| 1977 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Gordon Bradley[1] (Until July 7) Eddie Firmani[2] (After July 7) | ||
| Stadium | Giants Stadium | ||
| NASL | Division: 2nd Overall: 3rd Playoffs: Champions | ||
| National Challenge Cup | Did not enter | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Giorgio Chinaglia (15 goals) All: Giorgio Chinaglia (42+ goals) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 77,691 vs. Fort Lauderdale (August 14) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 7,212 vs. Victory Sportif Club (April 2) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 34,142[3] | ||
|
| |||
The 1977 New York Cosmos season was the seventh season for the New York Cosmos in the now-defunct North American Soccer League. The Cosmos' seventh year of existence saw them drop "New York" from the club name (it would be restored in 1979), move into Giants Stadium (where they would play until their dissolution in 1985), and win their second NASL championship in Pelé's final year as a professional footballer. Pelé's last match was on October 1, 1977, in front of a capacity crowd at Giants Stadium: in an exhibition match between New York and his former club Santos, Pelé appeared for both sides, playing one half for each. The Cosmos won the game 2–1.[4] The Cosmos finished second in the 4-team Eastern Division and third out of 18 teams league-wide on their way to the 1977 championship.
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Source:[5]
Results
Source:[6]
Preseason
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 11, 1977 |  Bermuda U23 |
A | 0–4 | 626 | Chinaglia (4) |
| March 13, 1977 | Bermuda |
A | 0–1 | 3,769 | Chinaglia |
| March 19, 1977 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Xamax |
A | 1–0 | 3,000 | |
| March 20, 1977 | Zürich |
A | 3–1 | 7,000 | Chinaglia |
| March 24, 1977 |  Lazio |
A | 1–2 | 20,000 | Chinaglia, N/A |
| April 2, 1977 |  Victory |
H | 9–0 | 7,212 | Chinaglia (5), Field, Garbett, Pelé (2) |
| April 3, 1977 |  Tampa Bay Rowdies |
H | 2–1 | 11,098 | Chinaglia, Dimitrijevic |
Regular season
Pld = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
6 points for a win, 1 point for a shootout win, 0 points for a loss, 1 point for each goal scored (up to three per game).
Eastern Division Standings
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 26 | 19 | 7 | 49 | 29 | +20 | 161 |
| 2 | Cosmos | 26 | 15 | 11 | 60 | 39 | +21 | 140 |
| 3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 26 | 14 | 12 | 55 | 45 | +10 | 131 |
| 4 | Washington Diplomats | 26 | 10 | 16 | 32 | 49 | -17 | 92 |
Overall League Placing
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 26 | 19 | 7 | 49 | 29 | +20 | 161 |
| 2 | Dallas Tornado | 26 | 18 | 8 | 56 | 37 | +19 | 161 |
| 3 | Cosmos | 26 | 15 | 11 | 60 | 39 | +21 | 140 |
| 4 | Minnesota Kicks | 26 | 16 | 10 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 137 |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 26 | 14 | 12 | 55 | 45 | +10 | 131 |
Source:[7]
Matches
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 9, 1977 | Las Vegas Quicksilvers | A | 1-0 | 11,896 | |
| April 13, 1977 | Team Hawaii | A | 1-2 | 12,877 | Topic, Hunt |
| April 17, 1977 | Rochester Lancers | H | 2-0 | 26,752 | Chinaglia, Pelé |
| April 24, 1977 | Dallas Tornado | H | 1-1 (SOL) | 13,527 | Smith |
| May 1, 1977 | St. Louis Stars | H | 2-2 (SOL) | 20,112 | Dillon, Morais |
| May 8, 1977 | Connecticut Bicentennials | A | 2-3 | 17,302 | Chinaglia, Eddy, Dimitrijevic |
| May 11, 1977 | Chicago Sting | A | 1-2 | 21,108 | OG, Dimitrijevic |
| May 15, 1977 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | H | 3-0 | 21,782 | Pelé (3) |
| May 22, 1977 | Chicago Sting | H | 1-2 | 20,407 | Chinaglia |
| May 29, 1977 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | A | 4-2 | 45,288 | Beckenbauer, Field |
| June 5, 1977 | Toronto Metros-Croatia | H | 6-0 | 31,208 | Sono, Chinaglia (2), Hunt (3) |
| June 8, 1977 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | A | 0-3 | 14,358 | Beckenbauer, Pelé, Chinaglia |
| June 12, 1977 | Minnesota Kicks | H | 1-1 (SOW) | 36,816 | Chinaglia |
| June 16, 1977 | Toronto Metros-Croatia | A | 1-2 | 21,793 | Field, Chinaglia |
| June 19, 1977 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | H | 3-1 | 62,394 | Pelé (3) |
| June 23, 1977 | St. Louis Stars | A | 2-0 | 32,605 | |
| June 26, 1977 | Los Angeles Aztecs | H | 5-2 | 57,191 | Pelé (3), Mifflin, Dimitrijevic |
| June 30, 1977 | Vancouver Whitecaps | A | 5-3 | 30,277 | Roth, Chinaglia, Field |
| July 2, 1977 | Los Angeles Aztecs | A | 4-1 | 32,165 | Chinaglia |
