Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos 2006

The untold story of the team that had America at its feet.

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PG-13
Documentary

In the 1970s the North American Soccer League marked the first attempt to introduce soccer to American sports fans. While most teams had only limited success at best, one managed to break through to genuine mainstream popularity - the New York Cosmos. The brainchild of Steve Ross (Major executive at Warner Communications) and the Ertegun brothers (Founders of Atlantic Records), the Cosmos got off to a rocky start in 1971, but things changed in 1975 when the world's most celebrated soccer star, the Brazilian champion Pele, signed with the Cosmos for a five-million-dollar payday. With the arrival of Pele, the Cosmos became a hit and the players became the toast of the town, earning their own private table at Studio 54. A number of other international soccer stars were soon lured to the Cosmos, including Franz Beckenbauer, Rodney Marsh, and Carlos Alberto, but with the turn of the decade, the team began losing favor with fans and folded in 1985.

Release Date 2006-01-01
Runtime 1h 37m
Directors Paul Crowder, John Dower, Nick Bennett, Richard Numeroff, Richard Rutkowski, Peter Badel, Nick Bennett, Mark Stein, Gino Crededio
Producers Krysanne Katsoolis, Caroline Stevens, Nick Fraser, Richard Klein, Fiona O'Doherty, Tono Folguera, Iñaki Sagastume, Agi Orsi, Mark Monroe, Mark Monroe, Vicki Cherkas
Writers John Dower, Mark Monroe