90 Years of the 90 Minute Game: An Alternate History of the American Soccer League

Why do American sports always go for the closed league? Why havent anyone tried a fotball/soccerleague in US here were there are promotions and relegations and several teams in one city(for example NY having Harlem FC, AFC Bronx and NY Italians(a team for little Italy). If it can work in Russia it should be ok in USA.

I think i will do such a TL

I did that with Rugby, get ready for lots of it wont work arguments ;)
 
Why do American sports always go for the closed league? Why havent anyone tried a fotball/soccerleague in US here were there are promotions and relegations and several teams in one city(for example NY having Harlem FC, AFC Bronx and NY Italians(a team for little Italy). If it can work in Russia it should be ok in USA.

I think i will do such a TL

Don't worry, by the end NYC should be a clustermess

New York Giants, Newark/New Jersey Mosquitoes, Brooklyn Wanderers, Hakoah Stars [Brooklyn], New Jersey Red Bulls, New York Cosmos, Long island Rough Riders...I think NYC will be represented by the end.
 

FDW

Banned
Why do American sports always go for the closed league? Why havent anyone tried a fotball/soccerleague in US here were there are promotions and relegations and several teams in one city(for example NY having Harlem FC, AFC Bronx and NY Italians(a team for little Italy). If it can work in Russia it should be ok in USA.

I think i will do such a TL

Americans have this thing about equality, and there are many occasions where a metro area has had more than one team representing it (The MLB (to provide an example) used to have this for Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and St. Louis but several teams moved and now it's only true for New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and The San Francisco Bay Area.). And we do have a promotion/relegation system in some sports, we just use it for individual players rather than entire teams.
 
Americans have this thing about equality, and there are many occasions where a metro area has had more than one team representing it (The MLB (to provide an example) used to have this for Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and St. Louis but several teams moved and now it's only true for New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and The San Francisco Bay Area.). And we do have a promotion/relegation system in some sports, we just use it for individual players rather than entire teams.

Equality? That sounds like COMMUNISM;):eek: THe most capitalist nation on Earth in every way BUT sport were they have communism:p
 

FDW

Banned
Equality? That sounds like COMMUNISM;):eek: THe most capitalist nation on Earth in every way BUT sport were they have communism:p

Yeah, that's the case. Don't say it too loudly though, or some peoples heads might explode from the contradictions…
 
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.


Code:
 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)
 
soccer?!!!

Soccer?!!! It's called football....... Association football if you must be pedantic (I know I am). Bloody foreign johnnies. They cheat you know; practice beforehand and cheer the winners. Where's the fun in that? Clearly not gentlemen.

Personally I prefer extreme tennis. Players doused in petrol and the ball set on fire. Get some bloody good rallies that way and no missing who lost.........
 
I have not wanted to update because 1927-1932 are the worst years for a sports timeline, with the banning of blacks in baseball and football [and inevitably here in the ASL], the great Depression, and the moving and jumbling of teams. God willing, these things will get easier instead of harder each update.



1927: Rule Changes, and More of the Same.


The most important thing to happen to the ASL in 1927 was the suite of rule changes that happened for the first time in the league's history. For the first time in league history, substitutions were permitted during the game. Also goal judges and a penalty box were introduced similar to hockey. The usage of the penalty box, wherein players would have to stand behind their own goal line was removed after the year, along with goal judges, but substitutions remain a part of the game to this day.


In league play, Bethlehem Steel won the South Division with a 24-6-8 record, 7 points ahead of St. Louis United. The Steelmen regained championship form largely due to the acquisition of center forward Tom Gillespie from Preston North End. The newcomer grabbed notched 33 goals, combining with Archie Stark’s 23 to give Bethlehem a formidable attack. Even so, Bethlehem's point total was 14 points short of last year's demolishing of the league, showing that the other teams in the South were getting better as well. One of the main causes for that was that Bethlehem was based in a smaller town than a lot od the other teams in the South division, and couldn't depend on having as many fans show up for games.


In the ASL North, Fall River and American born striker Davie Brown went on a tear, finishing 21 points ahead of Pawtucket's J&P Coats. Brown was unstoppabe this year, scoring a ridiculous 42 goals, inculding a double hat-trick against the Philadelphia Field Club.


In the Championship, it was another Fall River-Bethlehem display as Stark scored Bethlehem's only goal in the Bethlehem's home leg, leading the Steelmen to a 2-1 aggregate victory over Fall River. Tthis would be Bethlehem's third ASL championship, and so far in the league's history no one other than Bethlehem and Fall River had won the league.


Code:
 ASL North Standings
 

    Team                              P   W   D   L  For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Fall River Marksmen              38  24   4  10  101  52  +49  76
  2 J&P Coats [Rhode Island]         38  17   4  17   69  58  +11  55
  3 Brooklyn Wanderers               38  15   9  14   66  72   -6  54
  4 New Bedford Whalers              38  13  11  14   65  69   -4  50
  5 New York Giants                  38  13   9  16   58  78  -20  48
  6 Indiana Flooring [New York]      38  12  11  15   60  59   +1  47
  7 Boston Wonder Workers            38  12  10  16   63  60   +3  46
 

 

 

 ASL South Standings
 

    Team                          P   W   D   L  For   Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Bethlehem Steel              38  24   6   8  118   58  +60  78
  2 St. Louis United             38  21   8   9   77   49  +28  71
  3 Olympia [Chicago]            38  17   7  14   68   67   +1  58
  4 Baltimore SC                 38  14   8  16   69   66   +3  50
  5 Ben Millers [St. Louis]      38  11  11  16   78   85   -7  44
  6 Newark Mosquitoes            38   7  12  19   46   91  -45  33
  7 Philadelphia Field Club      38   7   8  23   41  115  -74  29


American Soccer League Championship


Bethlehem Steel 1-0 Fall River Marksmen (1-0 agg)
Fall River Marksmen 1-1 Bethlehem Steel (1-2 agg)
 
Top