A record home attendance at Lockhart Stadium came, in part, to witness the North American debut of Real Madrid legend, Raul Gonzalez.

That experience was cut short due to injury concerns.

The 37-year-old striker was removed from the Cosmos 1-0 victory over Fort Lauderdale Strikers just 53 minutes into the match as a precautionary measure after experiencing discomfort in his hamstrings.

“We want to make sure we don’t push our players,” Cosmos Head Coach Giovanni Savarese said after the win. “We felt it was better for him to come out. It’s important for him to be ready for the next game.”

Raul didn’t make the kind of impact Cosmos fans may have hoped for in his first outing. He did not manage a shot on goal, nor did he press the makeshift Fort Lauderdale defense in any meaningful way. Though he showed glimpses of the class that has come to define his career, Raul looked rusty against an aggressive Strikers’ side.

Minutes into the second half, the clearly hampered Spanish legend chose not to go on. “It was in the second half I felt discomfort in my hamstring and nothing more, and I preferred to stop [playing],” Raul said after the match.

Both coach Savarese and Raul hope the injury isn’t too serious. Raul is fully expected to be in the team’s plans next week as the Cosmos face Indy Eleven in Indiana.

“I’m happy to earn three points. It’s always hard to start a season on the road with a victory and today, we have done just that,” Raul said. “It’s just a shame I had to leave the match due to some discomfort. I hope it’s not too bad.”