The 1920's were widely considered the first Golden Era in American Soccer. With the
founding of the American Soccer League in 1921, there was finally a league with enough
prestige to compete effectively for European players, and even perform on a par with
the early National Football League.
During the 1920-1921 season, the Southern new England Football League and the
National Association Football League were suffering financial difficulties. Although both
leagues had powerhouse teams such as Bethlehem Steel, New York F.C., J&P Coates
and Fall River, both leagues were split among haves and have-nots, and the richer
teams felt they were subsidizing the poorer ones to their detriment. They solved this
dilemma by pulling the plugs on both leagues, with the richer clubs joining together to
form the nucleus of a new league, the ASL. They intended this to be the first truly top
class professional league in the US.
The ASL rapidly established itself on the strength of influential backers and committed
administrators. Such companies as Bethlehem Steel, Robins Shipyards, and J&P Coates
were large manufacturing concerns with the financial clout to establish the league on a
competitive level and bid successfully for the best players. In its inaugural season, the
ASL featured Archie Stark with New York F.C., and Bobby Geudart, continuing a US
history of successful native-born goalkeepers. Pete Renzulli joined Todd Shipyards, and
Findlay Kerr began a long ASL career with Philadelphia F.C. Brooklyn Wanderers and
Paterson Silk Sox joined the next year, expanding an already strong lineup, along with
the Fall River Marksmen, founded by Sam Mark who built his stadium just across the
state line in Rhode Island to avoid the Massachusetts Blue Laws which would have
banned Sunday games. The Marksmen would go on to become the most dominant team
in US Soccer history, winning championships three consecutive years (1924-1926), and
again in 1930 and 1931 The Marksmen also won the Lewis Cup in 1930 as well as the
US Open Cup in 1924 and 1930. This gives the Marksmen the distinction of having been
the first US team to win the first DOUBLES in US history (top league championship and
top cup in 1924 and 1930). Sam Mark signed major players from England and Scotland,
by offering better salaries than the often-stingy European clubs. His signings included
hall of famer Harold Brittan, from Bethlehem Steel, fullback Tommy Martin and winger Tec
White from Motherwell, and fullback Charlie McGill from Third Limark.
Bethlehem Steel followed suit, signing up fullback Jimmy Young of Dundee United, center
half Tommy McFarlane, forward Daniel McNiven from Patrick Thistle, among others.
McNiven immediately paid off, leading the league in goals for 1922-23, with 28.
Meanwhile a new club, the Brooklyn Wanderers was owned and managed by hall of
famer Nathan Agar, who also scored 7 goals as a wing forward. He would later be
instrumental in attracting foreign teams to tour the USA playing ASL teams under their
sponsorship.
In he fall of 1922, a unique event in US soccer history occurred as the Dick, Kerr Ladies,
the famous English women's team, toured the United States, playing against four ASL
clubs. They eventually went 1-1-2 on the tour, their one victory against New York Field
Club, 8-4.
During the mid 1920's, the crowds for games were large, with 10,000 a not uncommon
attendance figure. This was on a par with the NFL for much of the 1920's. In 1925, the
league expanded, adding the Boston Wonder Workers, and New Bedford Whalers, both
of whom would earn distinction in the league. The Wonder Workers made an immediate
impact by signing Glasgow veteran and Scottish international Tommy Muirhead from
Ibrox to serve as player-manager. Then, using Muirhead as a contact, they stunned the
world by signing Scottish international Alex McNab from Morton. McNab was signed for
$25 a week to play and work at the Wonder Works factory. . Boston also caused some
controversy by signing Johnny Ballantyne from Patrick Thistle, even though he had
already signed with thistle. They also snatched Mickey Hamill, who had already been
signed by Fall River from Manchester City, even though he had already played two
pre-season exhibitions with the Marksmen. The result of this was an unprecedented
amount of talent within the league. The 1924-25 season also saw Archie Stark set a
world record for most goals scored in a season for a 1st division club, 67 in 42 games - a
figure that stands to this day. This can be partially explained by the fact that soccer in
the 1920's was a much more open, offense-oriented game than today, played often
with a formation of five forwards, three halfbacks and two fullbacks. Archie also scored
an unprecedented five goals in an International for the US National Team in their
11/28/1925 victory over Canada.
By the mid 1920's, the ASL had reached such a level of prominence that major foreign
teams were enticed to perform major tours of the US playing against top ASL and other
clubs. Sparta Prague and Vienna Hakoah, an all-Jewish side both toured the US in 1926,
to record-breaking crowds. Hakoah's first three games drew 25,000, 30,000 and 36,000
spectators respectively, culminating in the famous May 1 1926 match at the polo
grounds in front of 46,000 spectators, a crowd record that stood until 1977 when three
consecutive records were set by the Pele-led New York Cosmos. Pete Renzulli, then
playing for the New York Giants remembered Hakoah controlling the ball for 87 minutes,
but the ASL all-stars counterattacked on three opportunities, scoring each time to win
3-0.
In 1926, the success of the league led the ASL to help establish the first International
Soccer League, which began play at the end of the 1926 ASL season, with three ASL
and five leading Canadian clubs. The one season of the ISL showed clearly the
superiority of the US clubs, and was an interesting experiment, but looked upon by most
of the participants as an off-season excursion, and it was not continued. In 1927, the
ASL shifted the focus slightly towards American players, with Davie Brown scoring 52
goals for the New York Giants, setting a record goal-scoring feat for American-born
players, which stands to this day. The ASL experimented with rules changes, allowing
substitutions for the first time. Also, goal judges similar to those in hockey were used.
