American Soccer League
The ASL entered its sixth season again a 12 team league, the addition of Springfield (MA) offsetting the loss of Shawsheen a year earlier. Unfortunately, Springfield continued the tradition of hapless expansion, withdrawing from the league in December 1926 with 17 games left to play. The Babes, owned by former Boston owner A.G. Wood, folded just after Christmas; as a belated holiday president, most of Springfield’s players were allocated to Providence. Along with these new players came new owners: local businessmen purchased the club from its original Fall River owners.
This season, native talent began to come to the fore. One example could be found in the goal scoring touch of one native son: New York Giants’ Davie Brown exploded for 52 goals, a record for an American-born player. As part of his phenomenal season, Brown scored an unbelievable 21 goals in nine games in October, including a seven goal game against the hapless Philadelphia club on October 10, 1926.
The ASL experimented with rules changes during the season. For the first time, substitutes were permitted. Also, goal judges similar to those used in hockey were introduced. Finally, in another move borrowed from hockey, the league introduced a “penalty box”; actually, players were required to serve penalty time standing behind their team’s goal line. Curiously, unlike in hockey, goalkeepers were not excluded from serving time. These innovations were abandoned after the 1926-27 season, however.
Bethlehem Steel regained the league crown with a 29-7-8 record, 9 points ahead of Boston. 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. In a reversal of roles with Bethlehem from the previous year, Fall River, while finishing third in the league, captured its third National Open Challenge Cup, crushing Carburetor F.C. of Detroit, 7-0.
Again, visiting teams were surprised by the high quality of American soccer. In the spring, Nacional of Uruguay toured the United States. In the tour’s opening match, Nacional was beaten for the first time in three years by the ASL’s Newark club, a hapless club that had never finished higher than tenth in the league. Jack Renfrew, who did not even play with the Skeeters during the season, grabbed the lone tally. Fall River drew Uruguay later in the tour.
Final League Standings, 1926-27
GP W D L GF GA PTS PCT
Bethlehem Steel 44 29 8 7 114 52 66 .750
Boston Wonder Workers 44 25 7 12 90 59 55 .648
Fall River Marksmen 44 24 8 12 98 72 56 .636
New Bedford Whalers 44 24 6 14 124 72 54 .614
New York Giants 44 21 7 16 120 102 49 .557
Indiana Flooring 43 19 9 15 77 81 47 .547
Brooklyn Wanderers 44 18 6 20 83 96 42 .477
Providence Clamdiggers 43 15 10 18 73 96 40 .465
J & P Coats (Pawtucket)44 11 14 19 48 72 36 .409
Newark Skeeters 38 13 6 25 54 91 32 .363
Philadelphia Field Club44 11 4 29 64 123 26 .295
Springfield Babes 27 7 7 13 44 74 21 .239
CHAMPION: Bethlehem Steel
LEWIS CUP: Boston Wonder Workers defeated Brooklyn Wanderers, 2-0, 3-0
Springfield withdrew in late December - 17 forfeits. Philadelphia withdrew
at the end of the season.
Leading Scorers GP G
David Brown (New York) 38 52
Bobby Blair (Boston) 38 38
Andy Stevens (New Bedford) 36 36
Tom Gillespie (Bethlehem Steel) 32 33
Bill Paterson (Springfield/F.R./N.B.)40 30
Johnny Nelson (Brooklyn) 35 27
Archie Stark (Bethlehem Steel) 29 23
Tommy White (Newark) 31 23
Robert Rock (F.R./J&P/Philadelphia) 30 21
Ed McLaine (Providence) 32 21
Mike McLeavy (New Bedford) 30 20
Dougie Campbell (Fall River) 41 20
James McConnell (Providence) 21 17
Jerry Best (New Bedford) 35 17
Max Gruenwald (New York) 37 17
Johnny Ballantyne (Boston) 39 16
Tec White (Fall River) 39 16
Josef Eisenhoffer (Brooklyn) 39 15
Bob Millar (Indiana Flooring) 29 14
Johnny Jaap (Bethlehem Steel) 35 14
Tommy Maxwell (New Bedford) 36 14
Herbert Carlson (Indiana Flooring) 34 13
Moritz Haeusler (New York) 36 13
Sam Kennedy (Fall River) 25 12
George Forrest (Bethlehem Steel) 29 12
Bart McGhee (Indiana Flooring) 36 12
Jimmy McClure (Philadelphia) 32 11
Viktor Hierlander (New York) 21 10
Bob Campbell (Springfield) 22 10
Dave McEachran (Fall River) 34 10
Malcolm Goldie (Bethlehem Steel) 37 10
Werner Nilsen (Boston) 40 10
Jimmy Montgomerie (New Bedford) 42 10
Leading Goalkeepers
GP GA S GAA
Dave Edwards (39)(Bethlehem Steel) 40 52 9 1.30
Jack Davidson (39)(Boston) 41 59 9 1.44
Tommy Blair (22)/
Findlay Kerr (21)(Fall River) 43 72 7 1.67
Tommy Steel (37)(New Bedford) 42 72 11 1.71
Sandy Parkes (30)(J&P Coats) 39 72 7 1.85
Jock Brown (35)(Indiana Flooring) 41 81 8 1.97
Tommy Murdoch (37)(Newark) 41 91 4 2.22
Steve Smith (25)(Brooklyn) 43 96 6 2.23
Jack Nichol (16)/
Jack Surgenor (13)(Providence) 41 96 4 2.34
Jimmy Douglas (24)/
Bobby Geudert (18)(New York) 43 102 5 2.37
Dave Corson (15)/
Doug Stewart (10)(Springfield) 27 74 2 2.74
Harry Pearce (21)(Philadelphia) 37 118 2 3.19
St. Louis Soccer League
Ben Millers made it a three-peat, taking another close league race. They got to the Western semifinals of the National Challenge Cup before falling (see below.) Wellston’s made a surge to 2nd, nearly taking the title. White Banner (formerly Vesper Buicks) faded while Ratican’s brought up the rear. Chicago Sparta joined the league, but withdrew early in the season, bringing a “regional” experiment to an early end.
Final SLSL League standings, 1926-27
Vesper Buicks became White Banner.
GP W L T GF GA Pts
Ben Millers 12 8 3 1 34 22 17
Wellston 12 7 3 2 36 22 16
White Banner 12 4 6 2 23 33 10
Ratican’s 12 1 8 3 21 35 5
Chicago Sparta 4 2 1 1 8 7 5
Chicago withdrew 11/16/26.
Champion: Ben Millers
Municipal League Champion: Killarney Rose
Leading Scorers: G
E. Hart, Wellston's 10
Joe Hennessy, Ben Millers 8
L. Ahrens, Wellston's 7
Jimmy Dunn, Ben Millers 6
Al McHenry, Ratican's 6
E. Thumm, White Banner 6
George Corrigan, Wellston's 6
Tom Erbe, Ben Millers 5
Buchnicek, Ratican's 5
Buddy Brengle, Ratican's 4
Harry Ratican, Ratican's 3
George Schweppe, Ben Millers 3
Amateur Leagues & Cups
California Association Senior Challenge Cup: Sons of St. George
John O. Belis Perpetual Trophy: Olympic
Peel Challenge Cup (Illinois): Coal City
Rowland Cup (Maryland State): (not available)
New Jersey State Challenge Cup: Ryerson
West Penn Challenge Cup: Dunlevy; Junior Cup: (not available)
The US National Team
The National Team was inactive this year.
National Challenge Cup
The ASL’s Fall River Marksmen whomped Holley Carburetor of Detroit, 7-0, in the final at the University of Detroit Stadium on May 1. Tec White and Dave McEachran scored two goals apiece in the rout, while Dougie Campbell, Harold Brittan and Jim Kelly had the others.
In the semifinals, Fall River had won a battle with Bethlehem Steel, 2-1, and Holley Carburetor got by Chicago Sparta, 2-1. The quarterfinals were: Fall River 3, Providence Clamdiggers 2; Bethlehem 1, Newark Skeeters 0; Holley 4, Cleveland Magyar-American 2, and Sparta 1, St. Louis Ben Millers 0.
