The world has lost a true icon, as the legendary Pelé passed away on Thursday in his native Brazil.
Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the Brazilian maestro dazzled the world in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, winning three World Cup titles in that span. 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 the greatest impact on the sport.
Pelé in America: His legacy
Pelé arrived in the USA in 1975, signing with the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League. The league had been around since 1968, and the Cosmos itself since 1971, but Pelé was a defining moment for both entities, and the game itself, in the United States.
Pelé arrived on these shores already enshrined as a legend. Three World Cups and a prestigious tenure at Santos had already cemented his status as the best player in the world. But unlike today when foreign stars sign in the US, he was a legend that many Americans had never seen before. A truly mythical figure. If he doesn’t happen to catch newsreel footage of the World Cup from time to time, even avid soccer fans in the US have probably never seen Pelé play. It was as if Babe Ruth had magically re-signed with the Yankees, to play in front of a generation that had only read about him in stories.
How Pelé changed the sport in the US
The wonderful documentary Once in a Lifetime describes his time in New York. From fields painted green to wild parties at Studio 54, sold-out NFL stadiums and dodgy high school fields, his tenure in America was full of contrasts. But his game lived up to expectations. He scored 37 goals in his 64 appearances and guided the Cosmos to the 1977 Soccer Bowl title. His last competitive game was that championship game, a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders in what is now Providence Park in Portland, OR.
However, Pele’s influence went beyond the bright lights of the Big Apple. His signing opened the floodgates for more international stars to join the NASL. Johan Cruyff. George Best. Franz Beckenbauer. Gerd Muller. Carlos Alberto Gordon Banks. The undeniable gods of the game plied their trade in the US for a brief, shining moment in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These stars boosted attendance and viewership for the league.
The Cosmos, in particular, set records that still stand today (the 1977 crowd of 77,891 at Giants Stadium remains the highest ever attendance for a national, independent game between two American soccer teams).
And while the finances and fortunes of the original NASL did not last, the legacy of Pele and those who followed him had a major impact on the game. Youth soccer participation in the United States skyrocketed in the 1970s when the sport suddenly became a mainstream fixture. When the league faltered in the mid-’80s, the grassroots game remained stronger than ever, with millions of kids playing soccer in every corner of the country.
On the professional side, while there were dark times after the NASL, the seeds planted in those rock star days bore fruit in the future. Many clubs Pelé played against, including the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes and others, would be reborn in later years and continue to play today. The foundations laid by Pele and the rest of the NASL in the late 1970s are the foundation on which the soccer infrastructure and strong fan base we enjoy in this country today is built.
Pelé at the NASL renaissance
The nostalgia factor of the old NASL inspired a reboot of both the league and the Cosmos in the 2010s. The legend himself was on hand in August 2013 when the Cosmos returned to the field after 30 years, taking on another NASL scion. , the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, in Hempstead, New York. The Cosmos would go on to secure a dramatic late win in that game. It was a game that I was in, rooting for the Strikers along the way. Despite the result, seeing the atmosphere, two storied clubs and such an important figure in person was surreal. It was like seeing a superhero in real life.
Unfortunately, it was just another fleeting moment of fanfare, as neither the modern NASL, Cosmos, or Strikers still exist in any meaningful way just nine short years after that game.
But setbacks in the domestic game aside, it cannot be stressed enough how much Pelé’s arrival forever changed the soccer landscape in America. David Beckham’s signing with the LA Galaxy in 2007 was a similar milestone, creating a traveling hysteria wherever they went and selling out stadiums across the country. But it would not have been possible without Pelé first conquering these shores all those years ago.
While his achievements in Brazil with the national team and Santos are remarkable, had he never existed, that nation and that club would surely have won many titles, played extraordinary football and produced brilliant players. But in the United States, the arrival and legacy of Pelé transformed the game forever, igniting the spark that has fueled five decades of rapidly advancing soccer. Without Pelé, the sport in the United States could very well lag far behind what we see today. Without Pelé, MLS would never have existed.
The man may be gone, but his name and spirit will live on in the sport forever.
Photo credit: Imago
