1926: More of the Same.
The biggest signing of the new season came from theteam that needed it the most. Philadelphia Field Club, which let in an amazing 136 goals in 1925 signed former Manchester City goalie, Tom Blair. The struggling Field Club, though doubling it's win total still finished last in the league by ten points behind the North's Giants, although their attendance was good enough to see the team survive for another season.
In the southern division of the ASL South, Bethlehem Steel won the divsion hanily, but it was getting harder and harder for them to compete against the big city markets like New York, Boston and Saint Louis. The Steelmen's dynasty continued, though as they dominated the league for the second straight year. In fact the only change from last year's results was a change in fourth and fifth place, between Baltimore and Ben Millers.
In the north, it was a close affair as three teams competed until the last day for the top spot. Fall River's Marksmen, New Bedford and Boston's Wonder Workers finished within three points of each other. A last match loss by New Bedford at Chicago's Olympia, combined with a three-nil win by Fall River against Philadelphia secured Fall River the tiebreaker and the chance to participate in the championships. In the championships, Fall River won their second straight title, beating Bethlehem 3-1 in aggregate, winning both legs of the championship.
By this time, the ASL had easily established itself as the country’s top professional league. Some idea of the strength of the American soccer of this period can be gauged by results against visiting foreign teams. The famous Sparta Club of Prague and the star-studded Hakoah, an all-Jewish side from Vienna, both playing the delicate style of mid-European soccer, were surprised by the high standard of American soccer, and both teams suffered defeats. Hakoah drew the largest crowds ever to watch soccer in America up to that time: three successive games drew 25,000, 30,000, and 36,000 spectators. The highlight of the tour was a May 1, 1926 exhibition game between Hakoah and an ASL all-New York team which drew 46,000 fans to the Polo Grounds in New York. Pete Renzulli of New York Giants, the goalkeeper for the team, made up of players from the Giants, Indiana Flooring and Newark, remembered that Hakoah "had the ball for 87 minutes", but that the ASL scored three times on counterattacks and won, 3-0. In spite of the crowds, the tour was still a financial failure for Hakoah, probably because many of the attendees for their games got in with free tickets; the club reported that it lost over $30,000 and, as a result, the club’s president resigned upon his return to Vienna. Hakoah’s influence on the game here would be considerable, however; professional teams bearing the "Hakoah" name would be a part of the American soccer landscape to this day.
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ASL North Standings
Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Fall River Marksmen 38 20 5 13 96 64 +32 65
2 New Bedford Whalers 38 18 11 9 93 57 +36 65
3 Boston Wonder Workers 38 17 12 9 81 55 +26 63
4 Brooklyn Wanderers 38 16 8 14 75 46 +29 56
5 J&P Coats [Rhode Island] 38 14 6 18 51 79 -28 48
6 Indiana Flooring [New York] 38 12 8 18 70 81 -11 44
7 New York Giants 38 9 9 20 69 103 -34 36
ASL South Standings
Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Bethlehem Steel 38 28 8 2 119 50 +69 92
2 St. Louis United 38 20 8 10 89 64 +25 68
3 Olympia [Chicago] 38 15 8 15 62 60 +2 53
4 Baltimore SC 38 13 8 17 72 75 -3 47
5 Ben Millers [St. Louis] 38 11 7 20 67 116 -49 40
6 Newark Mosquitoes 38 11 7 20 56 79 -23 40
7 Philadelphia Field Club 38 7 5 26 43 114 -71 26
First Round
Bethlehem Steel 0-1 Fall River Marksmen (0-1 agg)
Fall River Marksmen 2-1 Bethlehem Steel (3-1 agg)