Bobby Iarusci
In 1977 Bobby Iarusci was on top of the world. At 21-years of age he had just completed his first professional season with Metros Croatia, played with the black panther of Portugal - the great Eusébio, was named the Rookie of the Year, and to top it all off, won an NASL championship in his home city of Toronto. Nothing could be finer.
But the following year the club limped into the new season. Certain players weren't able to stay due to money, Eusébio and Wolfgang Suhnholz, to name two, parted ways with the club, and many more players who were key to their championship had left.
Nearing the summer of 1977, Metros Croatia were just .500 and looking to make changes.
"We played on this particular Saturday night against Portland and won in a shootout," recalls Iarusci, "I went to play golf the next day with the goalkeeper Zeljko Bilecki and we went back to my house afterwards. My mom was making us lunch and the phone rang. She answered it and looked at me with a scared look and she said "I don't know who this is, he's got a funny voice and he wants to speak with you."
That funny voice belonged to the head coach of the New York Cosmos, Eddie Firmani.
"Bob I just want you to know the Cosmos have just purchased your contract. There will be a prepaid ticket for you to come to LaGuardia tomorrow where Steve Marshall, our press secretary, will pick you up and we'll make arrangements for dinner tomorrow night."
Irausci was in complete shock.
"Zeljko looked at me and asked what happened, and I said the Croatians sold me. I couldn't believe it. I was in tears. My mother was in hysterics!"
His first reaction was to call the General Manager of Metros Croatia, Sam Parage and demand an explanation.
"Sam what's this I hear?"
"Oh Bobby, I was about to call you ..."
"You were about to call me you SOB? How could you do this to me? I was the Rookie of the Year, we won the championship and you sold me?! How could you do this?"
"You don't understand Bob, it was a business deal, and it's going to be good for you, it's the Cosmos."
A few more expletives along the way, Parage was instructed where he could go with a couple suggestions on where he could put a few things and Irausci hung up on him.
Now in a dilemma because within a few minutes his entire life had been turned upside down, Iarusci had one day to get himself together and get to New York. But what was most daunting and stressful was that he had just renegotiated his contract with the Croatians through a preseason hold out, where he went from $4,200 a year to $6,500. Iarusci wanted to make sure he didn't get pushed around with this set of negotiations and brought in his former youth coach Aldo Principe as his "agent".
The next day he would arrive in New York, greeted at the airport by press secretary Steve Marshall and a fully stocked limousine with all the food and drink necessary. Upon arrival to the Americana Hotel, on the corner of 52nd and Avenue of the Americas, he was taken to his exquisite 12th floor suite where there was a note saying, Eddie Fermani would like to see you in the ballroom downstairs for dinner tonight.
Irausci looked at Principe, "Hey, don't let this fool you! They're just trying to soften me up for the negotiations, for the big blow, right?"
On his way to heading downstairs to meet with Fermani for dinner, on the other side of the hall a door would open and out would come a very stylish, smooth-looking man who would also be heading to the elevator. Walking alongside him, Iarusci would think to himself, "I know this guy ..."
It wasn't until they were standing a couple feet apart in the elevator he realized it was the captain of famous 1970 Brazil World Cup team, Carlos Alberto. Alberto took noticed and asked, "You a soccer player?"
"Yeah," responds Iarusci.
"Where you from?"
"Canada."
"They play soccer in Canada???"
"Well ... yes and no. Well ... yeah ... I guess they do or I wouldn't be here!"
The next morning, Iarusci, Carlos Alberto and Pele would all get into a limo together to head to practice at Giants Stadium. Inside, Iarusci would find his locker by a hand engraved nameplate and in it an Allese robe with tie ups, shower supplies, colognes, slippers and a new pair of boots with a unique chevron on the side. He would put on his new boots and get in his first training session with the Cosmos. Upon returning to his locker after training, there'd be someone waiting for him.
"Did you like the shoes?" He asked.
"Why?" answered Iarusci, "you want them back?"
"No, I don't want them back, I want you to wear them."
"You want me to wear them? Ok I'll wear them."
"Ok but you have to sign this paper."
"What for?"
"I'm from Pony shoes and we want you to wear our shoes."
"Well ... I may wear the shoes, I may not wear the shoes. You know I gotta get used to them. I might not like them."
