NYCosmos.com is building up to the 2015 season by profiling new and returning Cosmos players. Previous entries in the series below.

• Adam Moffat
• Jimmy Maurer
• Jimmy Mulligan

​On a certain level, Mads Stokkelien understands what new Cosmos forward Raúl is going through. The 25-year-old Norwegian isn’t a five-time Don Balón recipient or three-time UEFA Champions League winner, but it was only a year ago that he arrived in the United States with a mission to score goals for his first American club – the New York Cosmos. The two goal scorers are not only bonded by their club and position, but also by their circumstances.

Raúl has seen success on the training pitch and in preseason with the Cosmos in 2015. Stokkelien’s first year in New York finished with him finding the back of the net 10 times in NASL and U.S. Open Cup competition. He led the team in goals and assists, and is best remembered by Cosmos Country for two strikes against Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls in a 3-0 Open Cup victory. There was a scoring drought at the outset of the Fall Season, but it’s tough to see 2014 as anything other than a positive debut for Stokkelien.

His many strike partners of 2014, however – Alessandro Noselli, Hans Denissen, Stefan Dimitrov and Paulo Mendes – are all no longer with the team. So far Raúl and Lucky Mkosana have joined Stokkelien in New York’s collection of forwards for the 2015 campaign, but Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese has hinted at making more additions to the roster at that position.

Stokkelien sees the changes around him but is accustomed to rolling with the punches. Working with Raúl at training each day is an adjustment he's happy to make.

“It’s been very easy to adjust because they are all good players,” Stokkelien said to NYCosmos.com about his new teammates in the attacking third. “They have been great so far. Obviously Raúl is extremely smart and a great player. The other guys have been good in the preseason. They will be a big part of our team this season.”

Hong Kong, California and El Salvador were all new experiences for Stokkelien. He continues to settle into both American culture and the Cosmos’ culture of preseason travel. The team visited a vineyard during its weeklong stay in The Golden State and Stokkelien, searching for the proper word to describe that particular location, settled on “wine farm” – the literal translation of a Norwegian term for vineyard. From there he tried “wine yard,” then finally made it to “vineyard.”

There’s another player this season that, like Stokkelien, has moved from Norwegian football to American soccer by signing with a professional team in New York. U.S. international Mix Diskerud began his first season with MLS expansion side New York City FC in March. Stokkelien and Diskerud played for the same Norwegian club, Stabæk, and spent time together on Norway’s youth international squads before coming to New York. They met for dinner a couple weeks ago.

“We didn’t talk much about the rivalry,” Stokkelien said when asked about his friend playing for another pro team in New York. “I haven’t seen him in a long while, so it was nice to catch up. I’ve known him for a very long time. He’s a very nice guy and just happy to be in town. I’m happy to have him here; it’s always nice to have some Norwegian friends around.”

The Cosmos' season begins April 4 in Fort Lauderdale, and Stokkelien hopes his familiarity with the NASL will help him outpace himself in his second year.

“For the team, we just need to win the championship,” Stokkelien said. “That’s the biggest goal. We want to go far in the Open Cup as well and have a good run there, too. Personally I want to play well and score more goals then I did last year. I think I should be able to help the team even more this year. I know the league and I know the club.” 

The Cosmos' 2015 Spring Season begins on the road in Fort Lauderdale - Saturday, April 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET. They make their home debut on Saturday, April 18 vs. the Tampa Bay Rowdies at 7 p.m. ET.