GROUP C PREVIEW

Group C may very well be Cosmos Copa's group of death. It's a group that featuresthe two-time defending champions, a former finalist, and two of the top teams from qualifying matched together.
 
Not only has NYC Poland taken home the trophy the last two years, but they have the stats to back up their dominance. The Polish outscored their opponents by 1.33 goals per game during the 2011 Copa, a margin fourth best since 2010. This year, the Polish will look to midfielder Teddy Niziolek for offensive inspiration. Niziolek, who was the Golden Ball Award winner for best player in last year's tournament, is a true visionary in the center of midfield with his playmaking abilities and his calmness on the ball. Niziolek will be best known to Cosmos Copa fans as the scorer of the "Goal Heard Around the World", a 50 chip of the Senegalese keeper in last year's final. That goal went viral as soccer fans around teh world shared the video of the wonder stike and it even featured on ESPN's top plays. Another top Polish player, striker Damian Serafin, will be a steadying presence with his shrewd movement off the ball and level-headedness in pressure situations (he scored the game-winning penalty in last year’s semi-final victory over England). The team is also returning Chris Karcz to the attack. Karcz was by far the best player in the 2010 tournament but missed out on the 2011 edition due to a serious knee injury. Now he's back but there are still questions over his fitness. While Niziolek, Serafin and perhaps Karcz will undoubtedly be the catalysts for this year’s Polish team, one should definitely expect the rest of the squad which is full of promsing youngsters to display the type of soccer that lifted them to Cosmos Copa glory these past two years.
 
NYC Uruguay, who was the second highest scoring team coming into the group stages of Cosmos Copa, with 10 goals after four qualifying matches, will look to bombard opponents with swift, concise attacking movements. They have wingers with exceptional pace at their disposal who have the ability to trouble defenses with their positive, “run at defenders” philosophy. However, they are prone to conceding counter-attack goals when they fail to track back on defense after rushing attacking players forward. Mathias Jorge, Uruguay’s most gifted midfielder, will look to make certain that his team find a healthy balance of attack and defense with his ability to link with the defenders behind him as well as the offensive-minded players in front of him. Along with the talent on the field, NYC Uruguay has the intangibles to get out of the group. They have excellent team spirit and will to win and their fans seem to give them a real lift. Will that be enough to push them to the Quarterfinals.
 
Although it’s their first year participating in Cosmos Copa, NYC Afghanistan do not seem to be phased by the talented squads that they have faced thus far. Their speed, skill, and tactical nous saw them qualify comfortably for the group stages with only a minor hiccup against NYC USA, proving they are more than capable of not only challenging, but defeating, any of the eight pre-qualified teams. However, their 1.75 goals allowed per game should worry their coaching staff, especially when they are set to face accomplished offenses like Poland and Uruguay. If they wish to continue their remarkable run, the Afghans will need to clamp down and display the type of patience that has yet to be seen in their mercurial style of play. The squad is led by the likes of former National Team Player, Djelaludin Sharityar, who is a strong aerial threat and an imposing presence in the back, as well as the young, gifted forward, Mohammed Mashriqi, giving Afghanistan a unique identity that could surprise teams that have yet to see them play.
 
NYC Jamaica, a perennial powerhouse at Cosmos Copa and 2010 runners up, were knocked out of last year’s tournament in a 2-1 quarterfinal defeat to NYC England. In that game, Jamaica scored first, but allowed the English to come back and steal the lead before halftime; a lead they did not relinquish. Heading into this year’s Copa, the Jamaicans have lost Eurica Trowers and Duane Smith, two of their most prolific strikers. The loss of the two players may hinder the success of NYC Jamaica, but the experience of the squad mixed with their ability to produce high-level soccer should see them match up well with their opponents and keep their dreams of returning to another final alive. 

Group C by the numbers: