NEW YORK – The Cosmos announced Wednesday that the club will host German side FC St. Pauli for an international friendly May 23.
The game will be held at Rocco B. Commisso Stadium at Columbia University in Manhattan. Kickoff time is to be determined.
“The New York Cosmos have always been a club that has tested itself against teams from all over the world,” Cosmos senior vice president Joe Barone said. “In recent years we have played games like this away from home, but we are delighted to host a game such as this in front of our fans, and we cannot be more excited to have FC St. Pauli as an opponent for this friendly.”
FC St. Pauli is tied for fourth in the 2. Bundesliga and pushing for promotion to the German top division. The club is led by the 2014-15 Bundesliga leading goal-scorer Alex Meier.
“After last year’s successful trip at all levels, it was clear to us that we would travel to the USA again,” FC St. Pauli president Oke Göttlich said. “We want to use the positive effect from last year to further raise the profile of FC St. Pauli in the USA.
“We are the New York Cosmos’ first international opponent since the ’80s and we are looking forward to the match.”
The match-up in May marks the second year in a row FC St. Pauli will visit the United States. Last May, FC St. Pauli defeated fellow Founders Cup side Detroit City FC, 6-2.
The Cosmos also have played their fair share of international friendlies in recent years, including defeating La Liga side Valencia, 2-0, in 2017.
St. Pauli will play FC Buffalo at Robert E. Rich All-High Stadium May 25.
“After the successful trip on all levels last year, it was clear to us that we would travel to the U.S. again,” Göttlich said. “We want to use the positive effect of last year to further increase awareness of FC St. Pauli in the USA. We were able to achieve a great media reach through our journey last year. In addition, the US is looking for suitable partnerships and sponsors an interesting market for us and we can integrate our American fans and partners such as Levi’s and Under Armor, “said President Oke Göttlich.
New York will begin the National Premier Soccer League regular season against New York Athletic Club at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, N.Y. Saturday, April 27.
Tickets for the friendly against FC St. Pauli will be announced at a later date. Tickets for the NPSL regular season and Founders Cup are on sale at NYCosmos/com/tickets.
