New York's season to date is similar to the title-winning season two years ago

Two years ago, on a November night in Atlanta, Marcos Senna chipped in a shot from just outside the box, sending Cosmos Country into a frenzy. The Boys in Green were back, taking the NASL by storm in their reboot season and winning their first league championship in over 30 years.

Fast forward two years to this season. The Cosmos hope to raise the trophy for the second time in three seasons after exiting the 2014 postseason in the semifinals. The 2013 journey began with three friendly matches in England against Old Carthusians, Leyton Orient, and Gillingham.

“England was an experience to go see the other side of soccer in the world,” Cosmos midfielder Danny Szetela said. “They have some of the best soccer in the world there. We had great facilities to train on and played against some good teams.”

This season, the Cosmos became the first professional American sports team to play in Cuba since 1999, defeating the Cuban national team, 4-1, in Havana on June 2. Preseason opponents included South China AA in Hong Kong and C.D. FAS in El Salvador.

“Cuba was obviously a bigger deal, being the first team to go there in a very long time,” Cosmos defender and captain Carlos Mendes said. “In terms of the media and the hype around it, it was a very important and historic match for this club, hopefully for moving forward in terms of growing the sport.”

The 2013 regular season was highlighted by a 12-game league unbeaten streak. This year, the Cosmos had an 11-game unbeaten streak that lasted the entirety of the NASL Spring Season. Mendes says that this year’s team is a bit deeper than the one from 2013, and that it has definitely shown in training.

“The competition in training every single day is important because when you have a good team and a deep team, guys are competing for spots,” Mendes said. “I think we push each other to improve and get better, and that’s a key for our team this year.”

Over the last two years, the Cosmos have added pieces to bolster their attack. Lucky Mkosana, Andrés Flores, Leo Fernandes, and Walter Restrepo are just four of twelve different Cosmos goalscorers this season.

“Those are all guys that can create opportunities and finish opportunities on the field,” Szetela said. “That’s what the Cosmos are all about. We play exciting soccer. We want to score good goals and create good opportunities.”

And who could forget about Raúl? The Spanish legend was the team’s leading goalscorer in the spring.

“Raúl has played at the highest level,” Mendes said. “He brings that knowledge on and off the field too. He’s a great example because he works hard every single day. That’s key.”

Szetela reflected on joining the Cosmos in July 2013, citing the international appeal of the club.

“Everyone knows that the Cosmos are a world-renowned team,” Szetela said. “We rebooted in 2013, but the name is there and it’ll always be there. Being able to go out there and represent the Cosmos in the NASL is a great opportunity and a great responsibility.”

The team has already clinched a spot in The Championship, the league's four-team postseason tournament, and will have a chance to make a run at another league title later this fall. The work put forth thus far has resulted in an undefeated Spring Season and a place atop the NASL Combined Standings. While the Cosmos only played the Fall Season back in 2013, the message is the same this year: “Just win.”

“You work towards that and even though it was just half a season, we came into the Fall ready to go,” Mendes said. “Winning that was incredible. This year has been a lot of fun, and we’re looking forward to hopefully playing in the championship and raising that cup at the end of the season.”