Soccer Goes American: Pelé and the Rise of American League Soccer

“Pele Signs With Cosmos: ‘Soccer Has Arrived’ Here With the same ebullience that has marked his play, Pele took up his new career yesterday as a New York Cosmos forward and soccer’s ambassador to the United States.” —New York Times, June 11, 1975

On a random summer night in 1975, American soccer changed forever. Headlines like the one above spread across the country, shocking sports journalists and local New Yorkers alike. What was an international soccer star doing in New York? Why was he playing for an American club? It certainly wasn’t because of American soccer’s reputation. By 1975, the North American Soccer League (NASL) was still developing. In the sports world, American soccer was a far cry from its European and Latin American counterparts. Few people could have predicted that Pelé’s arrival would help make soccer one of the fastest growing sports in the country.

In 1967, the United States and Canada established the North American Soccer League (NASL), the first professional soccer league in the region. The NASL was initially created due to growing interest in the sport following the 1966 FIFA World Cup final, which garnered about 400 million international viewers and was the first World Cup match broadcasted on American television. This unprecedented interest signaled to sports moguls and investors that soccer could become a major sport in the United States. To establish a fanbase across the region, the NASL expanded west and launched in Canada, increasing its roster to 20 teams by 1975. This strategy transformed the NASL into a competitive league filled with club rivalries and championships. Major cities were represented such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and Toronto. But perhaps the greatest result of the expansion was the founding of the New York Cosmos.

The NASL’s newfound success–and budget–ushered in an era of international stardom. In an unexpected move, the New York Cosmos signed international star Pelé in 1975. Born in Brazil in 1940, Pelé started his career in the Brazilian club Santos FC . At 16 years old, Pelé became the top scorer in the league, and by 30 he had won three World Cup trophies. During his Manhattan signing, Pelé boldly told the press “You can say now to the world that soccer has finally arrived in the United States.” Pelé’s hiring caused an immediate media frenzy. Ticket sales and attendance skyrocketed, and the team’s matches were broadcast in over 20 countries.

True to his word, Pelé would travel across the United States and Canada for his weekly league matches, leaving behind newly devoted soccer fans in his wake. In the off-season, the New York Cosmos would go on international tours across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, promoting the NASL on a global scale. Pelé played for three seasons with the New York Cosmos, reaching 107 appointments and scoring 66 goals. In 1977, the New York Cosmos would win the Soccer Bowl 2-1 against the Seattle Sounders and raise the NASL trophy—a grand culmination of Pelé’s NASL career.

Just two years after his New York Cosmos debut Pelé would retire from soccer in 1977, leaving behind a decorated international career and an unforgettable imprint on American soccer. Pelé had captured the world’s attention but in New York his impact was just beginning. For Americans Pelé was not just an international superstar—he was a local figure, trailblazer, and spokesperson for a once-ignored sport. His unwavering belief and support for American soccer would spur new dreams for the United States.

Following his departure from the league, Pelé remained in New York to establish his own youth soccer camp in collaboration with the New York Cosmos. Pelé would ultimately coach for the 1978 and 1979 summer season and become a guest athlete for the remaining years of the camp’s operations. A children’s lunchbox, housed in the museum’s Sports History Collection, is a testament to Pelé’s mission to promote soccer in the United States and to encourage its adoption as an American sport.

In the following decades, the United States won the first FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991, hosted the FIFA 1994 Men’s World Cup, and won fourth place in the Men’s Soccer tournament in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Nationally, the United States established a new soccer league known as Major League Soccer (MLS) and welcomed other soccer stars—both international and national—such as David Beckham and Landon Donovan.

But outside of these great feats, soccer also transformed locally. Youth teams emerged across the country, providing a new sport for kids to participate in. Soccer arrived at local schools, parks, and backyards, creating a new sense of community for those involved. For these families, soccer became part of the typical American sports experience. Arguably the most impactful legacy of Pelé’s career in the United States was inspiring new generations to play what Pelé has famously nicknamed “the beautiful game.”

Today, 50 years after Pelé’s arrival to New York, a new international star walks on the American pitch. Lionel Messi, captain of the Argentine National Team who led his country to the 2022 FIFA World Cup trophy, now calls Miami his home. As Messi enters his third season with Inter Miami CF, the world watches with bated breath to see him score. Americans, however, watch with the same hopes and aspirations that once eluded New York decades ago. Only time will tell what impact Messi will leave on the MLS and American soccer, but the future sure looks promising.

Erika T. Zurita is a collections assistant in the Division of Work and Industry’s Graphic Arts Collection and a graduate of University College London. She thanks curator Jane Rogers of the Division of Culture and the Arts for supporting this post.