I was scanning an Entertainment Weekly when I saw something that caught my attention. There is a documentary coming out on July 7, 2006 called “Once in a Lifetime.” It is the story of Steve Ross and his decision to purchase the New York Cosmos soccer team in the 1970s. Not only did Ross purchase the Cosmos, he set out to build a team the likes that had never been seen before or since.
It is not unusual for you to see a couple of kids kicking a soccer ball today, but in the 1970s, it was almost unheard of. I know because I was a kid in the 70s. Always a fan of PBS, I started watching Soccer Made in Germany and was fascinated by the sport. Used to watching big, burly football players bash into each other on the field, I was amazed at the finesse and skill required to play soccer. When Memphis got its own North American Soccer League (NASL) team, I was thrilled. But, being a teenager, I had no idea the world class talent I would be exposed to by attending these games.
The Rogues joined the league the last year Pele played for the Cosmos. When Ross hired him to play on the Cosmos, it was as if the whole brunt of America accepting soccer rested on Pele’s shoulders. And, he rose to the occasion. When he finally retired from the Cosmos, it was nothing for their attendance to reach 70,000 people. Unfortunately, he was out with an injury when the Cosmos played the Rogues in Memphis, but over the next three years, I got to see players like Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, Gerd Mueller, Gordon Banks, George Best, Johan Cruyff, and Trevor Francis. I got to see the best of the best from all around the world. Many of these players were revered as soccer gods in their own countries and most Americans had no idea of the caliber of soccer they were seeing.
-That’s me on the right with my best friend Becky before a Rogues home game (circa 1980).
I know “Once in a Lifetime” won’t show at any theater here in Jacksonville, but as soon as the DVD comes out, I am going to purchase it and relive what I consider one of the best times of my life.