US Soccer Centennial Moment: 1973 Philadelphia Atoms - American Champions

Immigrants have played a crucial role in the history of American Soccer. If there was a water mark where the imprint of the game became more American, it was 1973 and the Philadelphia Atoms.

The Atoms were an expansion club in the North American Soccer League (NASL). The previous season the New York Cosmos, a team in its 2nd year, won the Championship. That Cosmos side featured one native born and 2 naturalized Americans in a limited capicity.

 

Conversely, the Atoms roster had 11 Americans of whom 7 participated in over half their games. Of those, four would represent the US National Team during 1973 World Cup qualifying - Bob Rigby, Bobby Smith, George O'Neill and Barry Barto.

1973 NASL CHAMPIONS

 

Playing their home matches in Veterans Stadium, they were coached by Pennsylvania native, Al Miller. Miller built the squad around American players, most notably his Goalkeeper Bob Rigby, who played under him at East Stroudsberg State. 

 

Miller would be named the U.S. National Team coach in 1975. However, he would face a tug-of-war with the NASL clubs and the international schedule.

 

Contrary to popular belief, the excitement of the NASL and its rising stars came before the arrival of Pele' to the Cosmos.

 

This was evidenced by the September 3rd 1973 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED cover. (see below)

Bob Rigby - SI cover boy.

 

The Atoms finished with a 9-2-8 record and progressed through the NASL Play-off rounds where they defeated Toronto. In the NASL Final, dubbed The Soccer Bowl, they shut out Dallas to win the title.

 

1973 NASL Championship ring.

 

The reborn North American Soccer League will play its Soccer Bowl Final in November at Atlanta. While there are several Americans in the new league, none are internationals representing the USA.

 

The Philadelphia Atoms were one of the possible names for the MLS's expansion club Philadelphia Union. The 1973 Atoms provided the most US National players from a Philadelphia club since Walter Bahr and Ed McIllvenny of the Philadelphia Nationals appeared in the 1950 World Cup.

 

Walter Bahr's sons - Casey Bahr and Chris Bahr also played for the Atoms in the early 1970's before they became NFL place kickers.

N.Y. Cosmos Championship Ring Sells at Auction

The 1977 Championship ring of New York Cosmos owner Steve Ross went on the auction block on October 4th and sold for $6,270.

Ross, who was a titan in the business world, was the CEO of Warner Communications when it purchased the NASL franchise for $1 from its original 10 owners in 1971. He went on to develop financial concepts for American Express, video game icon Atari, DC Comics and MTV, HBO and Nickleodeon television among others.

He eventually rolled his empire under the TIME-WARNER corporation label. However, for soccer fans, it was his visionary support of the world's game that brought Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto and Giorgio Chinaglia to play in America. 

The 10k gold ring with an emerald stone center was made by famed jewelers Jostein. The ring features the insignia of the NASL, the N.Y. Cosmos and a facsimile signature of Pele on the inner band. 

Pele, playing his final season in the NASL, was the catalyst for the club winning a Championship before the legend's retirement in 1977. 

The ring, as an artifact from a business tycoon, sports builder and pop culture icon, is paramount to the N.Y. Yankees' George Steinbrenner, the Chicago Bears' George Halas or  the Miami Dolphins Joe Robbie.

The Evolution of The North American Professional Clubs

(Orlando, FL) April 12 - Soccer, the name of football in North America, has changed in dramatic fashion over the past few seasons. The major developments are at the professional level where renovation has occurred through expansion, re-branding and restructuring.

Major League Soccer, the top tier among the professional leagues, has added 6 teams in the past 5 years and will add another in 2012. Nine of the original ten franchises remain, although San Jose has experienced a move (to Houston) and then a rebirth. Name changes for New York (twice), San Jose, Dallas and Kansas City have been part of the trend to align with the international flavor of the game. The adaptation of Pele era club names has a wave of nostalgia washing through the North American game.

The return of the Reserve League in MLS and the professional association with youth academies reflects the long term investment in this hemisphere. The recent financial provisions by MLS has widened the international transfer window to sign marquee players .

The most significant changes of the pro leagues has occurred in the Southeast and the Northwest with the return of Atlanta and Orlando to pro status and the promotion of Portland and Vancouver this year to MLS. Orlando is only 1 of 2 World Cup venues, from the nine that hosted games in 1994, that did not get a franchise when MLS began in 1996. The Florida city was also a soccer venue for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Their newest club, called Orlando City, is hard pressed to build on the World Cup legacy of 15 years ago and is treading where others have failed.

