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...
The club that brought Pelé and Raúl to America have shed their staff and players. So why does their chairman insist the team has a future?There are few American soccer brands that rival the global resonance of the New York Cosmos. The name alone conjures images of Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia trouncing opponents in packed stadiums across America.They were the rebels. The pioneers. The original galácticos. In short, the Cosmos are one of the most romantic and important clubs in the history of American soccer. And for the second time in a generation, they are teetering on the brink of extinction. Related: Messi, Lahm and ... Sidwell? How much would Pelé's New York Cosmos cost today? Related: The...
Pedro Garay only stood 5ft 6in but he protected the world’s greatest player during his whirlwind career with the New York CosmosIt was 1975, and in his wildest imagination, Pedro Garay never dreamed he would wind up in the middle of this wild, almost surreal scenario. There he was, draped over the greatest football player to ever walk the Earth, protecting him from a horde of pitch invaders. The Cuban refugee was guarding American soccer’s most precious jewel at the time, the incomparable Pelé. Pelé’s shirt, shorts and sneakers had been ripped off by the over-zealous fans who had come to Boston’s Nickerson Field stadium to watch the New York Cosmos superstar in his first season in North American Soccer...
As the New York Cosmos prepare to take on Indy Eleven in Sunday’s final, one NASL owner is set to take legal action alleging ties to ‘dirty money’ – another blow to a league that has suffered more than its fair share of problemsAs the North American Soccer League gears up for its championship final between New York Cosmos and Indy Eleven in New York on Sunday, Tampa Bay Rowdies owner Bill Edwards has warned he is poised to take legal action against the league, alleging ties to “dirty money”. Related: America's Azteca: how a small Columbus stadium became a fortress for US soccer The politics of soccer in the United States is pretty volatile at the moment and NASL...