Carlos Alberto "Capita" Torres, also known as "O Capitão do Tri", was a Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the best defenders of all time. He captained the Brazil national team to victory in the 1970 World Cup, scoring the fourth goal in the final, considered one of the greatest goals in the history of the tournament.
Julio César Romero Insfrán, nicknamed Romerito, is a former football midfielder from Paraguay, considered among the best players in Paraguayan football history. He is the only Paraguayan named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
The New York Cosmos was an American professional soccer club based in New York City 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. Founded in December 1970, the team competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) until 1984 and was the strongest franchise in that league, both competitively and financially – based largely around its backing by Warner Communications President Steve Ross, which enabled it to sign internationally famous stars such as the Brazilian forward Pelé, Italian striker Giorgio Chinaglia and the West German sweeper Franz Beckenbauer. The acquisition of these foreign players, particularly Pelé, made the Cosmos into what Gavin Newsham called "the most glamorous team in world football", and contributed to the development of soccer across the United States, a country where it had previously been largely ignored.
Giorgio Chinaglia was an Italian footballer who played as a striker. He grew up and played his early football in Cardiff, Wales, and began his career with Swansea Town in 1964. He later returned to Italy to play for Massese, Internapoli and S.S. Lazio in 1969. Chinaglia led Lazio to the club's first league championship in the 1973–74 season, during which he was also the league's leading scorer. He played international football for Italy, making 14 appearances and scoring 4 goals between 1972 and 1975, including two appearances at the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Chinaglia was the first player in Italian football history to be called up internationally from the second division.
Tony Chursky is a former Canadian national soccer team and NASL goalkeeper.
Shep Norman Messing is a retired American soccer goalkeeper and current broadcaster who works as the lead analyst for New York Red Bulls matches on the MSG Network.
Robert "Bobby" Smith is a retired U.S. soccer defender who spent nine years in the North American Soccer League and one in the League of Ireland and the Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned eighteen caps with the United States men's national soccer team and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Clive Toye was inducted to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in the United States in 2003.
Adolph (Adolf) Bachmeier was a U.S.-Romanian soccer player. He spent most of his playing career with various teams in Chicago. He also earned fifteen caps with the U.S. national team between 1959 and 1969. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002.
Gordon Bradley was an English-American soccer midfielder born and raised on Wearside who played several seasons with lower division English clubs before moving to play in Canada at the age of 30. During the Canadian off-season, he played and coached in the U.S.-based German American Soccer League. In 1971, he became a player and head coach for the New York Cosmos. In addition to coaching the Cosmos, he has coached the U.S. national team and at the collegiate and high school levels. Bradley also earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1973. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Lloyd Monsen is a retired American soccer forward and baseball pitcher. Monsen spent eleven seasons in the American Soccer League as well as several years in the lower division German American Soccer League and National Soccer League of New York. He earned three caps with the U.S. national team between 1952 and 1957 and was a member of the U.S. Olympic soccer teams at both the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
John “Duke” or “Jukey” Nanoski was a former U.S. soccer center forward who spent most of his career in the American Soccer League. He led the league in scoring twice. He was one of only two players inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1993, the other being Pelé.
James "Jimmy" McGuire was a two time president of the United States Soccer Football Association. He played professionally in the American Soccer League and the English Football League. He also earned two schoolboy caps with Scotland and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1951.
Keith Eddy is an English retired footballer. Eddy played for Barrow, Watford and Sheffield United in England, as well as the New York Cosmos in the United States. He went on to manage the Toronto Blizzard in the NASL from 1979 to 1981, and in retirement founded the Tulsa Soccer Club.
John "Frenchy" Boulos is a Haitian football player, who spent most of his career in the American Soccer League and German American Soccer League. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Boulos is the grandfather of Kimberly Boulos.
George Barr was a US. soccer fullback who spent fifteen seasons in the American Soccer League. He was inducted to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1983.
Werner Fricker (born January 24, 1936 in Karlsdorf, Yugoslavia; was a German-American soccer halfback who later became president of the United States Soccer Federation. He is a member of both the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the USASA Hall of Fame.
North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. Beginning in 1975, the league final was called the Soccer Bowl.
