
Film
Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos
2006 · 1h 37m · Documentary
The untold story of the team that had America at its feet.
- IMDb
- 7.3
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 83%
- Metacritic
- 67
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Overview
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.
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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
Crew
- John DowerDirector · Story
- Paul CrowderDirector
- Mark MonroeExecutive Producer · Story · Screenplay
- Fisher StevensProducer
- Vicki CherkasExecutive Producer
- Nick FraserExecutive Producer
- Richard KleinExecutive Producer
- Peter BadelDirector of Photography
- Richard NumeroffDirector of Photography
- Nick BennettDirector of Photography
Media
Details
- Release date
- September 3, 2006
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- English
- Runtime
- 1h 37m
- Budget
- $1,000,000
- Genres
- Documentary
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