The press and the photographers are there in full force. The stadium is noisy, and the buzz is electric. This wasn't happening in Europe or in South America, or even Asia.
This was the USA of the 1970s, and this was all for a sport they call soccer.
The scenes, as described by Cosmos coach Gordon Bradley in Once in a Lifetime: The Incredible Story of the New York Cosmos, were real. And they were mad.
The trigger, though, was a man we simply know as Pele. The Brazilian legend, who wasn't allowed to play outside his country in his prime as the government declared him a national treasure, signed a three-year contract in 1975 with the New York Cosmos (a team in the North American Soccer League). Suddenly, the world and the United States took notice.
Soccer, not football
Mention football to anyone in the US and they first think about the National Football League (or American Football, as the outsiders call it). That is evident now and was clearly evident back then.
Clive Toye, a former journalist who was the president and general manager of the Cosmos, knew what the challenges were first hand. He and NASL commissioner Phil Woosnam bought the American TV rights for the 1970 World Cup for $1,500, but they couldn't find anyone willing to televise the event.
This story is from the December 01, 2022 edition of Hindustan Times.
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This story is from the December 01, 2022 edition of Hindustan Times.
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