People, Mar. 20, 1978

"I am very upset about the progress of soccer in the United States. The people in the pro circuit haven't shown enough interest in the American player," complained Shep Messing. That was six years ago, before the Bronx-born, Harvard-educated goalie became famous for eating glass, keeping a pet boa constrictor, posing nude for a Viva centerfold and playing on last year's championship New York Cosmos soccer team. Messing, 28, is no longer upset, having just signed a $100,000 per-year contract with the fledgling Oakland Stompers, making him the highest-paid American soccer player in...

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