Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos
“The untold story of the team that had America at its feet.”
2006•1h 37m•7.1•Released
Documentary
In the 1970s the North American Soccer League marked the first attempt to introduce soccer to American sports fans. While most teams had only limited success at best, one managed to break through to genuine mainstream popularity - the New York Cosmos. The brainchild of Steve Ross (Major executive at Warner Communications) and the Ertegun brothers (Founders of Atlantic Records), the Cosmos got off to a rocky start in 1971, but things changed in 1975 when the world's most celebrated soccer star, the Brazilian champion Pele, signed with the Cosmos for a five-million-dollar payday. With the arrival of Pele, the Cosmos became a hit and the players became the toast of the town, earning their own private table at Studio 54. A number of other international soccer stars were soon lured to the Cosmos, including Franz Beckenbauer, Rodney Marsh, and Carlos Alberto, but with the turn of the decade, the team began losing favor with fans and folded in 1985.
Director
Paul Crowder
Writer
Mark Monroe
Budget
$1M
Languages
English
Studio
Passion Pictures
Cast
Franz Beckenbauer
Self
Raphael de la Sierra
Self
Phil Woosnam
Self
Jay Emmett
Self
Werner Roth
Self
Peppe Pinton
Self
Giorgio Chinaglia
Self
Shep Messing
Self
Clive Toye
Self
Ahmet Ertegün
Self
Matt Dillon
Narrator (Voice)
Carlos Alberto
Self
Mia Hamm
Self
Production
Company
Passion Pictures
Company
Cactus Three
Company
ESPN Original Entertainment
Company
GreeneStreet Films
Company
BBC
Company
Diamond Docs
Producer
Fisher Stevens
Recommended
7
Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics
2010
7.1
The Class of ‘92
2013
6.8
Shine a Light
2008
7.2
Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20
2022
6.8
Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return
2022
7.4
The Battered Bastards of Baseball
2014
7.1
Lucy and Desi
2022
6.4
The Captains
2011
7.4
Diego Maradona
2019
7.3
Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present
2012
6.7
Hamilton's America
2016
8.5
No Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad
2013
7.8
John Candy: I Like Me
2025
7.5
The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
2019
7.2
180° South
2010
7.8
Lionel Messi: Destiny
2023
7.4
Above Majestic
2018
7.9
Take the Ball, Pass the Ball
2018
6.1
Anna Nicole Smith: You Don't Know Me
2023
6.5
American Symphony
2023
Similar Movies
7.1
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
2017
7.8
9/11: Escape from the Towers
2018
The Get By: Making It on the Streets of NYC
2010
Brave New York
2004
Make Me Famous
2023
1
Static
2009
The New York Hardcore Chronicles Film
2017
4.5
Brotherhood: Life in the FDNY
2004
7.8
The Encampments
2025
8
Get Rollin'
1980
8.2
Salsa Lives
2025
Apple Juice
1990
Two-pot Screamer (or: How I Will Remember the Dec.13th Screening of Adam C. Briggs' A Grand Mockery)
0
7.3
Dark Days
2000
6.7
Mad Hot Ballroom
2005
6.3
One October
2017
5.5
Fight Church
2014
I'm Not Racist... Am I?
2014
3.8
The Ring Thing
2017
10
9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero
2026