Restoring the New York Cosmos Nation

On Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010, the New York Cosmos celebrated Pelé’s 70th birthday by hosting a fan appreciation event at New York’s Planet Hollywood located at the heart of Times Square. Hundreds of Cosmos fans enthusiastically waited in line for their free t-shirt and 2011 official fan ball. What was intriguing about Saturday’s event was the diversity of New York Cosmos fans. From fans who watched the Cosmos play in Giants Stadium to the fans who were children when the North American Soccer League ceased league play, the diversity of fans was phenomenal because it further demonstrated that Pelé and the New York Cosmos still remain in the memory of many New Yorkers. Much like the Beatles, the New York Cosmos is an anomaly that’s withstood the test of time. It’s really amazing how a team 25 years removed from professional play still possesses loyal fans who yearn for their return. Since Pelé announced the return of the New York Cosmos, fans have been wondering and speculating where they’re going to play and when. In addition, they’ve also wondered aloud about the business plan of the New ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Seattle Sounders: Someone’s Gonna Pay

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy head into the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs with the best regular season record in Major League Soccer. But one would have to be blind, stupid and possibly dead to think that the G's will stop there.There is no doubt that the road to Toronto may as well go through Sandy, but first it has to make a stop at Seattle. Qwest Field on Halloween in the 2010 MLS Western Conference Semifinals.The Qwest Field where fans got a refund from the Seattle Sounders front office for the 4-0 blowout defeat the Galaxy handed them on May 8. That Qwest Field.Of course, Los Angeles have their own personal beef with Seattle. After all, the Sounders DID defeat them 2-0 on July 7 en route towards their successful U.S. Open Cup defense. And while the Galaxy didn't exactly field their strongest lineup that day, one would be believe that LA will seek to make that setback a pure and simple aberration.“I feel we’re the team to beat,” Galaxy defender Sean Franklin said on Sunday. “We’ve been first the whole season. [We weren’t] consistently good, but neither was everybody else in the league. I know everyone wants to beat ...

Neymar is Ideal Player To Lead Rebirth of New York Cosmos

Neymar, the sensational 18-year-old star forward of Brazilian club Santos FC, epitomizes the best of Brazilian soccer, he is marvelously skillful, stylish, charismatic and exudes the joyous spirit of “el jogo bonito.” He has accomplished much with the Brazilian club and recently made his debut with the Brazilian national team, in New Jersey, of all places. Top European clubs, like Chelsea, Real Madrid and Juventus, covet the youngster, but a 30 million euro transfer fee and the desire of Santos to retain its top star have been stumbling roadblocks that, so far, have stood in the way. Neymar's popularity and admiration is such that some observers have dared to compare him with the great Pele. Like Neymar, Pele also started his career with Santos FC, and enjoys a close, deeply personal friendship with the young phenom. Which brings me to one of Pele's latest business activities: promoting the return of the legendary club New York Cosmos. As some of us of certain age recall, the Cosmos reigned supreme in the late '70s and early '80s as the most glamorous and exciting club in the world. The team—led by Pele and Franz Beckenbauer, among other world class players—won several NASL titles, traveled the world, and ...

Los Angeles Galaxy Knock Out FC Dallas, 2-1, Claim MLS Supporters’ Shield

Well, how about that.It took them the entire regular season, but Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy defeated FC Dallas 2-1 to finally claim the Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield. With the honors go a free pass to the group stage of next year's CONCACAF Champions League. At least they won't risk being embarrassed by Puerto Rico again in the preliminary round. "We needed this game," Arena said. "We haven't been in a game where we've been forced to win, forced to show up and play hard and fight and scrap for everything we can get. That's the kind of game that should give our team and players a lot of confidence. "We … had to fight for our lives, basically. We raised our level of play, our competitiveness, our mentality. And it's something we're going to have to have for the playoffs if we have any interest in trying to get back to the MLS Cup."Interestingly, for 11 excruciating minutes, it seemed as if the regular season would crumble in unceremonious fashion for the G's, who haven't had the finest second half of a season. Atiba Harris exploited a hole in the backline and made ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. FC Dallas: A Play-By-Play (and Other Miscellany)

My name is JR Salazar, and this is another Play-By-Play (and Other Miscellany) on Bleacher Report. Today's Play-By-Play features the Los Angeles Galaxy and FC Dallas. For Bruce Arena's Galaxy, this will either be a day to be remembered or a day to be damned. Who will prevail? Stay tuned for all the exciting action and commentary on b/r!Feel free to give your thoughts on the proceedings, too! Be sure to keep it clean and relevant, as always.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Seattle Sounders’ Winning Streak Stopped By Houston Dynamo 2-1

Seattle Sounders FC completed its MLS season by returning to Houston to face the host Dynamo team for the first time since being eliminated in last season’s league playoffs. That fact served as a kind of omen Saturday as the home team ended the longest MLS win streak of Seattle’s two season franchise history with a 2-1 triumph at Robertson Stadium before a crowd of 23,990. The streak had reached five games and a six-game unbeaten period. While the match was physical, the tempo had to be somewhat restrained at least in part due to the high level of humidity despite the fact that the temperature was only 83 degrees. As customary for the Sounders during their second half surge, the team scored an early goal to jump on top 1-0. The scoring began in the 12th minute. It was defender James Riley that initiated it with one of the premier goals of the season. The score occurred after there had been a good deal of quick ball exchanges near the Dynamo goal. Nate Jaqua ultimately was able to boot the ball back to Riley, who drilled a right-footed bullet into the Dynamo net. Rookie goalkeeper Tyler Deric was ...

