Soccer In A Football World: The Second American Soccer League

[Xibalba]

This is a (ongoing) concept project I've been doing but since it slightly veers into Alt-Hist territory, maybe I could also post it here, but with a bit more backstory about the teams and league.

While the first ASL that ran from 1921 up to 1933 was more well know, It second incarnation was actually the longest running (semi) professional soccer league in the States. With the competition being active for about 50 years, from 1933 until 1983. Most teams will be based on real life historic teams that played in the league, with several other teams from defunct leagues thrown in. This is done to eventually get teams from all over the US, since the ASL was mostly centered on the Atlantic Coast. I will try to keep the amount of fantasy teams fairly limited, However some teams will receive a revamped identity as to avoid repetition or a team that doesn't really fit the concept.

The goal of this concept is to create a league and style that is uniquely American, finding a balance between European and American sporting traditions. So without further ado, here's the league branding as of the 2019-20 season.

 

[Xibalba]

The Aftermath & Rebirth (1933-1946)
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With the Great Depression still raging and the ramifications of the Soccer Wars still being felt, America had lost some of its most successful and iconic teams when the first American Soccer League folded. However following this collapse, a new batch of clubs reformed the ASL. And taking the lead where the NY Americans and Brookhattan F.C, who had already played in the original league.This new competition would be smaller in scale and had smaller budgets than its predecessor but it would lay the foundation for the soccer landscape of today. The inaugural season saw a fairly impressive level of play and the return of some former stars of the league such as Archie Stark, George Moorhouse, Erno Schwarz and Stan Chesney. During these early days, the league was concentrated in the Northeastern United States and was divided into two divisions, one for the Metropolitan Area and one for New England. While New England had strong teams in the past, the current situation and the financial uncertainty of the time, made the Metropolitan Division the more well regarded of the two, as teams from this area, generally had more resources and a larger pool of talent. The winner of this division was often regarded as the soccer champion of the United States. While the Met was fairly stable and slowly expanding, the New England division already had to be postponed for the 1935/37 season, due to many clubs withdrawing from the league. It returned the next season, but never reached the level of its counterpart. The only team from this division to survive where the *Boston Celtics, who frustrated with the Division’s incompetence replaced Brooklyn St.Mary’s in the Metropolitan Division after they folded for the 1942/43 season. Even though the league had its fair share of setbacks, the metropolitan division was flourishing, even during the war years. With the war running on its last legs, there was suddenly a return of quality soccer players, and also of potential new fans, as American GI’s returned home after being exposed to the sport while in Europe.


*In our timeline, no New England club survived the cancellation of the New England division.

ASL Originals (Part I: New York)

1.New York Americans

(NY Americans Owner and Former Hakoah Vienna player Erno Schwarz)
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The Amerks where founded in 1931, when Erno Schwarz a former NY Giants and Hakoah player entered them in the last ever seasons of the original ASL. During this period, Schwarz played, managed and owned the club. After the collapse of the league. The leadership of the Amerks and Brookhattan took the lead in creating a new league. The club had its first Title during the 1935/36 season and it won the National Challenge Cup one year later. After that came a period of trophy drought until the 1953/54 season. When the club completed the double, winning both the league and the Challenge Cup. **Just before the 1956/57 season the Amerks merged with Brooklyn Hakoah, but kept its name and identity. With the influx of new players and more financial power, the club had its first golden age. Winning the ASL title three times in a row. In 1956,57 and 58 respectively. Their second golden age came in the seventies when the club won another 3 challenge cups and 3 national titles. As of 2012, it is the most successful club in New York, having amassed 10 national titles and having earned the right to place two stars above their badge. Due their close proximity, there has always been a rivalry with The Giants and Brookhattan. There is also an intense rivalry with The Philadelphia Nationals, one of the most successful clubs in the country. Another rivalry is with the Boston Celtics, as the rivalry carries over from other American sporting traditions

