American soccer has had varied experience with playoffs over the years, some good, some bad.
ASL
More than spectators
American soccer’s contribution to the American war effort of 1941-45 is not as well known as that of baseball or football, but it definitely did exist.
Old parks
Roger Allaway looks at some historic soccer grounds, some still here, others long gone.
Bethlehem and Fall River
Bethlehem Steel vs. Fall River was the first great intersectional rivalry in American soccer, and more than 100 years after its last game, it may still be the greatest.
The enterprising Sam Mark
While not a dedicated champion of the game like Tom Cahill or Edgar Lewis, Sam Mark built one of the great American soccer teams, the Fall River Marksmen.
The Lewis Cup
In its day, which lasted from 1925 to 1963, the Lewis Cup was one of the biggest events in American soccer.
Is this the American style?
It is often said that the United States doesn’t have a distinct national style of playing soccer.
D-Day at the Polo Grounds
Nearly every professional sports event in the United States was canceled or postponed on June 6, 1944. Roger Allaway looks at one of the few that wasn’t, a benefit soccer tournament at the Polo Grounds featuring ASL teams.
The Archives Room: Hakoah left its mark on America
Roger Allaway on the legacy of the US tours by Austria’s Hakoah team in the 1920s.
The “American Menace”
Roger Allaway looks back to when European club soccer felt threatened by the ASL.
Who scored the first professional goals in US soccer history?
Who scored the first goals in the earliest US professional leagues? Brian Bunk looks at the available evidence.
The record-setting Archie Stark
Billy Gonsalves is considered by many to be the best US player before the Second World War but Archie Stark remains the greatest goalscorer the US has ever produced.
That second leg is a killer
Roger looks back to the 1931 ASL championship to show how second-leg games can result in surprises.
The Archives Room: What was the Soccer War?
Roger Allaway looks at the American Soccer War, the 1928-29 struggle between the U.S. Football Association and the American Soccer League over control of the sport in the US.
Marksmen celebrate a century: The history of a storied American club
Derek Gonsalves reviews the history of the Fall River Marksmen, arguably the preeminent US club of its day, to mark the 100th anniversary of its founding.
Overview: The American Soccer League, 1921-1934
Dan Creel recounts each ASL season between 1921 and 1934
Reading your own obituary: Samuel Bustard, the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, and the evolution of New York Metro Area soccer
Kurt Rausch’s examination of the career of Samuel Bustard — who was widely, and wrongly, reported dead during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic — illuminates soccer in the New York Metro Area in the 1910s and 1920s.
What Happened to Mark’s Stadium?
The original Mark’s Stadium was built in 1921. What happened to it?
Harrison’s Maradona: A Recollection of Al “Funze” Jennette
Frank Santamassino’s cousin, Al Jennette, who everyone called Funze, played professional soccer in New York City in the 1940s, and he is one of the many forgotten stars in American soccer history.
It ain’t over ’til it’s over
New Bedford Whalers entered the second leg of the 1931 ALS championship against New York Giants with an 8-3 deficit to overcome.
It’s time to remember the Ukrainian Nationals
Steve Holroyd on the remarkable record of the Ukrainian Nationals, which included four US Open Cup titles between 1960 and 1966.
Philadelphia German Americans win the 1936 US Open Cup
On May 3, 1936, Philadelphia German Americans became the first amateur team, and the first team from the city of Philadelphia, to win the US Open Cup.
Be very afraid: U.S. soccer’s most dominant teams ever
Looking back over ASL I, the NASL, and MLS, which teams were the most dominant? Steve Holroyd explores.
Who’s better, who’s best: Leveling the pitch to find the best US club sides ever
Steve Holroyd performs some statistical leveling to determine the all-time top 15 US pro soccer teams.
Moving the goalposts
The ASL in the 1920s has been called the “golden age” of American soccer. Some older fans argue that the NASL was “better” than MLS. What do the numbers say.
Len Oliver Q&A: Playing in the pros in 1950s Philadelphia and beyond
Our series of conversations with Philadelphia-born National Soccer Hall of Famer Len Oliver continues.
Philadelphia Soccer in the 1940s and 1950s, part 5: The pro game in 1950s Philadelphia
National Soccer Hall of Famer Len Oliver’s series continues.
The forgotten Thomas W. Cahill
Roger Allaway on Thomas Chaill, one of the major figures in the early years of American soccer.
Paying the pros
A look at the background and occupations of professional soccer players in the original American Soccer League.
Philadelphia soccer in the 1940s and 1950s, part 3: Moving up through the amateur ranks
Philadelphia-born National Soccer Hall of Famer Len Oliver describes moving up the Philadelphia amateur soccer ranks in the 1940s and 1950s, playing in international friendlies, and trying out for the US Olympic team.
The search for the Falcos
The Holyoke Falcos were one of the founding members of the American Soccer League in 1921, although they dropped out after just a single season. In many ways the search for information on the Falcos reveals some of the challenges involved in researching the history of American soccer.
Q&A with Len Oliver: Youth and junior soccer with Lighthouse Boys Club
Our series of Q&A’s with US Soccer Hall of Famer Len Oliver continues.
Q&A with Len Oliver: Philly soccer in the 1940s & 1950s
The first in a series of Q&A’s with National Soccer Hall of Famer Len Oliver.
That wooden sign
In recognition of Throwback Thursday, Tom McCabe recalls the wooden sign that used to hang behind Archie Stark’s tavern in Kearny, New Jersey
A Boca American
Peter Millar joined Inter in 1961 and by the end of his first season he led the league in scoring and was voted its top player. He took home the Most Valuable Player award again after the 1962-63 campaign, and by early 1964 a black and white photograph of a […]
Meet the Babe Ruth of American Soccer
Steve Holroyd on Billy Gonsalves, one of the greatest players the US has ever produced.
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