Last update 18 July, 2022 por Alberto Llopis
You know the story of the New York Cosmos? Today we bring history to Colgados for football is one of those basic stories that have to be in full-page self-respecting football. A story of how Americans, They were the first to put together a team of top stars, twenty five years earlier Florentino Perez that began with the known 'Galacticos'.
The New York Cosmos, a sensation late 70 y principios de los 80
At the end of the decade of the 60, Americans watching the tug that had football in the world decided to create a local league to promote and exploit the push of a sport that was untouched in that country. This alloy, would be called North American Soccer League (NASL) and she would gather several teams of American and Canadian geography. In 1970 He born in the capital of the world New York Cosmos.
The franchise was founded in 1970 two executives of Atlantic Records, Ahmet y Nesuh Ertegun, and for most of its history it was managed by Steve Ross, President of Warner Communications.
Ross controlled important companies such as Atari, Warner and DC Comics and wanted to make football the first national sport, thereby also trying to make the deal of the century. A difficult arduous task in a country where hockey, Baseball, Basketball and American football were carried and still carry the audience.
Back to the topic, in 1972 Cosmos won his first championship but despite this the average attendance at Giants Stadium and other stadiums in the newly created league did not exceed three thousand spectators, a far cry from the ideal of business you want to have. Then came the revolution.
In 1975, Ross decided to take the bull by the horns. He decided that the best way to make the product work was to sign the best of the best, the most successful players of that era that were already in their final year career.
thus in 1975, Cosmos Pele ficho, the largest in history in a signing that was highly complicated. Pele had the rank of “national treasure in Brazil” so it could not be sold having to mediate the US government for the soccer king could reach the city of the Big Apple.
The other problem that Ross was found to hire O'Rei was wielding offers this despite being meditating withdrawal. With offers from Spain and Italy greats, Ross said the Brazilian star phrase with which he managed to convince.
This told Pele : ” In Italy and Spain you'll win another league, Here you'll gain a whole country”. O'Rei and ended up in the cosmos and thereby, attendance went from 3000 people to 48.000. It is said that the Cosmos paid the Brazilian star around 7 million for the three years he was, an exorbitant figure for the time.
Given the success, Cosmos was launched to form a genuine dream club and signed in 1976 a Giorgio Chinaglia, a goalscorer luxury Lazio from that of the guns which the leader of one group. The Italian would be the top scorer in the history of the Cosmos and of that League with 193 goals in 213 parties.
A year later, in 1977, come two star more. Franz Beckenbauer Brazilian Carlos Alberto and, champion the World Mexico 70 with Pele, They came to reinforce a star studded team at the end of his career. Cosmos and gathered several world champions and what was more important, It was a machine to sell audience reaching almost meter 80.000 spectators per match.
The cosmos, the all-star team of its time
With its four stars, Cosmos won the League 1977. Pele left at the end of the season but the other three continued. They won three championships more ( 1978.1980 y 1982) with goals from Chinaglia, owner of the locker room after the departure of O'Rei, in all finals and a world-class player over he came as the Dutch Neeskens Johan Cruyff or even with the 30 his back got to play some friendly before joining another team quella old NASL.
In 1984, it was impossible to keep moving such amounts of money to sign such players, Cosmos disappeared after 14 years of existence and also NASL. USA did not return to have a League “Soccer” hasta 1992, year in which the current MLS was created, on the occasion of Mundial de USA 94.