HomeNews Soccer Hall of Fame Historian Allaway Pens Book on the New York Cosmos and Bethlehem Steel
Soccer Hall of Fame Historian Allaway Pens Book on the New York Cosmos and Bethlehem Steel
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ONEONTA, NY (June 8, 2009) – Hall of Fame Historian Roger Allaway’s new book, Corner Offices & Corner Kicks, a comparative history of two of the most prominent and successful teams in United States soccer history, Bethlehem Steel (1907 – 1930) and the New York Cosmos (1971 – 1985), is now available. While many soccer fans revel in the memory of the Cosmos glory days with such world-class players as Franz Beckenbauer of Germany, Vladislav Bogicevic of the then Yugoslavia, Johan Neeskens of Holland, Carlos Alberto of Brazil and, of course, the incomparable Pele, few know of the great team that played out of the Lehigh Valley and that won numerous championships.
As the name implies, Bethlehem Steel was supported by its namesake steel company, which not only lured some of the better players from Scotland to these shores with higher wages, but also built one of the first brick-and-mortar soccer stands in the States, still standing today at Moravian College’s gridiron football field. The book details Steel’s history of championships in the original American Soccer League and in the then-named National Challenge Cup, now the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. It also recounts the many players and administrators who would later be recognized as Hall of Famers, including the greatest scorer of that age, Archie Stark.
The New York Cosmos were also a championship side in the North American Soccer League and it is, perhaps, the first superclub that brought together stars from many countries, a pattern very familiar today to followers of Real Madrid and Barcelona of Spain’s La Liga, AC Milan and Internationale of Italy’s Serie A, and Chelsea and Manchester United of England’s Premier League. But when the Cosmos did it, it was not the pattern of the world’s biggest teams.
Allaway gives us insights into the roller-coaster ride of both teams, from their ascent to the heights of soccer to their ultimate demise. We learn of the benefits and pitfalls of being a commercial sports team in the corporate world, and the impact the Board room had on these teams. The Cosmos and Bethlehem Steel teams are among the greatest champions in U.S. sports history, yet their lives were short and meteoric, ascending to supernova status before burning out, leaving behind both dreams and memories for many in soccer.
Corner Offices & Corner Kicks, Allaway’s fourth book on American soccer history, is published by St. Johann Press and is available through the Hall of Fame’s Kicks Zone Gift Shop for $24.95 plus shipping and handling.
About the Hall of Fame
The Mission of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum is to Celebrate the History, Honor the Heroes, Inspire the Youth and Preserve the Legacy of Soccer in the United States. The Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution.
Located in Oneonta, NY, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a new 30,000 sq.ft., state-of-the-art multimedia museum in 1999. The Hall of Fame tells the story of soccer in America through artifacts, photographs, video and written narratives. The main VideoWall portrays some of the greatest moments and the greatest goals in soccer history as well as live soccer action from the World Cup, MLS, WPS, and U.S. Soccer matches. The Hall features an extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks Zone, including a kid-sized indoor field, where visitors have fun kicking, heading the ball along with playing soccer video games. Unique and rare artifacts on exhibit range from the Dewar Challenge Cup, the oldest team trophy in U.S. sport, to the Women’s World Cup won by the USA in 1999, the uniforms of Pele and Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly’s golden shoes, and NASL championship rings. In addition to the interactive Museum, the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s 61-acre complex boasts the Kicks Hall of Fame Museum Store, a research library, four world-class soccer fields and office/meeting facilities. Visit the Hall of Fame at www.soccerhall.org
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