UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The Cosmos announced on Tuesday the signing of veteran defender Konrad Plewa to a contract for the National Independent Soccer Association fall season. pending final approval from NISA and U.S. Soccer.
Cosmos head coach Carlos Mendes said he has been impressed with the 28-year-old Plewa.
“I love the way he reads the game,” he said. “Konrad’s a defender with good experience at a high level and I think he definitely will make us much stronger across the back line. We’re happy to have him…a great opportunity for both of us.”
A former Seton Hall University standout, the 6-3, 183-lb. Plewa started in the Red Bulls system, first with the club’s Academy then with the Under-23 squad in the National Premier Soccer League in 2012-13. He played 47 games with Red Bulls II from 2015-16, helping the team capture the USL Cup in his final season.
He joined Saint Louis FC for the 2017 USL Championship season and then the Real Monarchs from 2018-19. Last season he led the Monarchs to a championship trophy and a USL finals MVP award.
Plewa, who hails from Wallington, N.J., made his Red Bulls’ first team debut in a 4-2 win over Chelsea, then the English Premier League champions, in an International Champions Cup match on July 23, 2015.
“He’s got minutes at a nice level,” Mendes said, adding that he “likes his work rate, his mentality. He was excited for this new opportunity in his career and I felt that it matched for both sides. It’s a good fit for us and for him. Looking forward to working with him and getting into the group.”
The Cosmos will kick off their initial NISA fall season in August.