** In this TL, it was actually the NY Americans who where absorbed by Brooklyn Hakoah, Becoming New York Hakoah)

2.Brookhattan F.C

(The 1944-45 Treble winning Brookhattan Squad)
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The Brookhattan Football Club was established in 1933, and together with the NY Americans helped to form the current incarnation of the ASL. The Brooks had to wait quite a bit to taste their first successes, but when they did it was a feet that few clubs managed to replicate. In the 1944-45 season, they won the ASL, The National Challenge Cup and the Lewis Cup. Making them one of few teams that have completed a domestic treble. In 1948, the club was bought by Ernesto Diaz, and merged with his former club New York Galicia,but they kept the name and purple and gold club colours. While they didn't achieve much success during this period, they did had some of the league most iconic players. Pito Villanon, one of the first black athletes in an integrated American sports league. During his eleven year stint at the club he became the league’s top scorer twice, and was awarded the league’s MVP during the 1952-53 season and Joe Gaentjes, a Haitian born U.S player who was the ASL top scorer, and during the 1950 World Cup,He scored the winning goal in the 1–0 upset of England. While not as trophy laden as their neighbors. They have become focused on developing and nurturing talent.

3.Brooklyn Giants

(Left: Billy Gonsalves, called by some the Babe Ruth of American Soccer playing for Hispano F.C. Later know as the Brooklyn Giants.)
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The club started life as N.Y Hispano and was around before the second incarnation of the ASL. Plying their trade in the Southern New York State Football Association in the 1920’s, they joined the Eastern Soccer League, a rival to the ASL during the Soccer Wars. When the dust settled the club joined the Second ASL in 1933, After 7 games into the season, the club merged with the failing Brooklyn F.C to become Brooklyn Hispano F.C. even though it had roots well beyond this point, the club took this date as it’s foundation. Initially their colours where Orange for Hispano and Dark Blue for Brooklyn F.C. In 1943, when a lot of teams Americanized their names. Brooklyn Hispano became the Brooklyn Giants. They also switched out Blue for Black. Their first title came in 1942, and the Giants had to wait another 29 years before the next. Despite the lack of success, the club amassed a cult following. It also became the sole club to represent the borough of Brooklyn in the top flight. Due to it’s shared history with both New York clubs, there is quite a rivalry between them. But most Giant fans consider Brookhattan, their biggest rival. Both clubs have similar backgrounds but represent different boroughs of New York. Brooklyn and the Bronx respectively.
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[Mccarthypaddy1216]

Can’t wait to see what you’re do with this

 

[Son of Sphinks]

Brilliant! Can't wait to see more in the way of team logos and history.

 

[Xibalba]

ASL Originals (Part II: Philadelphia & New Jersey)​

1.Philadelphia Field Club

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(Uhrik Truckers, now Philadelphia F.C playing against the Bermuda National Team)
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The Philadelphia Field Club was founded in 1924 as First German S.C by members of the Philadelphia German Rifle club. They joined the ASL in 1933 for it’s inaugural season as The Philadelphia German-Americans, a nickname that eventually became the club’s official name. They won the League title in their second season, and won the U.S Open cup the year after. Between 1935 and 1953, the club won the ASL crown another 5 times, surpassing the Kearny Scots as record title holder at the time. In 1953, the club was bought by trucking magnate Tony Uhrik, and it became known as Uhrik Truckers S.C. Between 1953 and 1963, the club added an additional 3 titles, bringing their tally up to 11 ASL Championships. During this period however, they were being overshadowed by the Nats which where having a golden age of their own. To accommodate the merger with the NPSL in 1968, the league changed their rules on ownership, and how clubs operated. In an effort to make the sport more appealing to a wider audience, one of these new rules was that clubs could not be named after companies. To comply to this rule, the club changed its name to The Philadelphia Field Club. A name that was used in the area as far back as 1922. However the club still has considerable connections to it’s German roots, as it plays in White and Black, a nod to the colours of the German National Team. The blackletter P in the crest also pays homage to this fact. As of 2015, the club has 15 league titles and is America’s second most successful soccer club, with only the Nats having more. This, and many other deep rooted animosities continues to fuel the Derby of Brotherly Love. A staple of Philly and by extension American Soccer.