International Tours
Hakoah All-Stars of Vienna, April 20 1927 through July 9, 1927. Record: 5 wins, 3 losses, 5 draws
The previous visit by Hakoah All-Stars in 1926 made such an impression that four of that team’s players remained in the US to play for the New York Giants of the ASL. Those four players were Erno Schwarz, Max Gruenwald, Albert Gutman, and Moriz Haeusler. They were given permission by the USSFA to rejoin Hakoah for the entire 1927 tour. This tour also featured a rare night game, played on June 8.
Roster:Barback, Beer, Fabian, Feldman, Fischer, Fried, Fuss, Gold, Gruenfeld, Hess, Katz, Kestler, Kovaczi, Mausner, Nicholasberger, Scheuer, Strohs, Weiss, Wortmann.
4/20 Hakoah 0, Bethlehem Steel 9 (Bethlehem, PA) 4/23 Hakoah 1, Philadelphia Stars 2 (Philadelphia) 5/1 Hakoah 2, New York Giants 2 (New York City) 5/7 Hakoah 2, Peel Cup Stars 1 (Chicago, IL) 5/8 Hakoah 2, Sparta 2 (Chicago, IL) 5/15 Hakoah 1, Hungarians 1 (Cleveland, OH) 5/22 Hakoah 2, Michigan Stars 0 (Detroit, MI) 5/25 Hakoah 2, Toronto Stars 3 (Toronto, ON) 5/28 Hakoah 2, Indiana Flooring 1 (New York City) 5/30 Hakoah 7, Philadelphia Stars 1 (Philadelphia, PA) 6/4 Hakoah 4, Irish Stars 3 (Brooklyn, NY) 6/8 Hakoah 0, Giants-Bethlehem 0 (New York City) 7/9 Hakoah 1, Brooklyn Wanderers 4 (Brooklyn)
Maccabi F.C. of Tel Aviv June 5, 1927 through August 7, 1927. Record: 5 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw
Roster: Bader, E. Blau, G. Blau, Dutsch, Erbstein, Fischer, Fuchs, Gros, Gruenblatt, Jacob, Lazlo, Laxol, Lederer, Lumek, Potzonorsky, Rosenberg, Schillinger, Skalizter, Stern, Weiss, Zelivansky.
6/5 Maccabi 6, New York Stars 4 (Brooklyn, NY) 6/12 Maccabi 1, Giants-Bethlehem Steel 1 (New York City) 6/19 Maccabi 1, Chicago 4 (Chicago) 6/26 Maccabi 0, Indiana Flooring 2 (New York City) 7/3 Maccabi 1, Brooklyn Wanderers 2 (Brooklyn, NY) 7/4 Maccabi 5, Philadelphia Stars 2 (Philadelphia, PA) 7/17 Maccabi 3, American-Hungarian 1 (Cleveland) 7/24 Maccabi 3, Galicia F.C. 0 (Brooklyn, NY) 7/31 Maccabi 2, Hispano F.C. 3 (Brooklyn, NY) 8/7 Maccabi 2, Brooklyn Wanderers 1 (Brooklyn, NY)
The Real Madrid F.C. September 25, 1927. Record: 1 draw
Roster:
Olivan, Escobar, Urquizo, Pratt, Eparza, J. Pera, Travieso, Menendez, L. Pera, Del Tampo.
9/25 Real Madrid 1, Galicia F.C. 1 (Brooklyn, NY)
Nacional of Uruguay From March 30, 1927 through May 30, 1927. Record: 9 wins, 3 losses, 1 draw
Roster:Batignani, Castro, Cea, Fernandez, L. Fernandez, Fierantino, Ghierra, Haberli, Mazzali, Petrone, Recoba, Romano, Saldombide, Scarone, Urdinaran, S. Urdinaran, Vanzzino
3/20 Nacional 6, Indiana Flooring 1 (New York City) 3/26 Nacional 2, Brooklyn Wanderers 2 (Brooklyn) 3/27 Nacional 0, Newark 1 (Newark, NJ) 4/2 Nacional 4, American League 2 (New York City) 4/16 Nacional 2, Brooklyn Wanderers 0 (Brooklyn, NY) 4/19 Nacional 2, Boston 3 (Boston, MA) 4/24 Nacional 2, Detroit 1 (Detroit, MI) 5/1 Nacional 3, Cleveland Stars 0 (Cleveland, OH) 5/8 Nacional 4, St. Louis 1 (St. Louis, MO) 5/15 Nacional 1, Sparta 0 (Chicago, IL) 5/22 Nacional 2, Bricklayers 3 (Chicago, IL) 5/28 Nacional 4, Philadelphia 1 (Philadelphia, PA) 5/30 Nacional 2, Brooklyn Wanderers 1 (Brooklyn, NY)
Worcestershire of England: September 21, 1927 through October 1, 1927. Played 5. Won 2, Lost 1, Tied 2.