Chris Henderson: A Journey From Youth Soccer to MLS

Chris Henderson currently serves as Technical Director for Seattle Sounders FC. His is a storybook journey beginning with his roots in youth soccer, to a national championship at UCLA, to U.S. National Team status and finally to MLS stardom. Henderson began playing soccer at five and it was no surprise. He came from a family in Everett, just north of Seattle, where soccer was highly prominent. His father Dick was his coach at Cascade High during his last two years. This is the same high school that also produced famous football coach Dennis Erickson.The family included another prominent soccer player as well. His brother Sean would be a teammate of Chris’ at UCLA.Chris’ abilities obtained a berth for him on the U.S. Youth Soccer National Team. In 1989, the U.S. squad achieved higher honors than any that came before it. Also on that team with Chris was a prominent player with whom he is now associated with the Sounders, veteran goalkeeper and current MLS All-Star, Kasey Keller, a fellow pacific northwesterner who  played his college soccer at Portland University.“We made it all the way to the semifinal round,” Henderson reminisced while taking a break from a Sounders practice in Tukwila. “The ...

Seattle Sounders, Houston Dynamo Close Out MLS Season In Houston

Seattle Sounders FC closes its regular MLS season at the Houston Dynamo in a Saturday match at 1 p.m. PT.  The Sounders’ postseason playoff opponent in a scheduled October 31 home clash has yet to be determined. Seattle has achieved a 14-9-6 record with 48 points, a club record five game winning streak and six games unbeaten in MLS play.  A win Saturday could move the team over the 50-point threshold to a glossy 51 finish. For the host Dynamo it has been a tough season.  Houston has an 8-15-6 record and 30 points.  This is Seattle’s first visit to Robertson Stadium since being eliminated from the 2009 playoffs by Houston last November. Goalkeeper Alex Horwath has been called up by Seattle.  He will replace injured backup Terry Boss.  Horwath played at the University of Wisconsin before signing with Major League Soccer as a pool goalkeeper. A 1-0 extra time loss in the second leg of the Western Conference semifinals is the only Sounders FC defeat in six meetings with Houston.  Seattle is 2-0-1 in the regular season series.  It ousted the Orange from the semifinals round of the 2009 Open Cup and earned a draw in the first leg of last year's playoff ...

Obrigado e Feliz Aniversário Pelé

"Pelé is one of the few who contradicted my theory: instead of fifteen minutes of fame, he will have fifteen centuries." — Andy Warhol Recognized by the world as Pelé, Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born in Três Corações, Brazil on October 23, 1940. Tomorrow, the greatest Soccer Ambassador The Beautiful Game has ever produced is turning 70 years old. Playing for Santos F.C., the Brazilian National Team, and the New York Cosmos, Pelé has brought smiles and memories to millions and millions of soccer fans worldwide. Being a three-time World Cup Champion who scored an astronomical 1283 career goals, Pelé has given journalists and fans alike a lot to write and talk about. On October 1, 1977, playing his final game in a friendly between the Cosmos and Santos FC at Giants Stadium, Pelé asked the world to watch over the children. At the time of his request, this writer was one year old and one of the children Pelé asked the world to take care off as they witnessed his final game. My parents being young and clueless first-time parents took Pelé's advice to heart and implemented it in the way I was raised. Along with their nurturing and guidance, they would slyly ...

New York Red Bulls Clinch MLS Eastern Conference

The New York Red Bulls' 2010 MLS regular season started and ended with Joel Lindpere. Scoring the first ever-regular season Red Bull goal against the Chicago Fire in a Red Bulls 1-0 victory in March, Lindpere scored the final regular season goal in tonight's Red Bulls 2-0 victory over the New England Revolution. After performing horrendously in last Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union, the Red Bulls needed a win tonight in order to secure the Eastern Conference title from Eastern Conference second best team, the Columbus Crew. Dominating the first half, the Red Bulls dictated the flow of the match with their stellar defense and teamwork. Continuing to play his best soccer of the season, Dane Richards scored his fifth goal in the final seven games when he shot a rocket in the 17th minute to give the Red Bulls a 1-0 halftime lead. In the second half, New England played more aggressively but where unable to tie the game due to their lack of timing and missed opportunities. With five minutes of stoppage time, Joel Lindpere won the Eastern Conference title for his teammates when his goal placed the game out of reach in the 92nd minute. ...