Once in a Lifetime

May 1, 2006
Sportswriter Newsham has managed to tack a narrative arc on what is basically the story of a failed business venture\x97the attempt of the National American Soccer League to popularize professional soccer in the U.S. The depiction of the circus that Warner Bros.' head Steve Ross creates when he begins to invest millions in the New York soccer team the Cosmos is colorful and keen. When international soccer sensation Pelé joins the team, rock and roll\x96style antics, expensive tours, visits from politicians, Studio 54 partying and Hollywood cameos make the Cosmos more "a pop culture happening" than a soccer club, and the author doesn't fail to dish. The narrative flows swiftly, and the play-by-plays are crafted well enough, but a struggle for imagistic novelty haunts the otherwise straightforward text. (One player "wouldn't so much put his oar into an argument as rip the thing from its lock and slap it across the face of anyone who dared to disagree with him.") Historical context is provided, sometimes effectively, sometimes to the point of distraction ("it would be an equally bad year for the president"). Quote-heavy and detail-rich, this unlikely drama of a quintessentially American flirtation is a revealing footnote to the greater saga of American athletics.