This date in MLS history: June 18

June 18, 1:53 AMMLS ExaminerCharlie Corr

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(A look back at the greatest name in soccer - Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known to all of us as Pelé.)

On June 18, 1975, Pelé made his U.S. league debut for the North American Soccer League's New York Cosmos. The Cosmos defeated Toronto Metros-Croatia, 2-0, before a crowd of 22,500. Pelé made an exhibition debut several days earlier against the Dallas Tornado.

The Brazilian's actions and words have meant more to the game of soccer in the U.S. than anyone else. Attendance figures in the NASL literally doubled during Pelé's short tenure. And all of this is significant these days because of David Beckham's hopes to take soccer to another level here.

In 2007, Pelé had some straight forward remarks about Beckham's Major League Soccer transition, and the difficulty in being the face to spawn some added soccer interest. Here were a couple comments from a November article by The Associated Press:

• "Beckham wants to be the star, and that's his big problem. It is not easy to play in American soccer, because it is very tough."

• "They announced him as a scorer of goals. He isn't a goal scorer. That was a mistake."

Beckham is 34, and he's nearing Pelé's age when he started playing for the Cosmos. Pelé's "goal scorer" accusation might not have much direct validity, but for those non-soccer fans who know Beckham purely for his paparazzi-driven image, I can see how many people throughout the U.S. would equate a good soccer player based on goal scoring.

Beckham is expected to make his Los Angeles Galaxy return on Thursday, July 16, when L.A. faces the host New York Red Bulls.

Back to New York, where Pelé became the king of soccer in the U.S. Pelé continues to carry that ambassador image to this very day, and Beckham has his work cut out if he wants to generate even more enthusiasm toward the game for the long haul.

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Send a message: E-mail your comments or thoughts to charliecorr@gmail.com.

Charlie Corr is a freelance sports writer based in Chicago. In addition to his Major League Soccer duties, he is the Chicago Sports Examiner and the creator of a Chicago-based soccer Web site, SlideTackles.net.

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