NASL Soccer Bowl 1977 - New York Cosmos vs. Seattle Sounders

[JasonFeinman1369]

This was the best goal ever - I remeber watching it and then I was able to pull off that feat in a youth soccer game. I played left wing and Stev Hunt was my favorite player - even more so then Pele or Chinaglia, but I loved them all. Best team ever assembled and the best soccer you could ever watch. That was when soccer in America was perfect.

[stevebritgimp]

That is a goalkeeping shocker - and not one I've ever seen before. Ought to be in a compilation. Maybe shows how separate the NASL was from the rest of football, although maybe not through any fault of its own - but then I've seen Best's goal for the Earthquakes in good goals compilations...

[hotroute]

They needed Pele but they also needed Chinaglia but they also needed Beckenbauer but they also needed Alberto - truly historical happening in football but the special teams are built as teams. 

[FRSFreeState]

New York and Seattle probably the two best Franchises in the NASL

[FrsBigeasy]

Two of the best Franchises in the NASL

[bronxsportsfan]

I'm curious: Where was this game played at? Seattle played their games at the old Kingdome, which was indoors; and the Cosmos' home games by 1977 were played at Giants Stadium. This venue had Astroturf but where the goal was scored was where the third base area was located. And from about :32 to :42, you can see a panoramic view of the stadium, but nothing seemed recognizeable to me. Greatly appreciated if someone could tell me where this stadium was/is located. Thanks

[MarkFartman]

@bronxsportsfan

The game was played in Civic Stadium in Portland, Oregon.

[SenhordoBonfim]

@bronxsportsfan The Sounders in the first couple of years played at Memorial Stadium which was an outdoor venue.

[Franjazul90]

@bronxsportsfan

The game was played in what is now The Jeld Wen Field in Portland Oregon!!!!!!!!!!!!

[riotusa1]

Your damn right! Soccer in America just isn't right without the Cosmos. This was the most famous play in NASL history. I have many Cosmos games on video, but, if anyone has any footage of the Cosmos/Strikers playoff game in Giant's Stadium 8-14 1977 I will pay top dollar

[pajasa62]

@riotusa1

Can't say that I have that game my firend, but I was at that game. To this very day, I remember the attendance of 77, 691 and when they announced it everyone at Giants Stadium gasped. I remember people walking up the aisles of the upper level with tickets saying "row 31" but there was only 30 rows in the upper level, so they had to sit on the stairs. One minor note, the Strikers goalkeeper was the legendary Gordon Banks of England.

[riotusa1]

@pajasa62 Even more impressive, Banks lost sight in one eye a few years prior in a car accident and was still the top keeper in the NASL that season. Didn't have much success in Giants Stadium giving up 18 goals in three games in 1977-78.

[pajasa62]

@riotusa1

I knew Gordon Banks was blind in one eye, but I didn't realize he was the top goalkeeper that season...thanks for the info.

There was NOTHING like those Cosmos games at Giants Stadium and I'll never forget the heartbreaking loss to the Argentina national team in 1979 (1-0 on an 88th minute goal) that had all the great players that won the World Cup the year before PLUS some guy named Diego Maradona.

(Don't talk to me about the Vancouver Whitecaps playoff game in '79...PLEASE.)

[riotusa1]

@pajasa62 Ken Cooper had a better GAA 0.95 to 1.19 but Banks had a better save % and led the leage with 10 shutouts

[riotusa1]

@pajasa62 Funny thing,on the one year aniversary of the Strikers game at Giants, the Cosmos were humiliated in Minnesota 9-2. In the post Pele afterglow '78-'80 the Cosmos ,72-20 in regular season but seemed to enjoy making things hard for themselves in the post season especially in second round series. I know you dont want to talk about it but I must ask. In Giorgios book he blamed the disapointing crowd for the Vancouver game for the loss (44,000 down from 76,000 previous. Why the small crowd?

[pajasa62]

@riotusa1

I remember the next game against the Strikers when Carlos Alberto tied it up with a flashy shootout attempt & Beckenbauer won it.

Your right about how the Cosmos breezed through the regular season and had deep trouble in the playoffs.

As I remember it there was about 60,000 at the Vancouver game (actually 2 games w/ the 30 minute mini-game). It was on a Saturday afternoon. I was at the game & had my mother audiotape it because it was live on ABC-TV (with Jim McKay doing the call)

[pajasa62]

@riotusa1

Why don't I want you to mention it?...well I'm being melodramatic a bit, but it was SOOO disappointing!. I remeber Johan Neeskens getting injured and carried off, the Whitecaps playing great and the Cosmos struggling, but Terry Garbett won the 1st shootout and it caused so much anticipation for the 30 minute mini-game that followed where the Whitecaps seemingly scored. Everything went wrong in the 2nd shootout & me and my father & brother ended up going to a Cosmos-less Soccer Bowl.

