The last of a remaining breed... pure goal scorer in the day--would put one into to the net and would have a swagger about it... even more so coming here in the prime of his game compared to many who were on the wane...
Every morning I listened to The Football Show on XM I wanted to call in and tell Giorgio what an impact he made on me when i was a kid watching NASL games. I never did, and now I'll never be able to. Really sucks
Sad to see Giorgio Chinaglia go. He was one of the main reasons I became a soccer fan when I was a kid growing up in the 70's. Pele raised the bar but his stay was short lived. Not so sure the NASL would have been as exciting or it would have lasted from 1976-1983 if it weren't for Giorgio. I don't think the Once In A Lifetime documentary as shown really did him justice. I mean they made it sound like he was the main reason on why the entire league folded but thats far from the truth. He was a superstar and both Clive Toye & Gordon Bradley hated and wanted him out but at the end of the day, they were the first to go and thats the way it should be. If anything, I am more in line with the thinking that if it weren't for Chinaglia and his goals, the league might have just died earlier than it did. Its ironic the NASL folded only one year after he left. One can only imagine what would have happened if he weren't with the Cosmos.
Not sure about 1980 but you forgot Soccer Bowl 1977 where Giorgio Chinaglia scored the winner! [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UsLdtnizSE&feature=player_embedded#"]1977 Seattle Sounders playoffs highlights - YouTube[/ame]!
...and Tulsa Roughnecks wouldnt have had SEVEN goals scored on them in a single game...by the same PLAYER!