First New York Cosmos roster moves announced

Cosmos in Hong Kong (Photo: Getty Images)

Fans of the New York Cosmos have waited for the announcement of roster moves with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. After capturing their second title in three years, keeping the core of the club would be considered crucial for an attempt to continue the successes of 2015.

Thursday, December 3^rd saw a list of changes announced. Not included, but still of major importance. were the retirements of Marcos Senna and Raul.

The rest of the announcements? Well, they hit Cosmos Country with a mixture of feelings, good and bad.

Below is a short summary of what the club announced.

Contract Extensions:

Sebastian Guenzatti – With the club since 2013, the midfielder fell out of the starting XI for a portion of the year but found himself back in it by the year’s end. An obvious chemistry with new striker Gaston Cellerino paid off large dividends towards the end of the year.

Adam Moffat – A strong option in the holding mid, Moffat made a statement for a regular starting bid when Marcos Senna suffered injury and, for a time, was looked at as the single starting option in defensive mid spot until injury ended his season.

Ruben Bover – The Cosmos B product saw increased time on the field in the later stages of the year, proving a solid option in the midfield, either in the attacking or defensive roles.

David Diosa – Part of the old Cosmos Academy East, Diosa was able to win a spot with the club in 2013. The forward found himself utilized in a new role last year, when he began to be used as a member of the back line, displaying versatility. He did encounter difficulty in finding field time.

Contract Expirations:

Haji Wright – A star on the US U-17 Youth National Team, Haji spent much of the year with Cosmos B, getting a limited number of appearances on the first team. Many have discussed his intentions to spend the year with the Cosmos before moving on to Europe.

Kharlton Belmar – A member of Portland Timbers 2 of the USL, the forward joined on loan at the beginning of October after being the leading scorer on the USL side. He saw little time with the Cosmos.

Samuel Caceres – The Paraguayan defender joined on loan from his Argentine club, Nueva Chicago. He made 14 appearances across the year, but seemed to fall farther down the depth chart as the year went on.

John Neeskens – The captain of Cosmos B in their inaugural season was promoted to the first team after he led them to an NPSL championship. The race to first place at the end of the season and return of Roversio most likely affected his chances to feature and the son of a Cosmos great departs without a single minute played with the NASL side.

Keasel Broome – The Barbadian international spent a large part of the year recovering from injury. Between that and competition for the number two keeper spot coming from Kyle Zobeck and Brian Holt, it’s not surprising to see him on his way.

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