| July 6, 1977 | San Jose Earthquakes | H | 3-0 | 31,875 | Hunt, Dimitrijevic, Field |
| July 10, 1977 | Seattle Sounders | H | 1-0 | 41,270 | |
| July 15, 1977 | Rochester Lancers | A | 0-0 (SOL) | 17,572 | |
| July 17, 1977 | Portland Timbers | H | 2-0 | 41,205 | Hunt, Chinaglia |
| July 27, 1977 | Washington Diplomats | H | 8-2 | 34,189 | Beckenbauer (2), Chinaglia (3), Hunt (2), Field |
| July 31, 1977 | Connecticut Bicentennials | H | 3-1 | 46,389 | Chinaglia, Pelé, Field |
| August 6, 1977 | Washington Diplomats | A | 2-1 | 31,283 | Pelé |
Postseason
Overview
First round
| August 10 | San Jose Earthquakes | 1–2 | Los Angeles Aztecs | Los Angeles, Memorial Coliseum |
| August 10 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 0–3 | Cosmos | New York City, Yankee Stadium |
| August 10 | Rochester Lancers | 1–0 | St. Louis Stars | St. Louis, Busch Memorial |
| August 10 | Seattle Sounders | 2–0 | Vancouver Whitecaps | Burnaby (BC), Swangard Stadium |
Conference semifinals
| Game 1 | Game 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmos | - | Ft. Lauderdale Strikers | 8 - 3 | 3 - 2 | August 14, 17 |
| Los Angeles Aztecs | - | Dallas Tornado | 3 - 1 | 5 - 1 | August 14, 17 1977 |
| Minnesota Kicks | - | Seattle Sounders | 1 - 2 | 0 - 1 | August 14, 17 |
| Rochester Lancers | - | Toronto Metros-Croatia | 1 - 0 | 1 - 0 | August 14, 17 |
Conference Championships
| Game 1 | Game 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Aztecs | - | Seattle Sounders | 1 - 3 | 0 - 1 | August 21, 25 |
| Rochester Lancers | - | Cosmos | 1 - 2 | 1 - 4 | August 21, 24 |
Soccer Bowl '77
| August 28 | Cosmos | 2–1 | Seattle Sounders | Portland (OR), Civic Stadium |
Matches
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 10, 1977 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | H | 3-0 | 57,828 | Pelé (2), Chinaglia |
| August 14, 1977 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | H | 8-3 | 77,691 | Chinaglia (3), Hunt (2), Etherington, Beckenbauer, Field |
| August 17, 1977 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | A | 2-2 (SOW) | 14,152 | Pelé, Chinaglia |
| August 21, 1977 | Rochester Lancers | A | 1-2 | 20,005 | Hunt, Chinaglia |
| August 24, 1977 | Rochester Lancers | H | 4-1 | 73,669 | Chinaglia (2), Pelé, Dimitrijevic |
| August 28, 1977 | Seattle Sounders | N | 2-1 | 35,548 | Hunt, Chinaglia |
Friendlies
Pelé's farewell at Giants Stadium, Cosmos 2 v Santos FC 1
Fltr: Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, Bellini, Mauro, Bobby Moore, the captains of World Cup champion squads during Pelé's farewell
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Att. | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 11 | Bermuda U23 | A | 4–0 | 626 | Chiaglia (4) |
| March 13 | Bermuda | A | 1–0 | 3,769 | Chiaglia |
| March 19 | Neuchâtel | A | 0–1 | 3,000 | – |
| March 20 | FC Zürich | A | 1–3 | 7,000 | Chinaglia |
| March 24 | Lazio | A | 2–1 | 15,000 | Chinaglia, Hunt |
| April 2 | Victory | A | 9–0 | 15,000 | Chinaglia (4), Pelé, Field, Garbett, Sono |
| April 3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | A | 2–1 | 11,098 | Chinaglia, Dimitrijevic |
| June 1 | Lazio | H | 3–2 | 25,803 | Chinaglia, Rildo, Wilson |
| September 1 |  Caribbean All-Stars | A | 5–2 | 30,000 | Dimitrijevic, Chinaglia, Topic, Pelé |
| September 4 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Portuguesa | A | 1–1 | 15,000 | Smith |
| September 10 |  Furukawa | A | 4–2 | 30,000 | Chinaglia, Field, Pelé |
| September 14 | Japan | A | 3–1 | 65,000 | Topic, Morais, Chinaglia |
| September 17 |  China | A | 1–1 | 80,000 | Field |
| September 20 | China | A | 1–2 | 50,000 | Pelé |
| September 25 |  Mohun Bagan | A | 2–2 | 65,000 | Carlos Alberto, Chinaglia |
| October 1 |  Santos [n 1] | H | 2–1 | 75,646 | Mifflin, Pelé |
| October 5 | Santos | N [n 2] | 1–1 | 24,689 | Chinaglia |
| October 8 | China | H | 1–1 | 33,712 | Chinaglia |
| October 14 | Flamengo | A | 1–4 | 14,000 | Field |
- Notes
See also
References
- ↑ Bell, Jack (May 2008). "Gordon Bradley, Who Nurtured U.S. Soccer, Dies at 74 (Published 2008)". The New York Times.
- ↑ "From Cape Town to NY, via Charlton: The footballing life of Eddie Firmani". TheGuardian.com. May 19, 2010.
- ↑ "North American Soccer League".
- ↑ "ESPN.com - E-Ticket: When Soccer Ruled The USA". www.espn.com.
- ↑ "NASL New York Cosmos Rosters".
- ↑ "All-time American soccer statistics | SoccerStats.us".
- ↑ "The Year in American Soccer - 1977". Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
- ↑ "Heritage". New York Cosmos.
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