The world has lost a true icon, as the legendary Pelé died Thursday in his native Brazil.
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the Brazilian maestro dazzled the world in the 50s, 60s and 70s, winning three World Cup titles during that time. And he spent nearly 20 years making 636 appearances for Santos in his home country – but it was his three seasons with the New York Cosmos that perhaps had an even bigger impact on the sport.
Pelé in America: his legacy
Pelé arrived in the United States in 1975, signing with the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League. The league had been operating since 1968 and the Cosmos itself since 1971, but Pelé was a watershed moment for both entities, and the game itself, in America.
Pelé came to these already established shores like a legend. Three World Cups and a prestigious tenure at Santos had already cemented his status as the world’s greatest player. But unlike today when foreign stars sign in the United States, he was a legend many Americans had never seen before. A truly mythical figure. If you hadn’t seen World Cup news footage once in a blue moon, even avid football fans in the United States had probably never seen Pele play. It was as if Babe Ruth had magically re-signed with the Yankees, to play in front of a generation that had only heard of him in stories.
How Pelé revolutionized sports in the United States
The wonderful documentary once in a lifetime describes his stay in New York. From fields painted green to wild parties at Studio 54, from sold-out NFL stadiums to dodgy high school grounds, his tenure in America was full of contrasts. But his play lived up to the hype. He scored 37 goals in 64 appearances and guided the Cosmos to the Soccer Bowl title of 1977. His last competitive game was that league game, a 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders in what is today Providence Park in Portland, OR.
Pelé’s influence, however, went beyond the bright lights of The Big Apple. His signing opened the floodgates for more international stars joining the NASL. John Cruyff. George Best. Franz Beckenbauer. Gerd Muller. Carlos Alberto. Gordon Banks. The undeniable gods of the game plied their trade in the United States for a brief scintillating time in the late 70s and early 80s. These stars boosted the league’s attendance and viewership.
The Cosmos in particular set records that still stand today (the crowd of 77,891 at Giants Stadium in 1977 remains the highest attendance ever for a standalone national game between two U.S. soccer teams).
And although the finances and fortunes of the original NASL did not last, the legacy of Pelé and those who followed him had a huge impact on the game. exploded in the 1970s as the sport suddenly became a fixture. When the league faltered in the mid-1980s, the grassroots game remained stronger than ever, with millions of children playing football in every corner of the country.
On the pro side, while there were dark times after the NASL, the seeds planted in the rockstar days paid off down the line. Many of the clubs Pelé played against, including the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes and others, later revived and still play today. The foundations laid by Pele and the rest of the NASL of the late 70s are the foundation upon which rests the football infrastructure and robust fandom we enjoy today in this country.
Pelé at the revival of the NASL
The nostalgia factor for the old NASL inspired a reboot of the league and the Cosmos in the 2010s. The legend himself was present in August 2013 when the Cosmos returned to the field after 30 years, taking on another descendant of the NASL, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, in Hempstead, NY. The Cosmos would go on to claim a dramatic victory late in the game. It was a game I attended, supporting the Strikers on the road. Despite the result, seeing the atmosphere, two historic clubs and such an important character in person was surreal. It was like seeing a superhero in real life.
Sadly, it was just another moment of fleeting fanfare, as neither the NASL, Cosmos, nor modern Strikers still exist in any significant way nine years after that game.
But aside from the hiccups in the domestic game, it cannot be emphasized how much Pele’s arrival forever changed the landscape of football in America. David Beckham’s signing with the LA Galaxy in 2007 was a similar historic event, creating traveling hysteria wherever they went and packing stadiums across the country. But that wouldn’t have been possible without Pelé first conquering these shores all those years ago.
Although his achievements in Brazil with the national team and Santos are remarkable, if he had never existed, this nation and this club would surely still have won many titles, played remarkable football and produced brilliant players. But in America, the arrival and legacy of Pelé transformed the game forever, igniting the spark that drove five decades of rapid progress in the sport of soccer. Without Pelé, the sport in the United States could very well be far behind where we see it today. Without Pelé, MLS might never have happened.
The man may be gone, but his name and spirit will live on in the sport forever.
Photo credit: Imago