Protagonist Podcasts Presents: America's Greatest - Episode One, 1977 NASL Soccer Bowl
Protagonist Podcasts Presents: America’s Greatest is a brand new podcast series co-hosted by several of Protagonist’s writers and podcasters. We want to explore the history and pedigree of the sport in the United States - to tell the stories about our greatest games, moments, and iconic soccer characters.
We’ll reach out to authors, historians, coaches, players and fellow podcasters to help uncover the narrative of soccer in our country and to kick off the series we spoke with Dr. David Kilpatrick, Professor of English at Mercy College, Member of the Board of Directors for the Society for American Soccer History, and author whose most recent publication is the 95 Theses on The Reformation of Football.
When we first asked Dr. Kilpatrick if there was a game he’d like to lead off our series with, he did not hesitate to pick Pele’s last professional game. We lead into the game by discussing the 1977 season for the Cosmos and that the club were well aware this would be the final season for the legendary Pele.
Coaching changes, stadium changes, slight modifications to the name, and of course bringing in new world stars to win the organization’s second title were all part of the story. We explore how that impacted the Cosmos, their playoff run, and how they approached the 1977 Soccer Bowl in Portland, Oregon.
The Cosmos’ opponents, Seattle Sounders, were considered the “Cinderella’s” of the competition while New York was “Supposed to be there.” We discuss the selection of Portland as a neutral site for the Soccer Bowl and speculate if that was actually an advantage for the Sounders, whose fans had a much shorter route, down I-5, to the first ever self-proclaimed Soccer City USA.
As we go through the match highlights, the rough challenges, the near misses, and dramatic goals, Dr Kilpatrick discusses the individual battles beyond just Pele - who the heroes were at the time, and who were the heels too.
We have a few more episodes already recorded and look forward to releasing them every few weeks during the Autumn / Winter. If there is a player, games, or moment you think we should consider, don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know!
by Joshua Duder
