The Cosmos come back

摘要

"You can say now to the world that soccer has finally arrived in the United States," said Pele, as he signed a contract said to be worth $47m with the New York Cosmos in 1975. It made the great Brazilian the highest-paid athlete in the world, and the Cosmos the hottest ticket in town. The squad was packed with international greats, such as Franz Beckenbauer, who had led West Germany to World Cup victory in 1974. Its glamour attracted 77,000 fans to the Giants Stadium, where the Cosmos played for a time. Attendance suffered when Pele left in 1977, and eight years later the team disbanded. Three decades on, the Cosmos are returning.