The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City. The side was originally created in 1971 by brothers Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun, with the support of Warner Brothers president Steve Ross. The new team entered the North American Soccer League (NASL), which was in its fourth season. Bankrolled by parent company Warner Communications, the Cosmos became the NASL's most successful side, winning a record five championships in front of the league's largest crowds. The team included international stars signed from European and South American clubs, including Brazilians Pelé and Carlos Alberto, West German Franz Beckenbauer, Italian striker Giorgio Chinaglia and many others.[1][2]
When the team was sold to a Chinaglia-owned consortium in 1983, the Cosmos' financial resources were reduced dramatically; the majority of the team's key players were sold as a result. As a result, game performance declined. The Cosmos entered the Major Indoor Soccer League for the 1984–85 indoor season, but left mid-year after disappointing gates.[3] After the NASL folded in March 1985, owners attempted to operate the team independently, but the team was dissolved later that year.[4] A new incarnation of the Cosmos, formed in 2010,[2] made its debut in the new North American Soccer League during the 2013 season.[5]
List of seasons
| Champions | Runners-up | Missed play-offs† |
Seasons
Outdoor
| Season | Regular season | Playoffs | TC | Top scorer[A] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Conf | Div | G | W | T[B] | L | F | A | Pts | % | Pos | Name | Gls | Pts[A] | |||
| 1971 | NASL | – | N | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 51 | 55 | 117 | .479 | 2nd | SF[a] | – | Randy Horton‡ | 16 | 37 |
| 1972 | NASL | – | N | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 28 | 16 | 77 | .642 | 1st | C[b] | – | Randy Horton | 9 | 22 |
| 1973 | NASL | – | E | 19 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 31 | 23 | 91 | .552 | 2nd | SF[c] | – | Randy Horton[d] | 9 | 23 |
| 1974 | NASL | – | N | 20 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 28 | 40 | 58 | .250 | 4th† | – | – | Randy Horton | 9 | 22 |
| 1975 | NASL | – | N | 22 | 10 | – | 12 | 39 | 38 | 91 | .454 | 3rd† | – | – | Julio Correa | 4 | 17 |
| 1976 | NASL | Atl | E | 24 | 16 | – | 8 | 65 | 34 | 148 | .666 | 2nd | DRU[e] | – | Giorgio Chinaglia‡ | 19 | 49 |
| 1977 | NASL | Atl | E | 26 | 15 | – | 11 | 60 | 39 | 140 | .576 | 2nd | C[f] | – | Giorgio Chinaglia | 15 | 38 |
| 1978 | NASL | Nat | E | 30 | 24 | – | 6 | 88 | 39 | 212 | .800 | 1st | C[g] | – | Giorgio Chinaglia‡ | 34 | 79 |
| 1979 | NASL | Nat | E | 30 | 24 | – | 6 | 84 | 52 | 216 | .800 | 1st | CRU[h] | – | Giorgio Chinaglia | 26 | 57 |
| 1980 | NASL | Nat | E | 32 | 24 | – | 8 | 87 | 41 | 213 | .750 | 1st | C[i] | 1st[j] | Giorgio Chinaglia | 32 | 77 |
| 1981 | NASL | – | E | 32 | 23 | – | 9 | 80 | 49 | 200 | .718 | 1st | RU[k] | 2nd[l] | Giorgio Chinaglia | 29 | 74 |
| 1982 | NASL | – | E | 32 | 23 | – | 9 | 73 | 52 | 203 | .718 | 1st | C[m] | 2nd[n] | Giorgio Chinaglia | 20 | 55 |
| 1983 | NASL | – | E | 30 | 22 | – | 8 | 87 | 49 | 194 | .733 | 1st | R1[o] | 1st[p] | Roberto Cabañas | 25 | 66 |
| 1984 | NASL | – | E | 24 | 13 | – | 11 | 43 | 42 | 115 | .541 | 3rd† | – | 1st[q] | Roberto Cabañas | 8 | 20 |
Indoor
In the winter of 1975, the NASL organized a two-tiered, 16 team indoor tournament with four regional winners meeting in a "final-four" style championship. The New York Cosmos won their region at the Rochester War Memorial Arena by virtue of a tie-breaker, but lost both the semifinal and the third-place matches at the Cow Palace to Tampa Bay and Dallas respectively.[6]
| Season | Regular season | Playoffs | Top scorer[A] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Conf | Div | G | W | L | F | A | GB | % | Pos | Name | Gls | Pts[A] | ||
| 1975 | NASL Indoor | – | Region 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 27 | tournament only | .250 | – | 4th | – | – | – |
| 1981–82 | NASL Indoor | Am | E | 18 | 6 | 12 | 102 | 123 | −3[C] | .333 | 4th† | – | Giorgio Chinaglia | 35 | 90 |
| 1982–83 | n/a[D] | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1983–84 | NASL Indoor | – | – | 32 | 20 | 12 | 183 | 148 | −1[C] | .625 | 3rd | RU[r] | Chico Borja[s] | 29 | 66 |
| 1984–85 | MISL | – | E | 48[E] | 11 | 22 | 137 | 185 | −13.5[E] | .333 | 7th† | – | Mark Liveric | 20 | 29 |
Footnotes
- A. a b The "top scorer" given is the top scorer of points. Goals scored two points, and assists one. These figures include the regular season only.[7]
- B. ^ Starting in 1975, tied games were decided by a shootout.[8]
- C. ^ The NASL's indoor seasons used the games behind system rather than points to rank the teams. The 1983–84 indoor season counted both goals and assists as one point.[8]
- D. ^ The Cosmos did not enter an indoor league for the 1982–83 season.[8]
- E. ^ The Cosmos pulled out of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) after 33 games, citing low attendances. The MISL also used the games behind system, and ranked both goals and assists as one point.[9][10]
References
- Bibliography
- Newsham, Gavin (2006). Once in a Lifetime: The Incredible Story of the New York Cosmos. New York City: Grove Press. ISBN 0-8021-4288-5.
- General
- Background sourced to: Newsham (2006).
- NASL statistics sourced to: Whitney, David. "North American Soccer League". RSSSF. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
- Top scorers sourced to: Litterer, David. "American Soccer History Archives". Archived from the original on 2009-11-08. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
- MISL statistics sourced to: Litterer, David. "Major Indoor Soccer League I". RSSSF. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
- Trans-Atlantic Cup statistics sourced to: Courtney, Barrie. "Trans-Atlantic Challenge Tournament". RSSSF. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
- Notes