Portland and Vancouver, leftovers from the frenzied heyday of the old North American Soccer League (NASL) have joined a highly successful Seattle team in the MLS' Pacific Northwest mix. With average gates well over 30,000, Seattle has led the league in attendance since they were accepted from the lower division United Soccer League two years ago.


In addition to the Portland and Vancouver's new start in MLS, the NASL welcomed Edmonton while the USL premiered Orlando City, FC New York, and Los Angeles Blues plus three teams from Puerto Rico and one from Antigua.

( Orlando City debut in the stadium that hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1994 - photo International Soccer Archives Ó 2011)

MLS expansion, the target for several professional newcomers who desire to be the 20th franchise, is contested from Phoenix and Atlanta to Miami and Orlando. The reborn New York Cosmos, who are currently without a league, desperately want to be the second MLS club in the highly populated Northeast region. There are, however, other "Big Apple" entities showing interest as well.

Since the contraction of the Miami and Tampa franchises in 2001 by MLS, there has been a soccer void in the Southeast and several teams have vied for credibility. None more so than the Miami FC owned by Traffic Sports. The Brazil based company, which re-branded itself as the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, took interest in fellow NASL clubs in Minnesota and Carolina. FC Tampa and the former Miami FC clubs have struggled to win back futbol fans in a predominantly grid iron football region.

Tampa, who were recently stripped of their heritage in using the Rowdies name, have had two coaches and two stadium in as many seasons. Miami moved north to Ft. Lauderdale in hopes of capitalizing on the original NASL legacy of the Strikers.

All the chest pounding and fluffing will do little to impress MLS Commissioner Don Garber. The bravado between the soccer czar and Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo a few years ago ended in a stalemate. But the Quebec club, now playing in the new NASL (Division 2), backed up their boasts by drawing good crowds for their league, exhibition, Canadian Cup and Concacaf Championship matches. Their reward was being named the 19th franchise in MLS to begin play in 2012. The Impact have been playing in their team-own stadium since 2008.

Stadium construction has been the vital component in what the MLS requires for consideration. Since the first Soccer Specific Stadium (SSS) was built for the Columbus Crew, the total of MLS home projects is ten or about half the league now.

There are additional lower division clubs who also control their facility such as Atlanta, Charleston and Ft. Lauderdale.

While 2011 seems to be on the upside, the previous season had its troubling moments. Several teams from the United Soccer League (USL) were unhappy with the circuit's administration and formed the NASL, a breakaway league of their own. The two factions were ordered to share the 2nd Division for 2010 by the US Soccer Federation.
 
For 2011, the USL opted to drop to 3rd Division status while NASL scrambled for owners to become the lone 2nd professional level. Only time will tell if the divisional status and expansion can meet the financial constraints of professionalism.


With two weeks of play already behind the MLS, the lower divisions - NASL and USL kicked off this past weekend. Matches from Canada to the Caribbean and many points in between raised the numbers and interest across the continent. These were the results (in order of attendance) for the week of April 8-10:

Venue                                                Attendance                            Teams                                       Result                              League


QWest Field (Seattle)                       36,233                        Seattle Sounders - Chicago Fire                   2:1                            MLS

RFK Stadium (Washington, DC)    26,622                        DC United - Los Angeles Galaxy                  1:1                            MLS

Empire Stadium (Vancouver)           19,396                       Vancouver Whitecaps - New England         1:1                           MLS

PPL Park (Philadelphia)                     19,027                       Philadelphia Union - New York Red Bull     1:0                            MLS

Home Depot Center (Los Angeles) 13,385                      Chivas USA - Columbus Crew                       0:0                            MLS

Pizza Hut Park (Dallas)                       12,261                      FC Dallas - Colorado Rapids                          3:0                            MLS

Robertson Stadium (Houston)          12,047                     Houston Dynamo - Vancouver Whitecaps  3:1                            MLS

Buck Shaw Stadium (San Jose)           8,928                     San Jose Earthquakes - Toronto FC              1:1                            MLS

Gillette Stadium (Boston)                     7,970                     New England Revolution - Real Salt Lake     0:2                            MLS

Citrus Bowl (Orlando)                           7,933                     Orlando City - FC New York                           3:0                             USL

Lockhart Stadium (Ft. Lauderdale)      6,402                     Ft. Lauderdale Strikers - Edmonton FC         0:1                          NASL

Blackbaud Stadium (Charleston)         4,083                     Charleston Battery - Charlotte Eagles           1:0                             USL

