Driven by the founder of the famous record label Atlantic, who was an avid Beckenbauer fan, Franz received an offer from the USA, which he considered for a long time. After some pros and cons, he finally decided to move to New York. Franz later explained in an interview that the decisive moment was a helicopter flight from the roof of the Pan-Am Building over Manhattan and the Hudson River.

The North American professional league NASL tried to make soccer popular in the United States in the 1970s. In particular, Cosmos New York, an association owned by the Warner Group, played a key role in this. As early as 1975, the club had signed the biggest superstar in world soccer: Pelé.

However, the decision to switch was not met with approval everywhere: It also meant the end of his career in the national team, which was poorly received by DFB officials. German newspapers also extensively exploited the transfer.

Franz was number 6 in the Cosmos team. He played his first game away from home in Tampa on May 29 during the current season. After initial familiarization difficulties, he became more and more comfortable interacting with the other stars. At the request of shareholders, Beckenbauer should act more aggressively, and so he moved from defense to offensive midfield. At the end of the season, the team won the American championship — and Franz was named “Most Valuable Player.”

American soccer had some peculiarities to make the game more accessible to an audience that was not familiar with the rules and expected more show. When arriving, each player was introduced individually, and during the game, a digital scoreboard displayed animations that explained game scenes, such as “sweet pass” on a long pass. In addition, there was no draw: In the USA, there always had to be a winner. For this, the “shoot-out” was invented: A player started with the ball from the 35-yard line and had five seconds to finish.

Moving to New York was much more than just a sporting decision: Franz immersed himself in a completely new world. Cosmos played at the gigantic Giants Stadium in New Jersey, and the games became social events with stars such as Mick Jagger, Andy Warhol and Robert Redford sitting in the stands. A stage opened up for Franz that went far beyond soccer.

He won a total of three championships with Cosmos and thus not only shaped the club's most successful phase, but also the most brilliant era of soccer in the USA to date.

‍