Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Iona on September 23, 2025 , Win , 2, to, 0
MSOC
Final
James Madison
2
vs Iona
0
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Materazzi Signs Deal with New York Cosmos
12/3/2025 4:03:00 PM | Men's Soccer
PATERSON, N.J. – Former James Madison men's soccer defender Davide Materazzi has signed a deal with the New York Cosmos of USL League One, the club announced Wednesday afternoon.
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The Perugia, Italy native spent the 2023-24 seasons at JMU after transferring in from Davis & Elkins. He played in 31 matches across the two seasons for the Dukes, starting in 30, as he also tallied two goals each season for a total of eight points. His first season in the Valley, Materazzi anchored a backline that helped lead the Dukes to an appearance in the NCAA Round of 16 after receiving an at-large bid. During his tenure, JMU was ranked as high as seventh across the national rankings and had its highest ranking from United Soccer Coaches since 1997 (eighth).
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At the conclusion of the 2024 season, the defense of the Dukes was ranked in the top 25 nationally for save percentage (T-12th), team goals against average (17th) and shutout percentage (T-24th).
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"Coming to the Cosmos means that I'm going to grow a lot as a player and that's one of the main reasons why I signed," said Materazzi. "I want to improve as a player. It's a historic team. Great players played here. And what we want to do is take the Cosmos back to where they belong."
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The center back played for Lionsbridge FC in USL League Two from 2022-25 and ranks third on the list of all-time appearances for the club.
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"Davide is a young player that we want to help grow," Head Coach Davide Corti said. "He's a big, strong defender that understands his position well. He's a really good header of the ball and he can be dangerous on set pieces. We're going to help him take the next step and get him some professional experience. We believe that he has the potential to be a good professional center back."
Materazzi now joins Rodrigo Robles (Greenville Triumph SC) and Yanis Lelin (Chattanooga Red Wolves) as former Dukes in USL League One.
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The Perugia, Italy native spent the 2023-24 seasons at JMU after transferring in from Davis & Elkins. He played in 31 matches across the two seasons for the Dukes, starting in 30, as he also tallied two goals each season for a total of eight points. His first season in the Valley, Materazzi anchored a backline that helped lead the Dukes to an appearance in the NCAA Round of 16 after receiving an at-large bid. During his tenure, JMU was ranked as high as seventh across the national rankings and had its highest ranking from United Soccer Coaches since 1997 (eighth).
Â
At the conclusion of the 2024 season, the defense of the Dukes was ranked in the top 25 nationally for save percentage (T-12th), team goals against average (17th) and shutout percentage (T-24th).
Â
"Coming to the Cosmos means that I'm going to grow a lot as a player and that's one of the main reasons why I signed," said Materazzi. "I want to improve as a player. It's a historic team. Great players played here. And what we want to do is take the Cosmos back to where they belong."
Â
The center back played for Lionsbridge FC in USL League Two from 2022-25 and ranks third on the list of all-time appearances for the club.
Â
"Davide is a young player that we want to help grow," Head Coach Davide Corti said. "He's a big, strong defender that understands his position well. He's a really good header of the ball and he can be dangerous on set pieces. We're going to help him take the next step and get him some professional experience. We believe that he has the potential to be a good professional center back."
Materazzi now joins Rodrigo Robles (Greenville Triumph SC) and Yanis Lelin (Chattanooga Red Wolves) as former Dukes in USL League One.
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Players Mentioned
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