Al Lang Field (Tampa)                          3,693                      FC Tampa - Montreal Impact                          1:0                         NASL

Atlanta Silverbacks Park (Atlanta)      3,543                     Atlanta Silverbacks - NSC Minnesota          1:2                          NASL

City Stadium (Richmond)                      1,385                     Richmond Kicker - Pittsburgh Riverhounds2:1                             USL

WakeMed Soccer Park (Raleigh)          N/A*                   Carolina Railhawks - Puerto Rico Islanders 1:2                           NASL
 
* after 2 hour rain delay

Birth of The Cosmos: New York's 40th Anniversary - Part 2

The International Soccer Archives series chronicling the 40th Anniversary of the New York Cosmos features several "firsts"including artifacts and interviews.

WERNER ROTH: THE AMERICAN CAPTAIN

Unlike today, where the FIFA World Cup telecasts are only a click away in every American living room, the 1970 Championship was beamed by satellite to selected locations which purchased the broadcast. The tickets were  premium and sold exclusively to large venues that could turn a profit. These 1970 matches, including the Brazil - Italy Final, were projected onto a giant screen at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A 22 year old young man named Werner Roth watched the performances of Germany's Beckenbauer and Brazil's Pele at the Garden with no notion that he would one day be their team Captain.

(Werner Roth appears on the cover of the 1975 Cosmos' media guide - photo ISA)

Although not born in the USA, Werner Roth grew up like many of us in the social culture of American immigrants. This of course included the ethnic soccer clubs of New York City. In the German-American Soccer League "the clubhouse was the center of the off-field activities" says Roth. "We drank there, ate meals after games and played pool there. That's where the old-timers, reserve players and youth teams mingled together. All my friends turned out to be players. That was our social connection".

Roth also played the other American sports like basketball and (grid iron) football but was most influenced by the sport of his father. "I followed soccer through my father's collection of KICKER (German soccer) Magazines. Bayern Munich was my Dad's team".  Bayern - the same team that future Cosmos teammate Franz Beckenbauer was crowned European King.

Werner was a regular for the German-Hungarians from 1966 to 1972. The clubhouse and bar in Queens, NY was decorated with trophies, pennants, photos and soccer memorabilia. The home games drew 3 to 4 thousand at any given time and the club made summer trips to Germany. The majority of the New York Cosmos' early squads came from this German-American Soccer League.

Werner played well over 100 league games from the Cosmos which culminated with the 1977 Championship side which he Captained. Roth insists that it was an important season for one special reason. The club wanted to win the Championship for Pele - the man that would change all the lives of people involved with soccer in America.

The world press coverage of the Cosmos would include the now famous photo of Werner holding the NASL trophy aloft as Captain. That photo was eventually used on a 1979 Topps trading card and puzzle (below). We asked him about another picture of him wearing fashionable clothes of the 1970's on returning from Portland (where Soccer Bowl '77 was played). Roth was dressed in a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and a vest as he carried the NASL trophy from the airplane. "Yeah, I was a fan (of the band)" he recalls. "We were not savvy to the media back then. We didn't think about photographers or how to dress."

(Werner Roth Topps cards - courtesy of The Topps Archives)

A week after the 1972 NASL Championship, Roth was able to represent the US National Team against Mexico. He went on to earn 15 international caps but was often unavailable as the Cosmos touring schedule became a priority for the club. Those were lean times for American internationals yet exciting as well. The US team visited Poland in 1973 for a match. The Americans were invited to the Warsaw Opera House as special guests of a sold out performance. The 18 young players were caught off guard as they were unexpectedly introduced to the Polish audience. The well wishers found what Roth describes as "18 sleeping, snoring guys with legs all up over each other". 

On another trip to Israel it came down to poor timing as the players were guests of the local Mayor. The visiting Americans were about to receive token gifts of their tour. As a noisy room of conversation came to a sudden order, one particular unnamed player who was unimpressed with previous gifts, was overheard above the silence. "Not another f**king keychain". Imagine the horror when it turned out that that is exactly what the hosts had selected to present !

Werner Roth's star continued to rise as he shared public appearances with Pele and the Cosmos. At a dinner for the Special Olympics, Pele discussed a project with Werner that both had an opportunity to do now that they were retired. 

(Former Cosmos Pele and Werner Roth play hero and enemy in John Huston's VICTORY. )

The former Cosmos colleagues were immortalized as enemies in John Huston's war-time classic film  VICTORY (aka Escape to Victory). Along side Sylvester Stallone's questionable soccer skills, Werner had to portray the German Captain of a soccer team or "the bad guy", as he likes to put it. The ensemble cast was of real legends - Pele, Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles - all World Cup winners, and award winning actors Michael Caine and Max von Sydow.

