Pelé and the Cosmos come to Vancouver June 30, 1977

In a time when soccer coverage is saturated on television and the Internet, where you can watch games from all over the world, in the 1970s to see some of the best players in the world on television let alone live was a very rare opportunity in Vancouver. The old North American Soccer League (NASL) offered such an opportunity to see the likes of Pele, Johan Cruyff, George Best and Franz Beckenbauer and many more play. Such players may have been over their prime but they did show some of their amazing skill. Considering some of the playing surfaces they had to play on you had to give them respect as many players of today's era would never consider playing on astro-turf.

Vancouver Whitecaps defeat the New York Cosmos 5-3
June 30, 1977 at Empire Stadium

In 1977, the Vancouver Whitecaps played their fourth season in the old NASL. They had a decent season with 14 wins and 10 losses but unfortunately lost to the Seattle Sounders in the first round of the playoffs. The most famous team in the league was the New York Cosmos. They were a glamorous team with such world class players as  Pelé, Giorgio Chinaglia and Franz Beckenbauer. In the history of the league they won 5 Soccer Bowls. Games between the Caps and the Cosmos were always entertaining and often played with an edge. The only year the Caps won the Soccer Bowl was in 1979 and they had to beat the Cosmos in a two game semi-final to make it to the finals. It was in the game in Vancouver that ABC Sports Commentator Jim Mckay referred to Vancouver as "the village of Vancouver".

On Thursday June 30, the Whitecaps defeated the Cosmos 5-3 before 30,277 fans at Empire Stadium. It was an electric atmosphere. I was very fortunate to go to this game and to have the opportunity to see Pelé play was special.

Whitecaps vs Cosmos Match Summary
St. Petersburg Independent Newspaper

Whitecaps Match Summary