In the mid-1970s, the New York Cosmos transformed from a struggling soccer team into a national phenomenon, significantly shaping the landscape of the sport in the United States. Prior to this shift, the Cosmos were a loosely organized group of part-time players competing in the North American Soccer League (NASL) at Downing Stadium on Randall’s Island, a venue described as dilapidated. The pivotal change came in 1975 when the team, under new ownership by Warner Communications and chairman Steve Ross, signed Brazilian icon Pelé. This move elevated the Cosmos’ profile and is widely seen as a foundational moment in American soccer history.

At the center of the Cosmos was local goalkeeper Shep Messing, a Bronx-born athlete raised in Roslyn, Long Island. Despite not playing soccer during his early childhood, Messing quickly excelled after picking up the sport at 16, earning two-time All-American honors in college and representing the United States Olympic team in 1972. A Harvard graduate and part-time high school teacher, Messing balanced his professional and athletic commitments with significant personal sacrifice, often training late into the night after teaching.

Messing’s early professional years were marked by financial hardship and limited recognition. Playing for the U.S. national team offered little compensation, with players receiving nominal per diem payments and minimal training. In 1974, facing financial difficulties, Messing accepted a lucrative offer to pose nude for the women’s magazine “Viva,” a decision that led to his dismissal from his teaching position and temporary release from the Cosmos. However, Pelé’s insistence on Messing’s return in 1976 marked the goalkeeper’s resurgence.

With Pelé and other international stars like Italian striker Giorgio Chinaglia, Brazilian captain Carlos Alberto, and German legend Franz Beckenbauer joining the squad, the Cosmos quickly drew large crowds and media attention. Once playing before small audiences, the team soon attracted tens of thousands to sold-out matches at Giants Stadium, with reports of players receiving limousine rides to social hotspots like Studio 54. Messing himself capitalized on the team’s rising fame, appearing in advertisements for brands such as Vidal Sassoon, Coca-Cola, and Skoal chewing tobacco, while the Cosmos earned a rare cover spot on “Sports Illustrated.”

Pelé’s retirement in October 1977, marked by a farewell game at Giants Stadium against Santos—the Brazilian club where he began his career—signaled the beginning of a decline for both the Cosmos and the NASL, which ultimately folded in 1985. The Cosmos experienced revivals between 2013 and 2020, and again in 2025, currently competing in the USL League One and based in Paterson, New Jersey.

Fifty years after the Cosmos’ peak, with the United States co-hosting the 2026 World Cup, the team’s story remains a significant chapter in the development of American soccer. For Messing, who witnessed firsthand both the struggles and the glory, the experience represented more than a career—it was a front-row seat to a transformative period in U.S. sports.