I collect videos of the North American American Soccer League. I am looking for videos of these matches. Can anyone help? 1977 Playoff Game 1: Ft. Lauderdale Strikers at Cosmos This is known as the "77,000 game" at the Meadowlands. 1978 Playoff Games 1 and 2: Cosmos vs Minnesota Kicks The Kicks won the first game 9-2, but the Cosmos won the second game and the shootout. 1981 Regular Season: Cosmos at Chicago Sting This was the 6-5 game at Wrigley Field. My collection is on my web site: www.DaveBrett.com Thanks!
In 1980 the US National Team beat Mexico for the first time in 60 years. The game was a WC Qualifier in Ft. Lauderdale, and was on Spanish language television in the USA, but I have never found a tape of it. That one is also on my WANT LIST. Does anyone remember watching that game? Dave The Soccer Video Archive: http://www.davebrett.com/
There is a new documentary film in development now about the history of the USA-Mexico rivalry. It's going to be called "Gringos At The Gate." I've been in touch with the producers of the film. I told them about the 1980 USA-Mexico WC Qualifier in Ft. Lauderdale. They want to include clips of the game in their movie, so they are going to try to get a tape of the match out of the FMF - the Mexican Football Federation. I hope they succeed. At one point I tried to get a tape out of the FMF, and I got nowhere. Maybe these guys will have better luck.
Update on "Gringos At The Gate": the Mexican Soccer Federation is unwilling to give the producers of the film a tape of the 1980 USA - Mexico WC Qualifier in Ft. Lauderdale.
Update: I've been in touch with the new New York Cosmos. They purchased the Cosmos video archive from Peppe Pinton. The archive includes a tape of the first game of the 1978 Minnesota-New York playoff (the 9-2 game) but it does not include a tape of the second playoff game and the mini-game. I have some Cosmos games that they do not have. At this point they haven't transferred their videos to a usable format. But when they do I should be able to exchange videos with them. When I get the 9-2 game I will post highlights of it on YouTube.
It's now been over a year since I first contacted the new NY Cosmos. I haven't been able to get any videos from them. They are under new management, and they aren't doing anything with their archive for now. There is nothing I can do about it. Dave
I remember watching it at the time. It was on the old SIN network with the great Tony Tirado doing commentary. Forget who was with him as analyst. SIN showed all six games from the "North American" CONCACAF group. The old PBS show "Soccer Made In Germany" showed a one hour edit of the game later that year (1980). I recall Toby Charles having to apologize to the viewing audience because the pitch microphones were catching a fan sitting nearby constantly swearing. This is all from memory. I didn't record shows back then (didn't own a vcr).
Unclesox, thanks for your comment. I had no idea that game was shown on Soccer Made In Germany. I wonder if a tape of the Soccer Made In Germany broadcast of the game exists somewhere? The Mexican TV network Televisa has a tape of that game in their archive. I have tried and failed to get a tape of that match. There is a documentary film now under production called "Gringos At The Gate" about the USA-Mexico rivalry. For the past year the producers of the film have been trying to get a copy of the tape, without any success. The producers of "Gringos At The Gate" want to put one to three minutes of highlights of it in their film, and they are willing to pay an appropriate rights fee for it. But Televisa can't give them a screener copy of it without the consent of the Mexican Soccer Federation, and the Mexican Soccer Federation won't allow it. 32 years later the Mexicans are still upset about losing that game. Dave
A guy who works at the Cosmos just told me that they are digitizing the 1978 Cosmos at Kicks playoff game. So I should have that soon. Hopefully.