New York Cosmos are the standard in the NASL. I don’t think there’s much arguing that point. With seven titles split between the halcyon days of Pelé, et al and the current iteration of the league, Cosmos are a globally recognized brand with the money and market to attract players like Raúl. The Spanish legend is gone this season, but the Cosmos haven’t – and likely won’t – skip a beat.

For all of the brand recognition, cash, and romanticism, the team is still, at it’s heart, a side that likes to develop players and find value for money; they’ve just had two players selected to the US u-19 side for the 2016 Slovakia Cup, and their most important, can’t-live-without players of the last couple of seasons have been young unknowns and journeyman reclamation projects. In short, the Cosmos know how to NASL.

Here are four things to watch for in tomorrow’s match at The Mike.

Opposing Midfields

Tim Hankinson is a believer in the 4-2-3-1. Giovanni Savarese’s side this season have butchered both Ottawa and Jacksonville with a 4-1-4-1. The two systems are basically the same except Hankinson’s system uses two numbers 6, or holding midfielders, and Savarese’s system uses two numbers 8, or an 8 and a 10…whatever. Long story short, Savarese has one guy doing the job of both Brad Ring and Nicki Paterson and allows his other two to get forward and get after it.

Keep in mind, it’s not about the system a coach deploys, but about how the players are able to play in that system and the usefulness of it considering the players’ individual talents and abilities. So far this season, 4-1-4-1 has been a well tailored suit for the Cosmos – 4-2-3-1 for the Eleven has had its critics. It will be really interesting to see how Ring and Paterson deal with Ruben Bover and Juan Arango.

Arango and Arrieta

No, this isn’t a South Texas law firm. Juan Arango and Jairo Arrieta have been at the heart of three of the five goals the Cosmos have scored this year. They combine really, really well. Thus far, Siniša Ubiparipovič and Éamon Zayed have been unable to form a similar connection. With Ubiparipovič out for tomorrow’s match with a hamstring injury, it will be interesting to see if another Eleven player can stake a claim to the lone attacking midfield berth in Hankinson’s system.

Dylan Mares came on in the Ottawa match and performed admirably, but only after Hankinson had moved a second striker up top to partner Zayed. If Mares struggles to combine with Zayed as well and the Eleven wind up looking better chasing the game, I’d have to think the 4-2-3-1 may be forced to ride off into the sunset behind the west stand.

It Takes Two?

Speaking of, will Hankinson deploy a second striker from the get go? Will it take going down first and then chasing the game? Will Ring and Paterson deal well with Bover and Arango leading to frustration for the Cosmos, counterattacking chances for the Eleven, and a stay of execution for the 4-2-3-1? Really and truly, for the soccer nerd there are a number of juicy subplots that make this match interesting for the Eleven moving forward.

Carlos Llamosa

I was going to bring up the “Dos a cero-esque” streak the Eleven and the Cosmos have going, but that’s not news and other people have already beaten me to it anyway. Instead, I offer you Carlos Llamosa. Yes, that Carlos Llamosa. For those of you of a certain age, you’ll remember Llamosa as one of the last guys to go the naturalized US citizen route and not catch shade from a subset of US supporters hung up on the idea that every national team player should have grown up drinking Capri-Sun and eating orange slices at halftime with their buddies in suburban Anytown, USA.

I remember Llamosa from the 2002 World Cup. You’ll recall we beat Portugal, Mexico, and were robbed against Germany in the quarterfinal. That was awesome. Anyhow, Llamosa is an assistant to Savarese these days. Look for him on the bench and say hello.