The American Dream: Pelé, Cosmos + Rise & Fall of NASL | Part Three
It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast
The Overlap
4.9 • 667 Ratings
🗓️ 13 January 2026
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. In this third episode of our four-part special on the North American Soccer League (NASL), co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper dive deep into the transformation kicked off by the arrival of legendary soccer star Pele. We go on an epic journey of the NASL, from shambolic beginnings to becoming one of the most iconic and influential leagues in world football, even if just for a short while. We explore how the NASL went from drawing crowds, to attracting the highest-paid player in the world, and the ensuing excitement and challenges that followed. Featuring the key moments, star players, innovative marketing strategies, and the initial signs of financial instability, this episode captures the league at its highest just before its inevitable decline. Don't miss this fascinating look at the peaks of NASL's history and what ultimately led the league to stumble. Tune in next week for the final episode of this four-part series.
02:33 The Growth of Soccer in American Schools and Colleges
03:32 Financial Struggles and the Arrival of Pele
13:54 Innovative Rule Changes and Attendance Issues
18:11 The Role of Media and Celebrity Influence
23:55 The NASL's Expansion and Financial Commitments
31:20 The Pursuit of Soccer Superstars
33:01 Pele's Impact on American Soccer
34:56 The Rise of NASL Franchises
36:59 Challenges and Financial Struggles
39:11 Marketing Gimmicks and Celebrity Players
55:03 The Golden Year of 1977
01:04:36 Pele's Farewell and Future Uncertainties
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I can remember when we used to play for a six-pack. Now it's different. You lose a game and those Warner |
| 0:12.1 | Communications executives are there in a locker room looking new over. Well, welcome to It Was What It Was. I'm |
| 0:18.2 | Rob Draper and I'm here with Jonathan Wilson and we're in our epic saga of the foundation of the NASL, the North American Soccer League, one of the most iconic leagues, really in world football, really influential, even though eventually it will fail. |
| 0:31.9 | And Jonathan, that was US goalkeeper Shet Messin, who played for the New York Cosmos, the most famous team from the |
| 0:39.2 | NSL, and talking about the change in American football over this period that we're now going |
| 0:44.0 | to study, Jonathan, that it goes from being really an amateur sport and a bit shambolic to |
| 0:49.4 | something that is deeply invested in by several sort of capitalists and sort of serious media companies. |
| 0:58.5 | And that's going to be quite a change that we're going to talk about in this episode. |
| 1:03.8 | Because when we left it in 1969, the NSL was established, |
| 1:07.8 | but it felt like it was just hanging on by its fingertips and we're now going |
| 1:11.7 | to enter a period where it really looks like it might take hold in the USA and perhaps even |
| 1:16.7 | rival some of the traditional American sports yeah I think that's true if you if you remember |
| 1:22.4 | what Dennis Stewart was selling us uh well you know we series, yeah, he was talking about the excitement, |
| 1:29.1 | the money, the interest, the glamour of it. And that's definitely the point where we're going to |
| 1:33.2 | leave it today, that today's story is a story of growth and optimism and expectation. So, |
| 1:42.2 | the NSL survives 1969 just. |
| 1:44.8 | It's a Shambola competition. |
| 1:46.2 | There's only five franchises, but they've got through it, and that's the most important thing. |
| 1:50.0 | Now, at this point, the NFL, American football, is huge. |
| 1:54.7 | TV money's come in, and it's growing. |
| 1:57.4 | Joe Namath leads to New York Jets to a shock Super Bowl winning 68, |
| 2:00.5 | and that sort of really causes an explosion of interest |
... |
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