Rediscover a lost gem of American soccer history! In “When the Apollo Were Gods,” we unearth and showcase the 1978 American Soccer League Championship match between the New York Apollo and the Los Angeles Skyhawks, a game not seen in nearly 50 years!
This rare ASL broadcast, originally aired briefly in 1978, has just been digitized from the only known surviving recording, offering fans of retro soccer an incredible time capsule of the golden era of American lower-division soccer.
Joining us are Charles Cuttone, veteran soccer journalist, publicist, and historian, and Chris Tyson, former New York Apollo defender, who provide exclusive commentary, personal memories, and historical context about the New York Apollo, the ASL, and this unforgettable championship clash.
This is a must-watch for fans of American soccer nostalgia, NASL/ASL history, and classic soccer footage. Whether you followed the sport in the 1970s or are just discovering its rich roots in the U.S., this video offers insight, emotion, and never-before-seen game action.
Check out the video below and the show notes after that:
SHOW NOTES:
- Read Fun While It Lasted stories about the combatants in this classic game, the New York Apollo and Los Angeles Skyhawks, from the wonderful Fun While It Lasted
- You can buy Charles Cuttone‘s book, The Soccer Book of Why, by clicking here.
- If you’re into the history of the American Soccer League, click here to join the Facebook group devoted to it.
- Here’s the New York Times‘ obituary for the play-by-play announcer for this match, Dom Valentino. And here’s more on color commentator Laurie Singer‘s remarkable career.
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This is terrific stuff, Kenn. The link on Laurie Singer is a must-read. So is the quote from the Skyhawks owner on the Fun While It Lasted page — didn’t exactly mince words!
Can’t wait to see some A-League/USISL stuff at some point. I can’t remember why, but I dug back into Carolina Dynamo history a bit a few days ago.
Between this and the ancient footage SASH is unearthing, it’s a boom time for soccer history on YouTube.
Appreciate you watching and commenting, Beau.
I could do a 1997 Indiana Blast match but the quality (not of the actual video, but the production quality) is not great. I still may. But no one GAF about the Blast then, much less now.
Maybe the 1999 A-League Final would be a good one. But – like this one – I would love to find things that very few people have seen before. I’ll keep looking and if anyone out there has anything really obscure, get in touch.
Thank you! We just finished watching the NY Apollo game on YouTube ! My father was one of the investors on Long Island – he and I and my son just finished watch it! This brought back so many memories! Thank you for finding and posting this! My father loved watching it. He is 90 years old now.
Thank you, Anne! That’s so cool that you were able to enjoy this as a family. Thank you for watching!