[riotusa1]

@pajasa62 I have that game in VHS and I remember watching it when it happened in 79. Carlos Alberto was susoended for throwing his shirt at the ref and spitting on him, Neeskens and Tueart got hurt, but Giorgio wanted to blame the fans. "We were hoping for and expecting another 70,000 + crowd whuch would bring out our best.....Unfortunately the fans let us down that saturday sept.1, only 44,000 showed up a small crowd for such an important game" were his words in his autobiography. Fair or not?

[pajasa62]

@riotusa1

That's GREAT that you have a VHS copy of that game!!!

I didn't remember about Carlos Alberto being ejected until you just reminded me...I guess after 31 years you can cut me some slack. Did that happened after (was it Carl Valentine?) hit the crossbar? Was that a goal? I remember how the Cosmos (Chinaglia included) basically had the linesman and/or the referee forced up against the wall, trying to change his mind.

When Beckenbauer missed his shootout attempt, I knew it was trouble!

[riotusa1]

@pajasa62 Alberto was suspended after the first game in Vancouver. Eskandarian was red carded with just seconds to play and after the final whistle Alberto got into it with the ref and threw his shirt at him and spit in his face. He was suspended for the rest of the season and Esky was out for game 2. So both missed the entire game(s) in NY. After the Vancouver goal in the mini game was dissalowed, Mark Liveric scored a goal that was called back for a foul.

[pajasa62]

@riotusa1

WOW! I haven't thought about that in 31 years...now I remember Eskie getting red-carded at the very end of the 1st game and Carlos spitting!....THANKS for reminding me!!! I forgot the details!

At the end of the game at Giants Stadium, teenage girls were CRYING after Nelsi Morais didn't convert that last shot.

Did you go to any Cosmos games?

I'm almost proud to say that I was at the very last game in 1985 against Lazio in the POURING rain, when a 1000 or so fans showed up.

[riotusa1]

@pajasa62 I saw them in person only once in the Astrodome in 1980. I lived in Indiana as a 7 year old in 1977 when I first was introduced to soccer. I learned about Pele and the Cosmos that year and followed them through a magazine called Soccer Corner. Watched Soccer Bowl 77 and Pele's final game on TV both of which I now have on video. Moved to Houston in 78 and was a Hurricane season ticket holder for three seasons. The Cosmos finally came to the Dome in 1980. Cosmos won 4-3 shootout

[pajasa62]

@riotusa1

That very cool....especially to be a season ticket holder.

The NASL was something special in this country...a really enjoyed the few times I got to see Johan Cruyff (actually once in a Cosmos uniform in a 1978 exhibition after Soccer Bowl '78)...and the 35 yard line and shootout formula was something FIFA should have adopted long ago.

[riotusa1]

@pajasa62 I agree about the shootout and 35 yd line. I actually have that game from 78 Cosmos vs World All Stars on DVD. I especially enjoyed the 1979 season as the Hurricane matched the Cosmos win for win for most of the season and were unbeaten at home until a shocking crash and burn in the playoffs against a team that was winless on the road. We actually missed that playoff series to go on vacation. We were confident there would be a second round. Not so lucky.

[pajasa62]

@riotusa1

I can't blame Giorgio for blaming the fans...it was TERRIBLE how so many fans booed him during player intros for all the home games. I remember turning around to booing fans and try to clap as loud as possible to drown those idiots out. Chinaglia was great and didn't deserve that nonsense.

I should get his book.

In it, does he say why he was not at the (for me very emotional) 1991 reunion game against Brazil?...in that game Jeff Durgan had ballooned up to like 275 lbs!!!

[riotusa1]

@pajasa62 The book "Chinaglia!" was writen in 1980 so in could not have touched on that. But in a Sports Illustrated artical about the reunion, it said that he did not attend for "personal reasons". Chinaglia was booed mainly because of his close relationship with Steve Ross & percieved meddling; getting coaches fired & players traded. Weather or not that was accurate depends who you ask. In the movie and book "Once in a Lifetime" many of his peers seem to feel he did. I always liked him though

[led4acs]

@pajasa62 It's true he was booed, but he got just as many cheers, if not more. As a 12 year old I only cared that he scored goals, so I always cheered for him. As for why he was booed? I'm not sure it had anything to to do with his relationship with the Cosmos owner, since rumors of his meddling surfaced well after he had already been booed. It was the Italian fans who booed him because of his poor relations with fans in Italy and because of Italy's sub par showing at the 74 World Cup.

[pajasa62]

@led4acs

Well 50% of the crowd booing him was pretty noticeable and boos always outweigh cheers unfortunately. I think you are right about some Italian fans booing him, but also fair-weather fans (and that sure became the case) found it contagious and fun to boo him and that was pretty unfortunate.

I like your theory about the '74 World Cup.

I still can't get over how the New York media and then the fans, completely deserted the Cosmos.

[pajasa62]

@riotusa1

ooops, I meant Minnesota KICKS!

[unak78]

Bring back the Cosmos!