American Soccer League

American Soccer League was the name of three different professional soccer league in the United States.

  • 2.1 history
  • 2.2 Master
  • 3.1 History
  • 3.2 Master

ASL 1

History

The ASL 1 was the first significant professional soccer league in the United States. They played mainly in the northeastern United States, primarily in the area of New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia. The league was founded in 1921 by a number of representatives of the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Football League. The impetus for this decision provided the growing certainty of the teams, the mismanagement of NAFBL, as well as the efforts of the United States Football Association to establish a uniform first football league in the United States.

From 1924, the combination of high pay and a high level of play the league moved increasingly talented players from Europe, particularly from Scotland and England, at. This led to resentment in Europe but increasingly, to the threatened consequences of FIFA. Even the exclusion of USFA from FIFA at that time was up for debate. The dispute, however, was settled at the 16th annual meeting of FIFA on June 4, 1927, when the USFA with the other member associations agreed on a compromise regarding the transfer policy.

The ASL had a falling out later with the NAFA, as the team owners have criticized the obligation for ASL teams to participate in the National Challenge Cup would represent a heavy financial burden on them. The problem was that the National Challenge was held during the season of ASL. This meant for the participating teams ASL - long bus or train journeys, followed by immediate return to the Northeast to contest the next league games immediately. The ASL boycotted then the National Challenge Cup by 1924. In the next season, however, we got back in the National Challenge Cup after the USFA to be discharged to her share of revenue from the Cup games lowered from 33.3% to 15 % had. Reservations of the ASL against the umbrella organization remained and so the situation escalated again in 1928, when the ASL the National Challenge Cup boycotted again.

However, when three clubs, especially Bethlehem Steel FC, ​​the league reconciled, by participating in spite of the official boycott the cup, these were suspended by the league. In response, USFA and FIFA declared the ASL for " outlaw league ". Thus, the so-called "Soccer War" was thrown. However, the owner of the ASL team did not care about this decision of FIFA, but also relied continue to believe that the level and image of the league would be sufficient despite the lack of recognition of FIFA in order to recruit players for their clubs can. This also seemed to be working until the USFA participated in the financing of a new league, the Eastern Professional Soccer League ( ESL), as rival league to the ASL. The three excluded from the ASL teams formed together with five teams from the Southern New York Soccer Association ( SNYSA ) ESL. This in turn led, however, to the fact that the SNYSA leaked under the leadership of Nat Agar, owner of the Brooklyn Wanderers, from the USFA and its solidarity with the ASL. The opposition to the alliance of ASL and SNYSA, the establishment of a competing league and the poor economic situation of 1929 brought the ASL into financial difficulties. As a result, the league broke down and waved again on the price of FIFA and USFA. In the fall of 1929/30, finally merged ESL and ASL for the Atlantic Coast League, which began play mode in season from spring to autumn 1930. After the summer break the league was eventually renamed the American Soccer League, so they ended the season with a different name, as they had begun it.

The "Soccer War" had the ASL but permanently weakened so that it finally collapsed in the 1930 season at the end of the first round. FIFA and USAF had thus won their "war" and established itself as the ASL superior. However, precisely this rule a European organization on an American sports league led many fans to the fact that you turned away from football. You could see football from now on as a controlled foreign sport. This meant that football in the coming decades played only a minor role in America.