9/21 Worcestershire 2, Morgan 0 (in Hopedale) 9/24 Worcestershire 7, Draper 0 (in Worcester) 9/27 Worcestershire 0, All-Stars 1 (In Worcester) 9/29 Worcestershire 3, County Brotherhood 3 (in Worcester) 10/1 Worcestershire 3, Whittal 3 (in Worcester)
Viking A.C. of New York to Norway, Sweden: July 13, 1927 through Sept. 3, 1927. Played 33. Won 18, Lost 9, Tied 6.
Roster: Bror Anderson, Hubert (Murren) Carlson, Axel Corall, Knut Dahlgren, Edwin Gobel, Sven Hagman, B. Hoilund, Oscar Johanon, Eric Levin, Thure Lundberg, Harry Magnuson, Werner Nilsen , Axel Schylander, Alex Simonsson, Gosta Sjodin, Torsten Svenson, Pyret Westring, Gosta Wihlborg. Player-Manager: Gerhard T. Rooth. Assistant Manager: Vilgot Peterson.
July 13 Viking 2, Goteborg 3 July 15 Viking 2, Goteborg 2 July 17 Viking 1, Stockholm 3 July 20 Viking 4, Stockholm 5 July 22 Viking 1, Eskilstuna 4 July 24 Viking 1, Linkoping 4 July 26 Viking 2, Norrkoping 1 July 27 Viking 3, Ljungsbro 1 July 28 Viking 3, Husqvarna 2 July 29 Viking 4, Boras 2 July 30 Viking 4, Vaxlo 1 July 31 Viking 6, Vastervik 4 Aug 2 Viking 3, Varberg 1 Aug 3 Viking 2, Halmstad 2 Aug 5 Viking 5, Trollhattan 1 Aug 7 Viking 4, Uddevalla 2 Aug 9 Viking 5, Lidkoping 0 Aug 10 Viking 3, Karlskega 1 Aug 12 Viking 2, Orebro 0 Aug 13 Viking 2, Surahammar 6 Aug 16 Viking 2, Vasteras 4 Aug 17 Viking 1, Borlange 1 Aug 19 Viking 1, Cevle (Bryn) 1 Aug 21 Viking 3, Hudiksvall 0 Aug 23 Viking 0, Sandviken 2 Aug 24 Viking 2, Upsala 7 Aug 25 Viking 4, Sundsvall 1 Aug 26 Viking 2, Matfors 0 Aug 27 Viking 2, Kramfors 0 Aug 30 Viking 4, Oslo 2 Aug 31 Viking 3, Oslo 2 Sept 2 Viking 3, Oslo 3 Sept 3 Viking 5, Oslo 3 Goals for 91, Goals Against 74. Sailed from New York June 24, 1927.
The College Game
Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association Champion: Princeton
California Intercollegiate Soccer Conference Champion: San Mateo Junior College
College All-Americans: G - Alsop, Haverford RF - Lingelbach, Pennsylvania LF - Crocker, Princeton RH - Frazier, Haverford CH - Edgerton, Penn State LH - Strimlau, Penn State OR - Richardson, Haverford IR - Marshall, Penn State CF - Packard, Princeton IL - Estes, Haverford OL - Stewart, Princeton
Other Action
1927 National Amateur Cup Final: On May 14, Heidelberg SC defeated the New Bedford La Flamme Cobblers 3-0