# @clubeleven on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DKcWNa_R1fi
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/31280055-clubeleven-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/be3d4a0ddf.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-06-03T15:01:27.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** CLUBELEVEN (@clubeleven) — https://gondola.cc/clubeleven

## Caption

In 1974, America and the USSR faced off in one of the biggest battles of the Cold War. With soccer in the US doing fairly well at the time, it was only natural to challenge the USSR to see who was better.

So in the winter of ‘74, the North American Soccer League (NASL) invited none other than the Soviet Red Army Soccer Team for a pair of exhibition matches—the most important one being against the Philadelphia Atoms, the best team in the league. Nearly 12,000 fans showed up to watch the game at the Spectrum Arena in Philadelphia.

The organizers laid turf over the ice rink and kept the hockey boards up, so the whole setup was pretty unusual to what indoor soccer had looked like before. This new-ish type of sport ended up being an advantage. It had similarities to hockey, and it was fast-paced like basketball. The crowd absolutely loved it.

Despite ending in a 6-3 loss to the Soviets, this game had huge ramifications. The setup was so entertaining, that it caught the attention of businessman Ed Tepper, who saw it as the future of the sport. Inspired, Tepper would go on to found the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), so in many ways, this game between the Red Army and the Atoms helped indoor soccer explode in our country.

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#americansoccer 
#ussoccer 
#soccerhistory 
#weirdhistory
#indoorsoccer
#nasl 
#misl
#clubelevenmag

## Stats

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## Tags

weirdhistory, ussoccer, americansoccer, nasl, soccerhistory, indoorsoccer, misl, clubelevenmag

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