Garden City, N.Y. - Stony Brook’s all-time leading point scorer, Leo Fernandes, has returned to Long Island to play for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League (NASL). The 23 year-old midfielder was loaned to the Cosmos by the Philadelphia Union of the MLS and will spend the entire 2015 season with the Cosmos.

Fernandes, a former 4th round pick by Philadelphia in the MLS Supplemental Draft, saw action in 20 matches for the Union, scoring two goals and adding an assist. He will have an opportunity to learn from two of the top Spanish players in the last decade in Raul and Marcos Senna, both of whom currently play for the Cosmos. Raul is the Spanish national team’s second all-time leading scorer with 44 career International goals. He also won the Don Balon award five times, given to the best player in La Liga, while starring for Real Madrid. Senna earned 28 caps for the Spanish national team and enjoyed a successful career at Villareal FC in La Liga.

“I’m excited to play in New York. I went to school there and have a lot of friends in the area,” Fernandes said in a statement to Newsday.

“Leo is a good addition to our squad,” Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese told Newsday. “He’s been training with a lot of our players throughout the offseason and we expect him to fit right in as a good attacking option for us.”

The Cosmos open the NASL Spring Season on Apr. 4 vs. the For Lauderdale Strikers.