Roth had already begun an acting career while still playing soccer. He appeared in the 1978 movie MANNY'S ORPHANS filmed in Connecticut.  Werner played himself in helping what he called "a bad news bears" version of a youth soccer team.

Although they called for action soccer scenes in "Victory", the one thing this cast did not need was practice. The original plans to choreograph the game looked stilled in the daily rushes (raw footage), recalls Roth, who with Pele and company already knew how to make it look authentic. After one weekend of instructed "pass to him, then pass to him", 2nd Unit director Robert Riger met with Pele, Roth and Moore. It was decided that they would just play attacking soccer.

There were comical incidents like when Riger wanted a close-up of the villain Roth pummeling hero Pele. Riger mounted a cameraman in a sidecar of a motorbike to shoot the sequence. As Werner chased Pele, spewing smoke from the cycle caused havoc with the soccer players vision and breathing. "We stumbled around like the keystone cops" laughs Roth. 

The 1981 film was shot in Budapest, Hungary. A cultural and language misunderstanding between Huston and the 6,000 extras used as "the stadium crowd" became a comical frustration. The extras were supposed to invade the playing field after a gunshot marked the end of the game. Huston told the German interpreter what he wanted, who in turn relayed it in Hungarian to the 6,000 extras. The orders must have been lost in translation as the fans ran only as far as the edge of the playing grass - and no farther. It came to light that the well-behaved citizens of Eastern Europe found it disrespectful to encroach onto the pitch. A very upset Huston yelled "cut" and ordered the scene to be shot the next weekend. The week would be used to indoctrinate the extras so they could do it again properly, relates Werner.

The dramatic scene of Baumann's penalty kick (below) which Roth recalls so fondly, was directed by the legendary John Huston. 

(Werner Roth as the German Capt. Baumann in the film VICTORY. Courtesy of WARNER BROS.)

Today Werner Roth runs FUTBOL ACADEMIA in Los Angeles. He is married to actress Robin Mattson and is eagerly awaiting the return of the New York Cosmos to professional soccer. He credits current Cosmos CEO Paul Kemsley "for taking a risk in a less than sure climate". Roth states that the MLS, for the most part, is "underperforming and needs something exciting to see". He points to the commitment of Warner Bros. (the Cosmos' NASL ownership) during his playing days. "The media (here) don't put pressure on soccer as they do in other countries. There should be a revolt".

Werner is also a bit disappointed that there was no place for the Cosmos early in the MLS structure. But, looking back he is proud to be one of the original Cosmos. "To some degree, it is who I am today ... my experiences and management" he adds "are the culmination of my time with the New York Cosmos. Through them, I reached an apex I never dreamed of".

Birth of The Cosmos: New York's 40th Anniversary - Part 1

The International Soccer Archives series chronicling the 40th Anniversary of the New York Cosmos features several "firsts"including artifacts and interviews.

THE FIRST TROPHY

Arguably the most famous club in American soccer history, the New York Cosmos, still carry the prestige of international respect around the world. The team that played its last league game over a quarter century ago remains, to some, a cherished memory. To others, a mere curiosity. 

Recently the club has attempted to resurrect itself from the ruins of the North American Soccer League (NASL) and the giant shadow that it cast in the late 1970's and early 1980's.

Last year the I.S.A. was invited to visit the current Cosmos offices located in the heart of New York City. As historians we had the opportunity to assess and identify the collection of memorabilia acquired during the club's 15 seasons of competition. Considering their short existence, the team amassed a wealth of trophies and awards during that brief period of time which included 5 NASL Championships and 2 runners up spots.

In total, the I.S.A. examined over 300 artifacts from player jerseys to match programs. The items from the Cosmos many world tours were by far the most engaging. These included a pair of engraved swords (from Spain), a hand-carved wooden female bust (Africa) and a quartz clock inside a tree trunk (Japan).

However, the most mysterious piece had to be a small silver bowl which seemed to have lost its luster. Made by the TOWLE Silversmith Company (Mass.), best known as the official silverware pattern maker for the U.S. Embassies world-wide, it stands just 5 inches tall and 8 inches in width.

(photo: New York Governor's Cup. International Soccer Archives copyright 2010)

Although it is generally believed that the New York Cosmos won their first trophy in 1972, the legend has them winning another NASL competition in their inaugural season. 

