The New York Cosmos and San Francisco Deltas meet in the title game this weekend. It could end up being the league’s final ever gameTo an outside observer, it may be hard to believe that the North American Soccer League was able to play at all this season.Last winter, the league was left for dead. Having just watched two teams fold, another move to MLS, and two more head across the second division landscape to the USL, the six-year-old NASL was left with just eight clubs. News came out that the historic New York Cosmos (linked to the days of Pele and Franz Beckenbauer in brand alone) had lost $30m over their first four years and were likely to fold....
MLS has long been derided as a retirement home for aging stars. But some young English players are choosing to kickstart their careers in the StatesOver the last decade, Major League Soccer has attracted its fair share of British footballers. Since the league’s watershed moment with David Beckham’s acquisition, the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Jermain Defoe and Ashley Cole have taken their talents to North America.Of course, they all had one thing in common: their careers were in their twilight years when they made the move to MLS. It took a few years for Beckham’s superstar sheen to settle down enough for him to play quality football. Gerrard struggled to adapt to the league after his love affair...
Players such as Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard are part owners of teams in the States. But it’s not top-flight MLS that attracts themFor years, the foreign soccer star was a fleeting sight on American soil: they came, they partied, they played a few games and then ... they left. Now though, they’re not just passing through on an offseason Las Vegas binge or seeing out their careers in MLS. A new wave of stars are putting down roots by investing in America’s professional game. But it’s not the top league – MLS – that they’re interested in. They’re throwing themselves into second-tier competitions such as the North American Soccer League and United Soccer League. They’re either joining fledgling, ambitious...
Could homegrown imports like Minnesota United’s Christian Ramirez help MLS get over its reluctance to mine talent from the NASL and USL?Every season, Major League Soccer has a crop of breakout players who are new to the league – this year we have Atlanta’s Josef Martínez (the Venezuelan who scored five goals in his first three matches – after netting just seven in three years with Turin). The best of these players often come from Europe or South America and immediately become key starters.This year, there have been more examples of domestic players moving from the US lower divisions and succeeding in MLS than any year in recent memory. New York Red Bulls center back Aaron Long made his MLS...
When Pele’s old club announced they were holding open tryouts, I, a 31-year-old journalist with no professional football experience, dared to dreamPele. Franz Beckenbauer. Carlos Alberto.In the 1970s, some of the greatest football players in the world turned out for the New York Cosmos. The team invested a fortune in attracting foreign talent, and won the North American Soccer League in 1977, 1978 and 1980. Related: Are the New York Cosmos dead again, or waiting for another resurrection? I was wearing a grey fisherman’s knit sweater. I’ve never seen Cristiano Ronaldo play in a cardigan Continue reading...