Bradley praised his two fullbacks, Pearce and Neubauer, telling Joe Marcus of the New York Post: “The defense was just great” on the day
With the 1971 NASL season not yet underway, lineup juggling was not an issue against the German Hungarians. But it was very much an issue moving forward in the tournament, starting when Hota faced Taunton Sports Club on the road in Massachusetts.
Quick Turnarounds for Cosmos-Hota Duty
The Cosmos opened their inaugural season with a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Stars in Missouri on Saturday April 17. Yazar, Meyer and Bradley all played, while Mitrovic, who had injured ribs, and Pearce were on the bench. The five then flew into Fall River, Massachusetts the following day for the Open Cup game at Hopewell Park in Taunton.
Taunton took a 1-0 lead 14 minutes into the second half on a goal by Aurelio Roben. With less than five minutes left in the game, Vincent Delano equalized for Hota to force extra time. Minor then gave the New Yorkers the lead three minutes into the second overtime and Klaus Walters and Rolf Winter closed out the 4-1 rout.
The Eastern Final of the Open Cup and the Cosmos home opener at Yankee Stadium were three days apart, giving player-coach Bradley at least a little bit of time between games to settle on lineups.
Playing at home at Park Stadium in Franklin Square, on Long Island, Hota took a 1-0 lead over Cleveland Danube Schwaben on a goal by Delano. Minor made it 2-0 midway through the second half before Paulo Ramos pulled one back for Schwaben. Ceyan Yazar then added a third Hota goal from the penalty spot.
Three nights later, the Cosmos earned a 1-0 win at Yankee Stadium over the Washington Darts. All five of the Hota players got a night off, while Kerr went the full 90 for the D.C.-based club.
For Bradley and Hota’s Cosmos players, winning the U.S. Open Cup was clearly the priority and came with the blessing of the NASL team’s management, who allowed the entire double-duty contingent to make the trip for the Open Cup Final in faraway Los Angeles, which was on the same day the Cosmos played the Toronto Metros in Canada. Cosmos captain John Young took over for Bradley as coach in the NASL contest, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Kerr missed the U.S. Open Cup Final, instead playing 90 minutes in a Darts 3-0 loss to Hearts of Scotland.
Topsy-Turvy Thriller Final of 1971
The 1971 Open Cup Final was one of the wildest on record, with the teams combining for ten goals in a 6-4 Hota extra-time win over the San Pedro Yugoslavs at Rancho Cienega Stadium in Los Angeles.
The teams traded goals throughout. San Pedro got the upper hand in the third minute on an own goal by Hota defender Rudy Pearce. Fifteen minutes later, Hota knotted the game for the first time, on a 25-yard shot by Delano.
The Yugoslavs retook the lead on a 26th-minute goal by Manuel Brigida. Just before the half, Horst Kneissl equalized for the New Yorkers.
A free kick by Felipe Ruvalcaba in the 60th minute again put San Pedro on top. But with less than a minute left to play Pearce sent in a long ball that Minor headed past goalkeeper Ruben Fernandez, once again knotting the contest and forcing extra time.
Four minutes into the extra periods, Minor dribbled past two San Pedro defenders and beat Fernandez again to make it 4-3. Mitrovic then headed a corner from Neubauer into the net in the 99th minute and Kneissl scored on a 117th-minute header to ice the win for Hota. The Yugoslavs got a last-gasp consolation goal from Brigada in the 199th minute to make the final score 6-4.
The U.S. Open Cup was the crowning achievement for the dual-team players. Of the five Cosmos on the 1971 Hota team, Bradley was the only one to play on the 1972 NASL Championship squad, along with Neubauer and Kerr.
