By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jun 17, 2015) US Soccer Players – On Wednesday night at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium, the New York Cosmos will take their next shot at cracking the facade of the MLS hegemony. That shot comes in the US Open Cup, the only competition that gives the ambitious second division Cosmos an opportunity to measure themselves against the country’s top league. Because of the geographic considerations that go into the draw for the tournament, that shot will comes against NYCFC, the newest club on the increasingly competitive New York soccer block.

Last year, the Cosmos knocked out the other New York MLS team, the Red Bulls, in this same round. While that accomplishment was cause for celebration, there was something of a bitter taste that came with it. That’s because the Red Bulls, like so many MLS team playing in the Open Cup, chose not to field anything resembling a first choice lineup. The Cosmos mostly beat up on RBNY’s second team. It was a scenario completely out of their control, but nevertheless part of the story.

It might not have mattered who Red Bulls put out at Shuart Stadium last summer if the Cosmos had gone on to consolidate that first win over MLS with another in Round 5. Instead, a trip to Chester ended in a controversial loss to the Philadelphia Union and an early exit from the tournament Cosmos brass values so highly.

Because of their significant resources, the Cosmos will always be competitive in the NASL. Success isn’t just the Open Cup itself, but an NASL team using it to get to the CONCACAF Champions League.

The new Cosmos cup-quest opens with some extra intrigue. NYCFC enters in a position unlike most MLS teams, altering the usual Fourth Round dynamic. Many MLS clubs treat the Open Cup as a distraction from their League campaign and act accordingly. NYCFC’s expansion year struggles likely mean they won’t be sniffing a playoff spot in 2015.

Considering the various approaches to Open Cup soccer, that’s easier for an expansion team. Whether or not NYCFC as an organization prioritizes cup over league, they certainly wouldn’t mind succeeding. That could mean that NYCFC’s lineup is as close to full strength as they can muster without risking injury to any key players. Shuart Stadium does have an artificial turf playing surface, after all.

David Villa’s name on the lineup sheet would be a surprise. Mix Diskerud’s being there probably would not. Even if Kreis turns to second choice players, that’s not a huge issue for NYCFC. Some of those players stepped into the first team and helped City to the club’s first-ever MLS winning streak over the last two weeks. The Cosmos can’t be certain that NYCFC’s “best” team isn’t a team that features Tommy McNamara, Kwadwo Poku, and Patrick Mullins. There’s a good chance that Kreis can’t either.

The trouble with the Cosmos targeting the US Open Cup so intently is that as a knockout competition, it’s inherently unpredictable. The margin for error is razor thin. One bad night at the park, one mistake, and the whole thing is ruined. At least English clubs trying to punch up against teams on a higher tier can lock down a match and play for a replay if the goals aren’t coming. American sides have no such option. After 120 minutes, every game goes to penalties. Last year against the Union, the Cosmos didn’t even make it out of the additional period. They fell in extra time.

There’s another problem that comes to the fore in light of the Open Cup focus. It can make everything else the Cosmos do look like a secondary concern. That includes the league.

No one could accuse the Cosmos of not taking the NASL season seriously, but as long as the rhetoric from their management centers around reaching another level, even a championship looks paltry in comparison. Beating Minnesota United, Tampa Bay, and Fort Lauderdale is fine if that’s all that’s in front of them. However, everyone knows that they covet an Open Cup title and Champions League berth more. It’s not a dynamic seen very often in American soccer and it’s of their own making.

Other NASL clubs are interested in achieving those same goals, but none of them have the name recognition of the Cosmos. The already substantial shadow the New York team casts over their league only grows darker by the common knowledge that their NASL success is almost a byproduct of building a side that can win the annual knockout tourney.

The Cosmos’ ambitions are larger than their league. That’s only a problem insofar as it reflects negatively on the rest of the competition and makes any failure in the Open Cup the de facto “end” of their season. As long as the title eludes them, every season that goes by without the Cosmos lifting the Open Cup trophy can only be a disappointment.

It’s against that backdrop of expectation and ambition that the Cosmos host NYCFC Wednesday. It’s no ordinary Open Cup game pitting a lower division club against the “big boys’ of the MLS. It’s the start – and potentially the end – of what the New York Cosmos built to achieve.

Jason Davis is the founder of MatchFitUSA.com and the co-host of The Best Soccer Show. Contact him: matchfitusa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter:http://twitter.com/davisjsn.

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