James M. Shuart Stadium
* Address: Gerald Street, Hempstead
* Country: United States
* Capacity: 11,000
* Opened: 1963
* Main use: American football, field lacrosse
* Tenants: Hofstra Pride (American football), New York Lizards (field lacrosse)
Extra stadium info – James M. Shuart Stadium
The James M. Shuart Stadium was the home of the New York Cosmos. The Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, commonly known as Pelé, is one of their former players. He signed with the Cosmos in 1975 after playing hundreds of matches for Santos Futebol Clube from Brazil. Pelé won the FIFA World Cup three times with the national football team of Brazil. He was elected Athlete of the Century by the IOC. In 1978, The New York Cosmos drew an average home attendance of 47,000 in the North American Soccer League, which became a record for the league.
The Cosmos signed the world famous Spanish striker Raúl González Blanco, who became the UEFA Champions League’s all-time leading goalscorer, in 2014. Raúl played for Real Madrid from Spain, Schalke from Germany and Al-Sadd from Qatar before he joined the New York Cosmos. The Cosmos defeated their rivals Red Bull New York in their first-ever cup match against them. They also defeated New York City Football Club, one of the first sports clubs from New York with 1 million followers on their main social media page, in their first-ever cup match against them.
© Flickr: The Soccer Observer
© Flickr: Matt Kremkau