"You don't understand. We're going to pay you."
"You're going to pay me???"
"Of course."
"How much?"
"$3,000."
"Give me that piece of paper!!!"
From practice Iarusci would go tend to his next important matter of business: a new contract. Arriving at 75 Rockerfeller Plaza to meet the General Manager, the scene was straight out of Wall Street down to the combed back hair of Gordon Gekko. Rafael de la Sierra was his name and he made it clear that they wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
"Bob, we don't want to waste too much time here. We know you had a great season with Metros Croatia and we think you can help the team. On my desk I have a contract for two years. I don't want to haggle. The first year is $25,000, the second for $35,000. You're going to get a Toyota Celica and an apartment in New Jersey."
Aldo Principe's career as a player agent was over before it began. Bobby took him outside before he could open his mouth, thanked him for his services and said he could now go back to Toronto.
The First 90
Unfortunately for Iarusci, shortly after his signing on mid-summer with the Cosmos he would go down with an ankle injury. The road to recovery was that much tougher given the difficulty of breaking into a squad that could be compared to some of the great clubs of today - Barcelona, Manchester United or Milan. With almost thirty players, many of whom donned World Cup credentials, Irausci would have to heal up and wait his turn.
Flaunting names such as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, Giorgio Chinaglia, Steve Hunt, Ramon Mifflin and Rildo it would appear he might sit the rest of the campaign out. However, he would get his chance in one of the first real crucial games of the year. Despite all those names, New York did not finish top of the league. Ahead of the Cosmos were Dallas and Fort Lauderdale, and their first matchup of the playoffs would be on August 14, 1977 against Fort Lauderdale, who touted the fewest goals against in the NASL.
Pele, Giorgio Chinaglia, and Robert Iarusci celebrating after 1982 Soccer Bowl. Photo: http://www.nasljerseys.com
Iarusci would get the nod for his first ninety with the Cosmos and as a defender, he would be with Carlos Alberto, Nelci Morais, Rildo and have Franz Beckenbauer in front of him.
Looking back he would recall, "There was really no advice heading into that game. With Beckenbauer it was usually after the game you'd know if you had done well by his body language. He'd look at you, if his eyes went up and down and he nodded, that meant he was happy with your performance. If he wasn't, he'd leer at you and you knew he'd probably have a conversation with the coach or GM and your playing days might be limited."
"With the Brazilians all around me, and Beckenbauer in front of me, there was a real comfort zone that helped me in my first game. When you play with great players, you try to take their lead and understand what makes them comfortable with how you play, where you're positioned and how you handle the ball."
Iarusci's first ninety with the New York Cosmos was in front of a record-setting crowd at Giants Stadium of 77,691. They say the best defence is a good offence and on this night that was the case. Even though they allowed the fewest goals in the regular season, Fort Lauderdale could not contain the surging Cosmos whose temperamental winger Steve Hunt opened the scoring just 1:37 into the game. By the 20th minute, New York were already up 3-0. In the end it was a Giorgio Chinaglia hat-trick and Steve Hunt brace that won the day as it was not only the crowd, but the 8-3 scoreline that made news that night.
"I was nervous to play with Pele and Beckenbauer," remembers Iarusci, "but you don't worry they are going to bullock you if you mess up. You know what you have to do to help your team win and stop the other team from scoring. My rookie nerves were out of me the season before when my knees buckled for the first time with the great players at Metros Croatia. In that sense, I was prepared for New York when I had to take the field."
"I just remember that first game for New York, I knew that I belonged. I was fortunate to play around good players and it makes things much easier. I can appreciate now that if you have a good player and he has stations around him that aren't strong or trustworthy, then it hurts his game. But I felt comfortable right away."
The only last confirmation was from the player who called the shots for New York, who could make or break a career with whatever look he gave after the game. It was from Franz Beckenbauer that Iarusci truly knew he belonged as post-match in the dressing room as the acceptance was silent and the glance from the German legend was a slow, deliberate ... nod.
Bobby Iarusci and the New York Cosmos would go on to win the 1977 Soccer Bowl and repeat the following year with him being an integral part of the defence. After moving to the Washington Diplomats for two seasons, Iarusci would return to New York from 1981 to 1983/84 where he won his third title with the Cosmos in 1982. In 2000 he was inducted as an inaugural member of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame.
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