The year was 1980. The astronomer and his viewers were exploring space and time via a 13-episode documentary. His oft-quoted remark was an effort to simply and concisely explain that elements helping to make up life here on Earth -- carbon, nitrogen, calcium and iron -- were formed in ancient collapsing stars, then scattered across the galaxy.
A lot of that star stuff coalesced in the form of professional soccer team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and serendipitously called The Cosmos, the reigning three- (and soon to be four-) time champs of the North American Soccer League.
They were the league's first, last and only dynasty.
The NASL was America's original foray into big time professional soccer. The Cosmos, backed by Warner Communications, was its most dominant franchise, its biggest draw and a major cause of its downfall.
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| Pelé, left, takes flight, Giorgio Chinaglia, right, exults. from the 1977 Cosmos yearbook. |
Sagan's series fell smack in the middle of an era when soccer's Cosmos were gravitically drawing star stuff from across the planet, creating an international super team featuring at one time or another players from Brazil, Yugoslavia, West Germany, Paraguay, Iran, the US, Italy and elsewhere.
The attention they garnered helped the league swell like a supernova from just nine teams in 1973, to 24 in 1978, as less well-capitalized franchises frantically tried and failed to keep pace with its flagship before the NASL collapsed in 1985.
The Dawning
Across six seasons, 1977 through 1982, the Cosmos went to the league's championship Soccer Bowl five times, winning four of those matches.
Their unmatchable accrual of talent started in 1975 with the signing of the sport's preeminent player of his time, Pelé, to a three-year deal for an estimated $7 million.
Their unmatchable accrual of talent started in 1975 with the signing of the sport's preeminent player of his time, Pelé, to a three-year deal for an estimated $7 million.
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| Carlos Alberto, from the '78 yearbook |
Two years later, led by the retirement-bound Pelé, German legend Franz Beckenbauer, plus the charismatic and combustible Italian import Giorgio Chinaglia -- and bolstered by the mid-season addition of Brazilian National Team captain Carlos Alberto -- the Cosmos rolled up a 15-11 record in the 18-team league, good for second in their division behind the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
They proceeded to knock off English superstar Rodney Marsh and the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the playoffs, then the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, drawing more than 70,000 to see their 8-3 win at New Jersey's Giants Stadium, the Rochester Lancers and finally the Seattle Sounders in Soccer Bowl '77.
The Cosmos led the league that year in average attendance, 34,150, with the Sounders placing third at 24,226. For their other two post-season opponents the drop was precipitous and telling: 8,140 for Fort Lauderdale and just 6,065 for Rochester.
At the league bottom: the Hartford-based Connecticut Bicentennials averaged 3,902.
Back to Back
Still, buoyed by the attention drawn by the upper echelon teams, the league elected to add six more: the Detroit Express, Houston Hurricane, the Caribous of Colorado, Memphis Rogues, Philadelphia Fury and New England Tea Men. Four others moved. The Bicentennials became the Oakland Stompers, and the ill-advised Team Hawaii, average attendance 4,543, turned into the Tulsa Roughnecks.
The Chicago Sting added German forward Karl-Heinz Granitza. The Tea Men, owned by Lipton and named for an anti-British rebellion, signed English forward Mike Flanagan. He potted 30 goals in just 28 games, helping his squad to a first place finish and nabbing the Most Valuable Player award.
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| The sweet, if unhygienic, taste of victory. |
Now minus Pelé, the Cosmos continued shopping too, securing the services of Yugoslavian midfielder Vladislav Bogicevic and future US Men's National Team Captain Ricky Davis among others. 1978 would be their most dominant regular season ever, going a league-record 24-6, with Chinaglia scoring an astonishing 34 of the team's 88 goals, while their opponents tallied just 39.
The playoffs however proved to be a challenge. The Cosmos quickly squelched the Sounders in the opening round, then ran into a hot Minnesota Kicks team. Led by Black South African star Ace Ntsolengoe and a five goal performance from Brit Alan Willey, the Kicks trounced the defending champs 9-2 in the second round's first game.
New York regrouped for a 4-0 win before more than 60,000 fans in Giants Stadium, then took the series in a bonus mini-game with a 1-0 win. Then they easily disposed of the Portland Timbers, advancing to the final where they defeated the Rowdies and repeated as champs at home before nearly 75,000 in Soccer Bowl '78.
Great Expectations
The 1979 season dawned with the Cosmos seemingly unstoppable, starting 12-2 before a cooling stretch of merely 12-4, and seemed poised for a three-peat that didn't happen.
They reeled off a trio of dramatic road wins -- in overtime agains the San Diego Sockers, and in shootouts against the Washington Diplomats and Atlanta Chiefs fka the aforementioned Caribous -- before downing the Strikers in front of 72,342 at their Meadowlands home opener.
They posted three more wins before finally losing to the rival Rowdies and their new import, Argentine star Oscar Fabbiani, in Tampa.
They posted three more wins before finally losing to the rival Rowdies and their new import, Argentine star Oscar Fabbiani, in Tampa.
That winter the Cosmos had gone shopping again, returning home with Eskandarian and Marinho (they already had a Seninho), household names, even if those households weren't necessarily in the US.
More popular than ever, they drew an average of 46,690. Baseball's defending world champs, the New York Yankees, averaged 31,330. The pathetic last place-bound Mets, 9,621. The NASL's league-wide average draw: 14,201, except when the Cosmos arrived. Then it was 25,205.
They blew past the Toronto Blizzard in the first round of the post-season, before being staggered by the relocated Roughnecks, narrowly escaping elimination at home in front of 76,031.
Their stay of execution was brief. Only a week later, the Cosmos were knocked out by the Vancouver Whitecaps, dropping game one of the conference finals 2-0 on the road, winning game two in a shootout at home, then falling in a shootout time violation after the decisive minigame produced no victor.
Their stay of execution was brief. Only a week later, the Cosmos were knocked out by the Vancouver Whitecaps, dropping game one of the conference finals 2-0 on the road, winning game two in a shootout at home, then falling in a shootout time violation after the decisive minigame produced no victor.
Vancouver would go on to beat Tampa Bay in the Soccer Bowl, painfully held at Giants Stadium.
Fabbiani won the league's scoring title, but its most valuable player was Dutch import Johan Cruyff of the Los Angeles Aztecs. For the first time in league history, every franchise survived the offseason and the Cosmos hit the road.
To be continued...
-- Follow me @paperboyarchive on formerly Twitter.
Fabbiani won the league's scoring title, but its most valuable player was Dutch import Johan Cruyff of the Los Angeles Aztecs. For the first time in league history, every franchise survived the offseason and the Cosmos hit the road.
To be continued...
-- Follow me @paperboyarchive on formerly Twitter.
