The New York Cosmos' fourth round U.S. Open Cup encounter with Major League Soccer's New York City FC, dubbed the East River Derby, was stuffed to the brim with drama. Perhaps no one was more responsible for that than Cosmos goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer.

Maurer made a handful of key stops in regulation, most notably in a one-on-one situation with NYCFC midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy in the 83rd minute. Maurer charged away from his goal to narrow Ballouchy's window from the top of the 18-yard box, then sprawled and connected his leg with Ballouchy's attempt, keeping the game within reach and setting the table for Lucky Mkosana's 90th-minute equalizer.

It would come down to penalties, and Maurer would stop three NYCFC tries to keep the Cosmos alive. His final save, made on Manchester City academy product Shay Facey, gave Hunter Gorskie the chance he needed to slot the deciding penalty kick.

New York moves on to the fifth round of the Open Cup, and Maurer was voted Emirates Cosmos Man of the Match by the media. 

Members of the media will cast their votes to determine the Emirates Cosmos Man of the Match at every Cosmos home game. At each home match, the winner will receive an Emirates Airbus A380 model airplane with an engraved plaque recognizing the player’s achievement.

The Emirates Cosmos Man of the Match award will culminate in a season-ending Emirates Cosmos Player of the Year award. The recipient of the Emirates Cosmos Player of the Year award will receive two round trip tickets on Emirates from New York (JFK) to Dubai (DXB) to celebrate a triumphant season.

2015 Previous Emirates Cosmos Man of the Match Winners:

 Hagop Chirishian: June 13 vs. Jacksonville Armada FC (T 3-3)

 Leo Fernandes: May 27 vs. Jersey Express (W 3-0)

 Raúl: May 23 vs. San Antonio Scorpions (W 3-0)

 Carlos Mendes: May 10 vs. FC Edmonton (W 4-2)

 Lucky Mkosana: May 2 vs. Ottawa Fury (W 1-0)

 Marcos Senna: April 18 vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies (W 2-0)