy of FC Edmonton

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Since April, Emmanuel Ledesma has scored a late equalizer or game winner in three matches for New York, single handedly securing five points for the Cosmos in a league where very little separates the teams.

One of those points came on Friday when the Argentine notched a goal in the dying stages of the match to salvage a 1-1 draw against FC Edmonton.

“We had more mobility. We controlled the ball and were more dangerous going forward,” said Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese. “I still felt we were not sorted enough, but at the end, a great goal by Ledesma. I thought it was fantastic.”

Ledesma’s tying brace came in the 66th minute when he sent a cracker into the upper left-hand corner of the net that will likely be a candidate for North American Soccer League (NASL) Goal of the Week.

Following an initial deflection, Ledesma controlled the ball at the top of the box, took a touch away from his defender onto his favored left foot and drilled home his sixth goal of the year.

After 12 hours of travel on Wednesday with a layover in Toronto, the boys in green and white were determined not to let their efforts go to waste.

Ledesma not only earned a point for the Cosmos, but his goal also prolonged the team’s goal-scoring streak. New York has now scored in nine consecutive road games, matching a record the team held between May 17 and Sept. 28, 2014.

And with Eric Calvillo — the NASL Player of the Month for July — noticeably absent from the game, Ledesma stepped up big time.

Calvillo’s inability to make a difference in the match forced Savarese to sub him off in the 59th minute for Eugene Starikov, who immediately raised the level of play for the Cosmos.

“We moved the ball a lot faster, we found spaces, countered quicker and that’s why we were able to find the equalizer a lot easier,” said Savarese. “When Eugene [Starikov] came inside the game, I think he gave us the mobility that we needed as well.”

It was a game of two halves as the Eddies outplayed the Cosmos for the first 45 minutes, and New York had the upper hand in the second half.

The two teams could not have played more differently with New York preferring to posses the ball while Edmonton favored a more direct style of play, looking to send long balls over the top to their fast forward Tomi Ameobi.

Edmonton goalkeeper Tyson Farago caused trouble for the Cosmos’ defense with his long goal kicks that travelled well over half field, often bouncing erratically on the turf at Clarke Stadium.

It was, therefore, no surprise that Ameobi, who was dangerous throughout the first half, orchestrated the only goal for the Eddies in the 45th minute.

The forward cushioned the ball down with his head to Edmonton’s all-time leading goal scorer Daryl Fordyce, who easily placed the ball into the back of the net.

In the second half, New York’s central defenders Darrius Barnes and Dejan Jakovic settled into the match better and were able to keep Ameobi in check.

“The second half I just thought we sat off them too much,” said Edmonton bench boss Colin Miller, who played in the original NASL. “But you also got to see the quality of the New York Cosmos. I would take a point against them any day, especially the way they played the second half.

“They didn’t allow us too much space. They were on top of us quite a bit. So take nothing away from the Cosmos… I thought a draw was a fair result given we were well on top the first half, and I thought the Cosmos were on top in the second half.”

Following the tie, the two teams temporarily moved into first place with six teams still to play on Saturday night.

Both squads likely felt they deserved to win, but the Cosmos will surely be content with earning a crucial point on the road.

New York returns to MCU Park to play Indy Eleven on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 7:30 p.m.