2. Kearny Scots A.C

(Kearny Scots v. Brookhattan during the 1946/47 season)

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The Scots where founded in 1895, by Scottish Immigrants settling in the Kearny area. The club is one of the oldest still active clubs in the United States and participated in the first soccer competition of it's kind. The National Association Football League, From roughly 1895 to 1899. When the competition folded, the Scots returned to play in smaller regional leagues. The club was also noticeably absent from the first American Soccer League, as the town did not have any team in the league, dispite being known as Soccertown, U.S.A. This changed as they joined the second and current ASL. Where they where joined by Kearny Celtic. They dominated the ASL during the late 30's. Winning 5 titles in a row and cementing their place as one of the original powerhouses of the league. During the 1942, the club tried to Americanize like many of their contemporaries, and changed their name to the Kearny Americans. This was however not successful as many other teams already where known as the Americans, so there was not a lot to differentiate them from other teams. So they switched back to their original name. The club is also stands out, as it was one of the few small town clubs to survive the shift towards the big cities. Their crosstown rival did not, as the Kearny Celtics where bought and moved to Newark.

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[Xibalba]

ASL Originals (Part III: Boston)​

Rise and Fall of New England Soccer​

From the late 1800’s onwards, Southern New England was a breeding ground for excellent soccer sides. It's no wonder that New England, and especially Fall River clubs dominated the early American soccer scene and the first American Soccer League. However by 1930’s most of these prestigious clubs where on the verge of imploding. Succumbing to the pitfalls that many of the clubs of that time had to deal with, Disappointing results, financial insecurity and reckless owners. With the advent of the second ASL, Professional soccer came to the region again, as a separate division for New England was created. While the division could keep up with it’s Metropolitan counterpart, the first few seasons, it became clear quite soon that the Met had a higher caliber of clubs and players in its ranks. You could also already see that the new league concentrated primarily around big cities, which had a bigger potential market and a larger pool of talented players. For all the soccer pedigree places like Fall River, New Bedford and Pawtucket had, in the long term they just couldn't compete with teams from New York or Philadelphia. After two seasons of dormancy, the New England Division folded in 1944, With most of its clubs dropping back to the amateur level, bar one exception.

(1929-30 Fall River Marksmen Squad)
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Boston Celtics S.C​

The club was founded in 1933, as an amateur team, following the collapse of the Boston Soccer Club. It was one of the founding members of the second American Soccer League, that same year, and it began play in the New England Division. It would take a while but by the early 40’s the team was a regular contender for the division title, however a strong Providence side held them from early succes. However with financial insecurity and WWII just around the corner, the division became dormant for it’s last two season. During this period the team resumed play in local amateur competition. When it was announced that the division would fold after the 1943-44 season, Club officials had enough. Discontent about how things where run within the division, they jumped ship and joined the Metropolitan Division for the following season. While the club had a loyal fanbase and a stable financial situation, the fans had to wait until the 1964-65 season for the ASL title, while the club has finished runners up a few times since, they never could seem to the heights of that season, as it remains the last title to date.

 

[Dunbar]

Love this. When you finish do you mind if I use this as a base for a Football Manager mod?

 

[Xibalba]

Love this. When you finish do you mind if I use this as a base for a Football Manager mod?

Thanks! And sure, no problem. If you want I can give you the logo's in png format.

 

[Dunbar]

Thanks! And sure, no problem. If you want I can give you the logo's in png format.

Thanks, I'd really appreciate that. No rush though. I want to wait until FM20 comes out seeing as it will release in a month or two.

 

[Xibalba]

Here's a small update, all teams sans the Kearny Scots now have kits to go with their logo, here's a small teaser of what teams are yet to come. Can you guess which teams are which?

 

[bzdisney]

This is a (ongoing) concept project I've been doing but since it slightly veers into Alt-Hist territory, maybe I could also post it here, but with a bit more backstory about the teams and league.

While the first ASL that ran from 1921 up to 1933 was more well know, It second incarnation was actually the longest running (semi) professional soccer league in the States. With the competition being active for about 50 years, from 1933 until 1983. Most teams will be based on real life historic teams that played in the league, with several other teams from defunct leagues thrown in. This is done to eventually get teams from all over the US, since the ASL was mostly centered on the Atlantic Coast. I will try to keep the amount of fantasy teams fairly limited, However some teams will receive a revamped identity as to avoid repetition or a team that doesn't really fit the concept.

The goal of this concept is to create a league and style that is uniquely American, finding a balance between European and American sporting traditions. So without further ado, here's the league branding as of the 2019-20 season.

View attachment 485604​

Any chance this logo can be used?