Rock 'n' Roll Soccer

July 13, 2015
Plenderleith (For Whom the Ball Rolls), a 20-year veteran of sports journalism, chronicles the rise and fall of the NASL, America’s first major foray into the “beautiful game.” The NASL’s commissioners met with immediate road blocks from the group’s adversarial beginnings in 1967–68, but they managed to guide their upstart league through more than 15 years of tumultuous, flamboyant, and FIFA-flouting play, starring “bad boy” players who captivated American fans. Boasting stars like Pele and overnight celebrity clubs like the New York Cosmos and fan-favorite Minnesota Kicks, the NASL burned bright and enjoyed the company of literal rock stars like the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones. Though the league would eventually crumble from the fiscal strain of poor management and lack of national enthusiasm, it nevertheless influenced soccer around the world in a number of ways, which Plenderleith expounds upon while drawing from more than a century of sports history. While the prose is dry and best read in short sessions, Plenderleith has compiled an intriguing history packed full of trivia that’s certain to fascinate soccer fans.

Starred review from August 1, 2015

Chronicling the roller-coaster ride the North American Soccer League (NASL) experienced in a bold attempt to bring the world's favorite game to an American audience, sports journalist Plenderleith examines the league's unique rules, business tricks, and on-the-field antics that backers have used to turn the sport into a distinct entertainment spectacle for Americans. This delightful romp features larger-than-life personalities such as retired Brazilian legend Pele, German player-turned-manager Franz Beckenbauer, and franchises such as the New York Cosmos--and the indelible mark they have left on the game in the United States. This is more analysis than history. The author doesn't set out to document the past of every franchise in the league; his goal is to provide a knowledgeable explanation of what the NASL achieved, and why it ultimately crashed. VERDICT An important contribution to the understanding of the NASL, American soccer, and worldwide football as a whole. Soccer fans will gain a better appreciation of the much derided league. Recommended for those interested in the game or in the intersection of sports and business.--Lewis Parsons, Sawyer Free Lib., Gloucester, MA

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2015
Breaking from the common view that the original North American Soccer League (NASL) was a gaudy, failed experiment, soccer journalist Plenderleith posits that, although it may have been a product of the brash, loud, and shameless '70s, its focus on entertainment and innovation made it the league of the future. Over 17 tumultuous seasons (196884), with investors ranging from potato-chip scions and used-car dealers to rock stars, and players mostly borrowed or bargain-hunted from English and other European leagues, the NASL provided lots to talk aboutmassive tailgate parties, goofy promotional stuntsif not much consistency. Some teams lasted only a season, while others changed towns along with their names. But Plenderleith makes a compelling case. Scrupulously researched and sourced, with first-person accounts knitted together in an enthusiastic, irreverent narrative, this is a gift to fans of America's richer-than-expected soccer history. Major League Soccer is growing deep roots (and the new New York Cosmos are playing in the new NASL), but today's younger fans may read this and wish they were there when the seeds were planted.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)