History will record that New York Cosmos and FC Motown were eliminated from the 2017 US Open Cup at the same stage.
Since flirting with extinction (well, hibernation - they never really go away, just go to sleep) in the off-season, the Cosmos have been good but not dominant in NASL so far this year, and have made the peculiar decision to schedule a friendly (against Al-Hilal) in Saudi Arabia in the middle of their competitive season.
Still, even with a flight to Riyadh to think about and a starting lineup featuring six changes from the team that beat Puerto Rico FC 4-3 in NASL on May 14, it seemed reasonable to think the Cosmos would be too strong for Reading United.