News and reviews of Rock n Roll Soccer



ROCK N ROLL SOCCER: The Short Life and Fast Times of the North American Soccer League, by Ian Plenderleith. This is the blog to back the book hailed as "fantastic" by Danny Kelly on
Talksport Radio, and described as a "vividly entertaining history of the league" in the Independent on Sunday. In the US, Booklist described it as "a gift to US soccer fans". The UK paperback edition published by Icon Books is now available here for just £8.99, while the North America edition published by St. Martin's Press/Thomas Dunne Books can be found here for $11.98. Thank you.

Monday, August 29, 2016

Rock n Roll Soccer - more rollicking reviews

Some recent customer reviews from the ever-reliable internet. At amazon.com,
Rock n Roll Soccer has a 100% 5-star rating (nine reviews):

"Definitive history with a cogent narrative. Thorough without being tedious and ties the story to the present. If you didn't grow up with soccer [in the US] you need this book to fill in that gap." (Nathan Sager, amazon.com reader)
"Football book of
the decade."


"With this book, [the author] has managed to weave together a huge amount of research and interviews into a cohesive and rollicking narrative. This means that it doesn't really matter if you weren't previously interested in the NASL - if you like sports journalism, particularly the longer form more common in the USA over the years, then chances are you will very much enjoy this. As well as Plenderleith does in weaving this book together, perhaps the best writing in it is his own voice - when he's assessing things in a very dry way, that often raises a chuckle. Having enjoyed his fiction, I hope now also for more non-fiction from him." (reader review, amazon.co.uk)

"The football book of the decade." (Richard Luck on Twitter)

"This is a splendid book. Although it explicitly claims not to be a history of the NASL, and it's right, it isn't, it is very, very informative. It seems that Mr Plenderleith the author has also written the book with a wry smile on his face because football is only a game after all. There is plenty of humour and the half time entertainment is a lot of fun. The most fascinating thought the book leaves you with is that despite folding in 1984 the NASL can be seen to have left a legacy which is very visible in the English Premier League." (reader review, amazon.co.uk)

"Definitive history with
a cogent narrative"
"A must read for any fan of the NASL! So many players names brought up in this GREAT book that bring back memories. I was lucky enough to go to Spartan Stadium and watch my beloved Earthquakes play and watch that GREAT George Best goal. We can not and must not forget these pioneers that started it." (reader review, amazon.com)

"So, I’m giving this book five stars (and would give it a hundred if I could) just because it’s the first time I’ve seen an outsider actually give us some recognition." (John F. Pepple, amazon.com reader)

"A great book about a wild and crazy league that probably could've only existed in the mid to late 70s-early 80s. Fast and loose and freewheeling, the book reads a lot like the NASL's existence, bouncing from pillar to post, sometimes quite unorganized, and a little frustrating. Still a good read. Recommended." (reader review, amazon.com)