Match · 15 June 1975 · Exhibition
New York Cosmos 2–2 Dallas Tornado
Pelé's first match for the New York Cosmos, broadcast to 22 countries, in which he scored.
Pelé signed for the Cosmos on 10 June 1975. Five days later he played his first game for them, an exhibition against the Dallas Tornado at Downing Stadium on Randalls Island.
The match was shown on CBS and in 22 countries, and more than 300 journalists attended. The pitch was so bare that the groundsman reportedly sprayed it green for the cameras.
The match finished 2–2, and Pelé scored one of the Cosmos goals. The crowd was 22,278.
He had signed five days earlier for a reported $1.4 million a year and been presented at New York's 21 Club. The Cosmos finished third that season, too low to reach the play-offs, but crowds and coverage grew wherever he played.
He was 34.