List of all participating teams

  • Bethlehem Steel F. C. ( 1921/22-27/28, 1930, when Philadelphia Field Club in 1921/22 )
  • Boston Wonder Workers ( 1924/25-30 )
  • Boston Bears ( 1931-32 )
  • Bridgeport Hungaria (1930, for the last 5 games as Newark)
  • Brooklyn Wanderers ( 1922/23-31 )
  • Brooklyn Hakoah (1929, merged with New York Hakoah to Hakoah All-Stars )
  • Brooklyn Wanderers ( 1932-33 )
  • Fall River Marksmen (1921-1930) originally Fall River United (1921 /22); merged with New York Soccer Club to New York Yankees
  • Fall River F. C. I ( 1924/25-1931, as Providence Clamdiggers 1924/25-27/28, as Providence Gold Bugs 1928/29-30; than Fall River Football Club 1931 built during the 1931 spring season, the New Bedford Whalers; were before the fall season in 1931 integrated with the New York Yankees)
  • Fall River F. C. II ( 1932)
  • Fleisher Yarn (1924 /25)
  • Hakoah All-Stars ( 1929/30-1932 ), fusion of New York Hakoah and Brooklyn Hakoah
  • Harrison Field Club ( 1921/22-22/23, as Harrison Soccer Club in 1921/22 )
  • Hartford Americans (1927 /28)
  • Holyoke Falco (1921 /22)
  • Jersey City Celtics (1921 /22)
  • Jersey City (1928 /29)
  • Newark Skeeters ( 1923/24-28/29, participation during the season withdrawn)
  • Newark Americans ( 1930-32 )
  • New Bedford Whalers II
  • New Bedford Whalers III, Fusion New York Yankees and Fall River FC I
  • New York Field Club ( 1921/22-23/24 )
  • New York Giants II, originally started as Paterson Silk Sox, later they changed their name to New York Soccer Club
  • New York Giants III, previously known as Indiana Flooring and New York Nationals
  • New York Americans ( 1931-33 )
  • New York Field Club (1932 )
  • New York Yankees, fusion of Fall River Marksmen and New York Soccer Club
  • New York Brook Hattan (1933 )
  • Pawtucket Rangers ( 1921/22-32/33, as J & P Coats in 1921/22-28/29 )
  • Philadelphia Celtic ( 1922/23-27/28, 1922/23-26/27 as Philadelphia Field Club )
  • Philadelphia Field Club (1928 /29)
  • Philadelphia Field Club (1929, previously Bridgeport Bears)
  • Queens Bohemians ( 1932-33 )
  • Shawsheen Indians (1925 /26)
  • Springfield Babes (1926 /27)
  • Todd Shipyards (1921 /22)

Master

ASL 2

History

In the fall of 1933, a second American Soccer League has been introduced. This second league existed until 1983. Like the original ASL was played this league mostly in the northeastern United States. To be able to compete with the North American Soccer League, ASL 1976, extended to the whole of America. They expanded to the West Coast by recorded teams from Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, Salte Lake City and Tacoma. Bob Cousy was hired as commissioner and the league was like their points system to the NASL. The ASL originally awarded 5 points for a win, 2 for a draw and an additional point for each goal (max 3 extra points per game ). The NASL awarded 6 points for a win, 3 for a draw and max. 3 extra points for goals scored. In the ASL also the number of foreigners entitled to use per game was limited. They promised thereby a higher popularity with the fans.

The League and most of all the teams in the ASL could financially but never compete with the NASL. An ASL team could so rarely keep up with offers for top players with an NASL team. On the other hand, it often happened that the top ASL players from a NASL club much more money was offered, which led to an exodus of top stars in the NASL. At its peak the ASL in the 1976 season, the game against the LA Skyhawks NY Apollo. LA won more than 9,000 spectators 2:1. From 1979, however, the audience went back, the team lost by more and more money. The League finally existed until 1983. After the ASL II their gaming operations ceased, founded some of the former teams, the United Soccer Leage that existed in the seasons 1984 and 1985.

Master

ASL 3

History

The next league, the American Soccer League was called, played only two seasons, namely 1988 and 1989. This league consisted of ten teams, all of which were located on the Atlantic coast. In the second season, the champion of the ASL 3, Fort Lauderdale Strikers wore a "national championship game" against the winner of the Western Soccer Allicane, San Diego Nomads from. In 1990 merged ASL and WSA. This showed the American Professional Soccer League.

Master

1990 Maryland Bays ( Won USL Championship )

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