It was 1977 and one of New York’s most tumultuous and decadent summers. Then, in the midst of blackouts, riots, the Son of Sam serial killer scare and the dawn of Studio 54, came an entirely unexpected moment of inspiration: the rise of the New York Cosmos, America’s first great soccer team, and its larger-than-life superstar, Pelé. Suddenly embraced by a city obsessed with celebrity and flamboyance, the Cosmos kicked off America’s first passionate love affair with the world’s mostpopular sport. But swept up in a careening path of glory, glamour, debauchery and controversy, the Cosmos themselves imploded.
It is a thrilling tale of how a powerful group of entertainment moguls, a scrappy team of rag-tag athletes and a city in need of a rousing boost pulled together to create a phenomenon that in turnforged the soccer moms of today. Narrated by Academy Award-nominee Matt Dillon, “Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos” reveals how the Cosmos rose from total anonymity to become the hottest ticket in town –taken under the wing of Warner Bros. Chairman Steve Ross, beloved by rock stars and fashionistas – only to be overwhelmed by a wild world of wealth, groupies, rivalries and power struggles. Using a combination of nostalgic 70s soul and pop music, never-before-seen footage, exciting sports action, newsreels from the summer of ’77 and candid interviews that range from Marv Albert to Henry Kissinger to Mia Hamm, to the colorful, clashing former Cosmos players themselves, the film creates a humorous, entertaining and richly layered look at a time and place that changed American sports forever.
