NEW YORK - After opening the NASL season with four consecutive wins, Minnesota United FC lost its first match on Monday night.
The New York Cosmos beat United 1-0 on Marcos Senna's 20-yard goal in the 61st minute. He scored from the top of the box off a corner kick at Hofstra University before an announced crowd of 3,091.
"It hurts, we didn't play that well," United coach Manny Lagos said. "We got a little better in the second half and maintained a little more possession, but we couldn't pull it out. I felt like we had been playing better soccer than we showed tonight."
United (4-1-0) nearly tied the score in the 72nd minute. But Aaron Pitchkolan's long pass to Simone Bracalello was tipped away by Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer.
The loss leaves United tied with the Fort Lauderdale, with a league-high 12 points apiece, but the Strikers are in first place because of a bigger goal differential.
The Cosmos (3-2-0) are tied for third with nine. United plays the Strikers next, on Saturday at the National Sports Center.
New York had not scored in losing its previous two matches.
A jersey sponsor
United FC announced Monday that it will start wearing the Mall of America logo on the sleeves of its jerseys. Said United president Nick Rogers, "It's extremely gratifying for us that [Mall of America officials] recognize the trajectory that we are on and want to be associated with the club."
