Open Cup in the first meeting between the two clubs. The Cosmos defeated the Ottawa Fury 3–2 in the 2015 NASL Championship Final to win their second league title since returning to professional competition. The Cosmos were runners-up in the 2016 Spring season, but rallied to claim the Fall title by ten points, and with it the combined season table. Savarese's club defeated Indy Eleven on penalty kicks in the 2016 NASL Championship Final, despite scheduling conflicts which forced the club to host the match at Belson Stadium in front of just 2,150 fans. Following the 2016 season, Savarese emerged as a finalist for the head coaching job with MLS expansion club Minnesota United FC. Talks with the new franchise fell apart when the Cosmos insisted on a transfer fee for releasing Savarese from the remainder of his contract, and the position went to Adrian Heath instead. After the 2016 season ended, the Cosmos nearly folded, terminating all player contracts. Savarese took it upon himself to leverage his network of contacts to find new teams for his former players. When the Cosmos were sold to a new investor, ensuring their survival, Savarese turned to re-signing many of the players who had been let go. Following the tumultuous off-season, the 2017 season proved the roughest yet for Savarese and the Cosmos as they struggled through the regular season and lost in the opening round of the U.S. Open Cup to NPSL club Reading United AC. Despite draws in 9 of 16 Fall season matches, the Cosmos qualified for the playoff and upset the top-seeded Miami FC away on penalty kicks. The Cosmos season ended in a 2–0 loss to San Francisco Deltas in the playoff final. On December 13, 2017, the Cosmos announced that Savarese would leave the club "to pursue other coaching opportunities". Portland Timbers On December 18, 2017, Savarese was announced as the head coach of the Portland Timbers, the third head coach in their MLS history. International career Savarese earned 30 caps for Venezuela, scoring 10 goals – including 3 in World Cup qualifiers. His most notable goal was against Argentina in 1996. Broadcasting Giovanni Savarese worked as a soccer analyst for ESPN International and ESPN Deportes. Managerial statistics Honors Player MLS All-Star: 1996 U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame: 2007 Head coach New York Cosmos NASL Championships (3): 2013, 2015, 2016 Runner-Up (1): 2017 NASL Regular Season Titles