Turning back the clock to the 1971 Cosmos,  the NASL's newest club became the second team in New York State. The first New Yorkers were the Rochester Lancers - the defending NASL Champions.  

In honor of being the only state to have two franchises in professional soccer at the time, New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller decreed an inter-state competition. The Governor,  a former soccer star at Dartmouth College, donated a silver decoration bowl to the annual winner between the Empire State teams. 

The Lancer and the Cosmos met 4 times during the 1971 NASL season. The Cosmos' results of those four meetings were as follows:

May 30 @ Rochester 2:2 tie (goals: Randy Horton - 2)

June 9 @ New York 4:2 win (Horton, Willie Mfum - 3)

July 10 @ Rochester 2:3 loss (Charlie McCully, Jorge Siega)

August 2 @ New York 3:2 win (Barry Mahy, McCully, Mfum)

The significance of the final match in the series was lost until later years. Playing their home games in legendary Yankee Stadium, the usual 4,000 to 6,000 were swelled to 20,000 by the international exhibition match that would follow the Cosmos-Lancers game. Cali of Colombia met Santos of Brazil - led by a future Cosmos star by the name of Pele. He had recently retired from the National Team of Brazil and was now touring the world with the only club team for which he had ever played.

Although the the awarding of the Governor's Cup to the Cosmos was overshadowed by the presence of Pele, it was reported in a small ethnic newspaper called the Ukranian Weekly. This was largely due to the fact that most of the inaugural season Cosmos came from the German-American soccer league. Both Charlie McCully and Willie Mfum played for the Ukranians in that circuit.

The New York Cosmos would retain the Governor's Cup trophy in their Championship year of 1972. They would loose possession of the cup in 1973 and 1974, although it was by toss of the coin the first time.

(photo: 1973 Rochester Lancers. International Soccer Archives copyright 2011)

Rochester would parade the Governor's Cup (above) as the league and the Cosmos grew in prominence and popularity. In 1975 the Cosmos did the impossible and signed the great Pele to a multi-million dollar contract. The NASL divisional schedule and conference alignment made the pairings for this competition  obsolete. The Cosmos took the final series two games to three in 1975. Although there is not official proclamation, the tiny cup is also the first trophy collected by Pele with the New York Cosmos. 

In 1974 Governor Rockefeller would become the 41st Vice-President of the United States. In 1977 the Cosmos would win their 2nd NASL Championship in  Pele's final season. The Rochester Lancers would play their last game in 1980. By then the world famous Cosmos would boast of an international all-star line-up and tour every continent collecting gifts and memories to last a lifetime. 

I.S.A. Acquires the "Noel Lemon collection"

Noel Lemon is one of the pioneers of the modern professional era of American soccer. He brought an NASL Championship to Oklahoma with the Tulsa Roughnecks and the ASL and National Championship to Florida's Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. The effects of the Strikers on the South Florida community is still endeared to this day. The Chamber of Commerce recognition award (below) was presented to the club after winning the National title.

Lemon was also instrumental in bringing top level international soccer to the United States when almost none existed. He organized the Marlboro Cup - a star studded international event that allowed the US National Team to prepare for their first World Cup in 40 years and give Americans the taste for quality international soccer.

During his tenure as GM of the Roughnecks, the club toured Britain and played against some of the historied clubs such as Cardiff City (Wales), Leicester City, Portsmouth and Derby County (England), as well as clubs from Holland and Bermuda.

The gift that was exchanged between Tulsa and Derby Couty F.C. (below) was this magnifcent statue of a ram - the nickname of Derby County club.

The Marlboro Cup (played from 1987 to 1990) hosted in several American cities, included visits from Millionarios, America de Cali and Atletico Nacional (Colombia), Colo-colo (Chile), Sporting Cristal and Alianza Lima (Peru), Benfica and Sporting (Portugal), Club America and Atlas (Mexico), Juventus (Italy) and Flamengo (Brazil).

The US World Cup Team was also able to play other National sides from South Korea, Uruguay, Colombia, Costa Rica, Russia and Poland.

The silver presentation coupet (above) was made by the famous Tiffany & Company. It is one of the many fine gifts exchanged during the tournament which was held at various times in Miami, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to exhibit these artifacts" says I.S.A. Historical Director Chuck Zsolnai. "We are pleased that Noel's work and the legacy from this era of American Soccer will be preserved for future generations."

There are plans for a touring exhibit and the artifacts will be available for other museums to loan and organizations to research.