The Empire State Building will be bathed in green tonight when Pele turns on the lights to commemorate Saturday’s return of the Cosmos.
Once the premier soccer franchise in North America, the Cosmos return after a 28-year hiatus when they play host to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in a North American Soccer League game at Hofstra University.
Pele, the international star who played for the Cosmos from 1975-77, was at Chelsea Piers yesterday to reminisce about the old days and throw his support behind the latest incarnation of the team.
“I feel very happy because the Cosmos come back,” Pele said. “When I played for the Cosmos … the team became one of the most well-known teams in the world. We won a lot of games and we had excellent players like Carlos Alberto from Brazil and [Franz] Beckenbauer. The Cosmos will be back now and be stronger than before.’’
The Cosmos had been existence for four years when Pele, who helped his native Brazil win the World Cup in 1958 — when he was just 17 — and again in 1962 and 1970, joined the struggling franchise. With a few seasons, the Cosmos were among the best teams in the NASL.
“At that time, I had a very good friend, [Cosmos executive] Steven Ross,” Pele said. “He asked me, ‘Do you want to promote soccer in the United States?’ I said, ‘Ok.’
“I didn’t believe how big the Cosmos were at that time,” Pele said. “I am very happy to see football in the United States at the same level as the rest of the world because I started it here.”
Pele said he believes the U.S. national team can make some noise during the World Cup which is scheduled to be played in his homeland next summer.
“The American team, they have an excellent team,” he said. “They have experienced players. What they need is to put a team together to reach the [World Cup] final.”
Pele, 72, said he remembers when Brazil hosted the World Cup in 1950 and what the tournament meant to his family.
“It’s very important and it’s very big,” he said. “When I was 9 years old, the World Cup was in Brazil. My father was a soccer player at that time. We threw a big party because Brazil went to the final against Uruguay.
“After the game, I saw my father crying. I said ‘Father, why are you crying?’ He said, ‘Brazil lost in the World Cup.’ I tell him, ‘Listen, father, God is very good, I’m going to win the World Cup for you.’ Then eight years later I was in Sweden and, as a 17-year-old, I won the World Cup.
“Now I have my son, 15 years old. We are going to play the World Cup in Brazil, and I don’t want to see my son cry because Brazil lost.”