The New York Cosmos

New York Cosmos

The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history...

 were an American soccer club based in New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. Originally founded in 1971 by brothers

Ertegun brothers

The Ertegun brothers, Nesuhi Ertegün and Ahmet Ertegün , sons of Turkish diplomat Münir Ertegün, were the Turkish-American executives of Atlantic Records. They also co-founded the legendary New York Cosmos soccer team of the North American Soccer League....

 Ahmet

Ahmet Ertegun

Ahmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...

 and Nesuhi Ertegun

Nesuhi Ertegun

Nesuhi Ertegun was a Turkish record producer and executive of Atlantic Records and WEA International.-Background:Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Nesuhi and his family, including younger brother Ahmet, moved to Washington, D.C...

, with the support of Warner Brothers president Steve Ross, the Cosmos joined the North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...

 (NASL), which was in its fourth season. Backed by the financial resources of Warner Communications

Warner Communications

Warner Communications or Warner Communications, Inc. was established in 1971 when Kinney National Company spun off its non-entertainment assets, due to a financial scandal over its parking operations and changed its name....

, the Cosmos became the league's "marquee club", winning five championships and drawing unprecedented crowds for American club soccer. The side's commercial and on-field success declined during the early 1980s, along with the NASL itself, and it ceased operations in 1985, a year after the league folded. A group led by English businessman Paul Kemsley

Paul Kemsley

Paul Zeital Kemsley , is an English businessman. He is best known as a property developer, and to sports fans as a former Vice-Chairman of Premier League football club Tottenham Hotspur, and as Chairman of the revived New York Cosmos.-Biography:He was educated at Atholl School in Rayners Lane,...

 started a new Cosmos organization

New York Cosmos (2010)

The New York Cosmos are an American soccer club based in New York City. The team was formed in August 2010 by a consortium led by English businessman Paul Kemsley, and aspires to become a franchise of Major League Soccer, the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...

 in 2010, intending to recreate it as a Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

 team.

The NASL all-star teams selected by the league at the end of each season included a total of 18 Cosmos players. These include numerous well-known players from outside the United States, signed from European or South American clubs. Examples of these are erstwhile West Germany

Germany national football team

The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....

 captain

Captain (sports)

In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...

 Franz Beckenbauer

Franz Beckenbauer

Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...

 and the former Brazilian international

Brazil national football team

The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...

 players Pelé

Pelé

However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...

 and Carlos Alberto

Carlos Alberto Torres

Carlos Alberto Torres is a former Brazilian footballer, one of the most highly regarded defenders of all time. He captained Brazil to victory in the 1970 World Cup and is a member of the World Team of the 20th Century, as well as the U.S...

; there were many others. Among the American players representing the Cosmos were two Yugoslavian-born players: US international

United States men's national soccer team

The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...

 defender Werner Roth

Werner Roth (soccer)

Werner Roth is a retired American professional football defender.Mainly associated with the New York Cosmos, he also represented the United States men's national soccer team for three years...

 and Siegfried Stritzl

Siegfried Stritzl

Siegfried “Siggy or Siggi” Stritzl is a former U.S. soccer player who was the 1969 North American Soccer League Rookie of the Year. He also earned eleven caps, scoring two goals, with the U.S...

, a midfielder. Scottish-born Canadian international

Canada men's national soccer team

The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...

 John Kerr also turned out for New York during the early 1970s. Former Italy

Italy national football team

The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

 forward Giorgio Chinaglia

Giorgio Chinaglia

Giorgio Chinaglia is a former football striker from Italy. He grew up and played his early football in Cardiff, Wales and began his career with Swansea Town in 1964. A year later at age 19, Chinaglia returned to Italy to play for Massese, and then Internapoli, before joining S.S. Lazio in 1969...

 holds many of the side's records pertaining to individual performance, appearing in the most matches, scoring the most goals and points, and sharing the record for most all-star appearances (six) with Vladislav Bogićević

Vladislav Bogicevic

Vladislav Bogićević is a Serbian former football player. He is a member of the American National Soccer Hall of Fame.-Club career:...

, a member of the Yugoslavia national team

Yugoslavia national football team

The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...

 before his time with the Cosmos.

Each Cosmos player named to a NASL all-star team is named below, along with his regular season and play-off statistics. The nationality given for each player is based on the national team represented, or his birthplace if he is uncapped

Cap (sport)

In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...

. No NASL all-star from the Cosmos was born in the United States or Canada. During the club's 14 NASL seasons, the league's Most Valuable Player

Most Valuable Player

In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...

 (MVP) award was won by a Cosmos player on five occasions, which are also detailed below.

Key

Positions

• GK = Goalkeeper
• DF = Defender
  Defender (association football)
  Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
  
  
• MF = Midfielder
  Midfielder
  A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
  
  
• FW = Forward

Statistics

• A = Appearances
• G = Goals
• P = Points
• In the NASL, goals counted for two points; assists counted for one.

NASL all-stars

Name	Country	Position	Cosmos career	A	G	P	A	G	P	A	G	P	NASL all-star appearances	NASL MVP	Notes
				(Regular season)			(Play-offs)			(Total)
	United States	MF	1971–73	18	2	8	4	0	0	22	2	8		–
	Bermuda	FW	1971–74	88	51	125	5	1	2	93	52	127		1972
	Canada	MF	1972–75	52	5	15	2	1	2	54	6	17		–
	United States	DF	1972–79	125	2	10	17	0	2	142	2	12		–
align=left|	Brazil	FW	1975–77	56	31	89	8	6	17	64	37	106		1976
	Kingdom of England	DF	1976–77	30	9	20	1	0	0	31	9	20		–
	Peru	MF	1975–78	44	7	20	5	0	1	49	7	21		–
	Italy	FW	1976–85	213	193	467	41	49	111	254	242	578		1981
		DF	1977–80 1983	105	19	85	27	4	14	142	23	99		1977
	Turkey	GK	1977–79	41	0	0	2	0	0	43	0	0		–

}
|-
|align=left|
|align=left| Italy
|DF
|1978–79
|16
|0
|0
|6
|0
|0
|22
|0
|0
|
|–
|
|-
|align=left|
|align=left| Brazil
|DF
|1977–80
1982
|100
|6
|34
|26
|0
|5
|126
|6
|39
|
|–
|
|-
|align=left|
|align=left| Kingdom of Yugoslavia
|MF
|1978–84
|203
|31
|209
|33
|8
|35
|236
|39
|244
|
|–
|
|-
|align=left|
|align=left| Netherlands
|DF
|1979–83
|86
|2
|18
|16
|1
|5
|102
|3
|23
|
|–
|
|-
|align=left|
|align=left| Netherlands
|MF
|1979–84
|94
|17
|62
|13
|3
|8
|107
|20
|70
|
|–
|
|-
|align=left|
|align=left| Iran
|MF
|1979–85
|142
|0
|21
|22
|0
|4
|164
|0
|25
|
|–
|
|-
|align=left|
|align=left| Paraguay
|FW
|1980–84
|86
|60
|151
|13
|3
|14
|99
|63
|165
|
|1983
|
|-
|align=left|
|align=left|
|GK
|1979–85
|145
|0
|0
|23
|0
|0
|168
|0
|0
|
|–
|
|}