They also instituted a "penalty box", with offending players required to serve their time
by remaining behind their teams' goal line. These changes were abandoned after this
season. Touring teams included Uruguay's Olympic team, who suffered their first defeat
in three years at the hands of the Newark Skeeters. Meanwhile, Indiana Flooring was
purchased by New York (Baseball) Giants owner Horace Stoneham. Since there was
already a New York Giants in the ASL, he renamed his team the Nationals.
In 1927-28, the league adopted a split season. Philadelphia who had been recently
bought struggled and was dropped from the season. In order to balance the
unbalanced schedule the league abruptly dropped Hartford, another struggling team.
This didn't set well with some of the owners but was indicative of the structural and
administrative problems the league was now experiencing. The season finished with a
unique playoff situation complicated by the close finish of the top teams. Boston finished
atop the 1st half standings with Bethlehem Steel and New Bedford Whalers tied for
second. This required a special playoff game, won by the Whalers. At the conclusion of
the 2nd half, New Bedford was in 1st place, followed by Fall River. Consequently,
Boston, New Bedford (which had qualified in both halves), and Fall River were assured
of playoff spots, while one spot remained open. This was settled by the third and fourth
place teams from the 2nd half (Bethlehem Steel and New York Nationals) playing for the
spot. Bethlehem won that game. The league then proceeded to the semifinals. These
series were won by Boston defeating Bethlehem 3-1 and 4-0, and New Bedford playing
Fall River to 3-1 and 0-4 scores (winning 5-3 aggregate). This set up a final between
Bethlehem and New Bedford. But another problem developed: In its second game,
Bethlehem with its goalkeeper injured, borrowed Brooklyn Wanderer's goalkeeper Steve
Smith without league authorization, and the league overturned the result, awarding the
game to Boston. This resulted in a championship between Boston and New Bedford, the
1st and 2nd half winners, won by Boston. This season had lasted nearly nine months!
Admission prices in New York City and Brooklyn were $1.10 for the cheapest seats, and
$0.75 in Boston.
The following season saw the "Soccer War". Although soccer was enjoying
unprecedented popularity, a bitter dispute arose between the league, the USFA and a
number of the powerful ASL clubs. The ASL clubs had long objected to the playing of
National open Challenge Cup games during the regular season because it disrupted the
regular season, and in 1924-25 had refused to allow its teams to enter the competition.
This led to the ASL being suspended. Now in 1928, the ASL announced that it wanted
the Open Cup competition, moved to the end of the ASL season, or its teams exempted
until the season was over. The USFA refused, and the ASL ordered its teams not to
participate. However, some ASL clubs wanted to participate, and Bethlehem Steel,
Newark Skeeters and New York Giants defied the league and participated anyway. Bill
Cunningham, ASL President instituted fines and suspensions on these clubs, who
appealed to the USFA who ordered the league to reverse its actions. The league
refused and was suspended by the USFA. The ASL continued to operate as an outlaw
league, and the USFA worked with the three teams to form another league, the Eastern
Soccer League, from the three ASL clubs and other clubs from the Southern New York
State Association. This in turn led to a dispute between the SNYSA and the USFA,
leading the SNYSA to team up with the ASL against the ESL and USFA. During all of this,
the New Bedford Whalers jumped mid season to the ESL. The following season, no
resolution was in sight, and both leagues took to the field with new Bedford jumping
back to the ASL, disappointed in the quality of ESL play.
The ASL and USFA, seeing the battle as a costly one that would leave no victor, reached
an exhausted compromise - the ASL abandoned their partially competed fall 1929
season, and merged it strongest teams with the better ESL teams to form the Atlantic
Coast League which took to the field in November 1929. This face-saving season was
successful, but the league was never to enjoy the financial stability or prestige it had
previously enjoyed, and the stock market crash of 1929 followed by the depression
wreaked havoc on the manufacturing companies that formed the financial backbone of
the league and soon many clubs were failing, with Bethlehem Steel folding in 1930 and
Fall River Marksmen in the winter of 1931.
In 1930, the US participated in the first World Cup in Uruguay, and Atlantic Coast league
teams dominated the roster. By now the roster included such hall of famers as Bert
Patenaude and Billy Gonsalves who performed well both in the World Cup and
throughout the 1930's.
The demise of Fall River Marksmen was the culmination of one of the more bizarre
franchise transactions in the annals of American Sports. Sam Mark, suffering declining
revenues, took a gamble and moved his club south to New York City, merging it with the
New York Soccer Club on February 16, 1931, renaming the club the New York Yankees.
At the same time, he made Mark's Stadium in Tiverton RI available to other clubs. A
group of investors, led by Harold Brittan, bought the Providence Gold Bugs and moved
them to Mark's Stadium, as Fall River F.C. Meanwhile, in the middle of the spring 1931
season, the New Bedford Whalers succumbed to financial losses, and merged the team
with Fall River. The Yankees meanwhile, were only partially successful. Because they
had started the Open Cop competition while still at Fall River, they had to complete the
competition under that name, even though they were playing in the ASL as the Yankees
at the same time! In the offseason, the new Fall River club failed, and Sam Mark, having
failed in New York, moved the Yankees to New Bedford, obtaining the rights to the Fall
River players along the way. As a result, his new club (also known as the New Bedford
Whalers) was a combination of the old New York, Fall River and New Bedford teams.
They won the 1931 fall season, but lost the playoffs, although they won the National
Challenge open Cup.
The league struggled on through the spring 1933 season with substantial team
turnover and reorganizations, before finally being reorganized out of existence in the
summer. What had begun as an exuberant league a decade earlier, ended among the
ashes of a fruitless turf war, the ravages of the depression, and the decline of the
company-oriented soccer team.
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| Darrell Stuart . com Development for Soccer Players and Coaches |
| History of soccer in America The Golden Era, 1921-1933 |
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