Once in a Lifetime 2006

"Once in a Lifetime" is the story of the American Dream colliding with the Global Game. It's the story of one man's obsession to spark a Soccer revolution in a country that had never even heard of the sport. But Steve Ross could not transform the North American Soccer League into an American Major League without the most powerful entertainment tool of persuasion: television. When the game failed to gain a foothold on network TV, the media titan's dream, and his team, began to implode. And as quickly as it had exploded onto the scene, the Cosmos, and the league, folded in a New York minute. Soccer in America disappeared overnight. But the Cosmos did leave a legacy, not only were they the prototype for today's super clubs, likewise Pele's contract was the template for those of the Beckhams and Ronaldinhos. Perhaps most significantly of all, both the US men and women's soccer teams, players who grew up in the shadow of the Cosmos brilliant light, now rise through the World rankings, and the youth of America come out in their millions every weekend to play the world's sport. And with several new stadiums under construction across the country, the rapidly growing MLS is poised to achieve the Cosmos promise of soccer as a celebrated American sport.