Kevin Johnston

IndyStar correspondent

As a pair of the best coaches in the North American Soccer League exchanged pleasantries during a Wednesday conference call, it was hard to tell the two were preparing to square off in Sunday's NASL Championship final – the Soccer Bowl.

So, what was up with the excessive cordialness? Indy Eleven manager Tim Hankinson and New York Cosmos boss Giovanni Savarese have known each other since the early days of Major League Soccer, and even before that.

Old friends, new foes.

“I remember Gio playing at Long Island University and then Long Island Roughriders, and I was director of player development in the first year of MLS running the combine,” said Hankinson, who recently was named NASL Coach of the Year. “Gio was on our list, so I’ve admired his game and successes. And it’s great to see him translate that into his coaching style.”

Savarese echoed similar sentiments regarding his counterpart.

Second-half goal carries Indy Eleven to NASL Championship final

“It was great to be with (Hankinson) in the combine and know him from before. It was always difficult to play against coach because he makes sure his groups are very much together,” Savarese said. “It’s nothing different than he’s doing right now in Indy.”

Now the two will meet with a trophy on the line. If the Eleven hope to pull the upset, they’ll need to fend off New York’s potent offense. Led by attacking midfielder Juan Arango, the Cosmos netted a league-best 59 goals during the regular season, eight more than next-best Indy.

“(Arango’s) a fantastic player. They’re full of them. You can’t just obviously focus on one player because they can beat you in so many different ways,” said Eleven goalkeeper Jon Busch. “Gio’s got them playing very well. They’re very dynamic.”

Indy Eleven's Duke Lacroix wins NASL Goal of the Year

What makes Arango such a threat isn’t just his scoring prowess, but also his ability to set up teammates. In addition to scoring 15 goals, he recorded seven assists and created 44 chances this season. Arango made the 2016 NASL Best XI along with a few other players appearing in the final: Cosmos defenders Carlos Mendes and Ayoze and Eleven forward Eamon Zayed.

As for the unpopular choice of St. John’s Belson Stadium to host the final, NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson exerted extra patience to allow New York to secure a venue after their usual home field at Hofstra listed this weekend as a blackout date. Peterson confirmed he wanted to preserve the sanctity of the top-seed – the Cosmos earned the right to play near home after finishing atop the table – but more importantly, he did so for the fans.

“Sure, preserving the (No.) 1 seed was considered. But the number one issue for us was allowing the Cosmos fans to have their game on home territory. It was contemplated moving the game, but the damage it would do to the fan base and to the trust that fan base has in the club ultimately was a reason to keep it in New York City.”

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Sunday, and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.