He found his footing.
The Cosmos opened its fall season at MCU Park on July 29 with a 3–1 victory over Miami FC. Eric Calvillo played the role of hometown hero, booting two goals to help the squad grab a confidence-boosting win.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Calvillo said. “Thankfully I’m getting my opportunity now to play, especially with the injuries we’ve had and the guys that aren’t here. I’m just trying to work hard for my team and scoring goals is something I haven’t really done in awhile, so I’m happy to get back into that.”
Things got heated early as Cosmos midfielder Emmanuel Ledesma was whistled for a red card in the 19th minute after he collided with a Miami player on the edge of the box. It didn’t take long, however, for Miami to even the playing field – just not in the way the squad would have hoped for. Hunter Freeman picked up his own red card just minutes later, making it a 10-on-10 matchup for nearly 60 minutes of play.
The Cosmos did their best to turn that emotion into offense, and racked up a handful of big-time scoring chances in the attacking third early on. But Miami keeper Daniel Vega easily stopped two New York shots, and three first half corner kicks came up empty.
Still, New York felt confident heading into halftime, and was determined to grab a bit of control in the opening minutes of the second half.
“I think the most important thing was we showed the maturity we were talking about at the beginning of the season,” Cosmos coach Giovanni Savarese said. “We just needed to bring a little more intensity and keep the ball a little more. The guys knew exactly what to do and they performed in a great way.”
That offensive moment finally came in the 64th minute, when the game once again turned physical.
Miami’s Kwadwo Poku was called for a penalty in the box and Cosmos defender Ayoze lined up to take the shot, but his attempt ricocheted off the crossbar. But Calvillo was trailing the play and quickly connected on a follow-up shot to give the Cosmos a one-goal lead.
“Coach Gio screamed at me from behind, I turned around and he told me to run in,” Calvillo said. “So that’s exactly what I did. The bounce came right too me and I finished my chance.”
But Miami answered just five minutes later when a right-footed shot by Poku’sailed just out of the reach of Cosmos keeper Jimmy Mauer. The Cosmos’ defense then turned back another Miami scoring chance, giving New York an opportunity for a late-game push.
Calvillo stepped up once again, with a left-footed shot from outside the box that just barely curled into the corner of the net, lifting the Cosmos to a comeback victory on their home turf. Kobi Moyal padded the lead with a goal in the final minute of regulation.
“It’s huge, especially since last season, our home record hasn’t been great,” Calvillo said. “So to start the fall season at home and get those three points, especially against a team like Miami, a great team, it’s fantastic. And we’ve just got to continue the work.”
The victory was much-needed, as the Cosmos have struggled to find consistency at MCU Park. Now, the squad heads out on a two-game road trip before returning home on Aug. 19 against Indy Eleven.
