The NASL (North American Soccer League) brought the world's game across the pond to the US and Canada. It operated between 1968 and 1984 with numerous teams across the country and players from around the world. Most notably, Pele signed with the New York Cosmos and ignited a fire under the feet of Americans to acknowledge the sport.
Six years after its inception, LA blessed the NASL with its presence and quickly left their mark. In 1974 the LA Aztecs joined the league, finished 1st in the Western Conference and went on to win the Championship against the Miami Toros. This would be the Aztecs only League title but would go on to finish in the top three in their conference all but two years during their existence.
The Aztecs would also boast the Rookie of Year and League MVP in 1979 with Larry Hulcer and Dutch legend, Johan Cruyff, respectively. Manchester United star George Best also played with the squad from 1976-1978.
The Aztecs and the NASL are huge reason why today there is a Galaxy and an MLS or a SOL and a WPS. The cliche goes "You can't know where you're going if you don't know where you've been." But cliches are such for a reason...they all bare a certain truth. We are privileged in such a day and time where international soccer is broadcast online and on TV regularly and domestic soccer is bigger and more accessible, for both men and women, than ever before. What used to be a foreign sport has now been made our own. What the NASL began has led to kids in schools across the country, wearing SCORES jerseys and playing soccer in the yard.
The country and the sport have come so far and its great to see how things have evolved in our individual city. Los Angeles has a rich history in both culture and sports and a portion which was solely comprised of the Aztecs, now includes the Galaxy, Chivas USA, SOL and LA SCORES!
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