1930 American Soccer League

Last updated

American Soccer League
-1930 Season-
Season1930
Champions Fall River F.C. (6th title)
Lewis Cup Fall River F.C.
Top goalscorer Jerry Best (52)
1931

Statistics of American Soccer League in season 1930.

Contents

Overview

In 1928, a dispute broke out between the American Soccer League and the United States Football Association regarding participation in the National Challenge Cup. The League decided to boycott the cup, but three teams, Bethlehem Steel, the Newark Skeeters and the New York Giants all entered the competition. When the league suspended the three teams, the USFA offered to bankroll the creation of a new league, the Eastern Professional Soccer League. This new league included the three ex-American Soccer League teams, four teams from the Southern New York Football Association and one newly created team, New York Hakoah. By the fall of 1929, the onset of the Great Depression and the competition between the ASL and EPSL had created significant financial problems for both leagues and the USFA. Consequently, the USFA and the two leagued came to an agreement to end the dispute on October 9, 1929. The two leagues entered into discussions to merge. [1] [2] By the first week of November 1929, the merger was complete with the new league taking the name of the Atlantic Coast Soccer League. [3] The new league decided to run a two-part 1930 season. Oddly enough, they decided to play the first games of the 1930 season during the weekend of November 6, 1929. The first half of the season ended the last weekend of April 1930. During the summer of 1930, the league resumed the name American Soccer League, beginning the second half of the season in September and ending the first weekend of January 1931. Although the league attempted to continue operations as it had before the dispute with the USFA, it began to fail during the 1930 season. The dispute between the ASL and USFA financially weakened the league and its teams. The onset of the Great Depression in 1929 further exacerbated these problems. This resulted in significant changes in the lineup of teams in the league.

Team turmoil

Boston became the first team to fail, leaving the league and disbanding after only four games. The second team to fail was one which had just entered the ASL, Bridgeport Hungaria. Based in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, the team moved to Newark, New Jersey after ten games, played another five in Newark, then withdrew from the league and disbanded. During the mid-season break, Bethlehem Steel F.C. withdrew and disbanded. Then, the New York Giants renamed themselves the New York Soccer Club. The New York Nationals immediately took the name Giants.

Champions

The Fall River Football Club finished top of the table in both the first and second half. The league saw no need for a playoff and declared the 'Marksmen' champions. The 'Marksmen' also won the league (Lewis) cup and the 1929–30 National Challenge Cup, giving it a domestic treble. Having achieved this distinction, the 'Marksmen' promptly withdrew from the league and merged with the New York Soccer Club to form the New York Yankees for the 1931 season.

League standings

First half (Atlantic Coast Soccer League)

PlaceTeamGPWLDGFGAPtsPct
1 Fall River F.C. 271917844044.814
2 New Bedford Whalers 33121011565035.530
3 Hakoah All Stars 3314127656135.530
4 Providence 2712114535628.519
5 New York Nationals 3314145888933.500
6 Pawtucket Rangers 2810117506127.483
7 Bethlehem Steel 2711124665426.481
8 New York Giants 3011136677728.467
9 Brooklyn Wanderers 3291310636628.438
10 Bridgeport Hungaria/Newark [Note 1] 15012321593.100
11 Boston [Note 2] 4103592.250
  1. Bridgeport played ten games in Bridgeport, then moved the Newark, New Jersey where they played five games before withdrawing from the league.
  2. Boston withdrew from the league after four games.

Second half (American Soccer League)

PlaceTeamGPWLDGFGAPtsPct
1Fall River F.C.271386544334.630
2New Bedford Whalers301569756236.600
3Hakoah All-Stars271089404228.519
4 Newark Americans [Note 1] 2811611625528.500
5New York Soccer Club (Giants) [Note 2] 2712312515527.500
6Providence2912314462927.466
7Brooklyn Wanderers3010713575827.450
8New York Giants (Nationals) [Note 3] 319715648627.435
9Pawtucket Rangers310814542626.419
  1. The Newark Americans entered the league mid-season and did not play in the first half.
  2. Team played as the New York Giants in the first half.
  3. Team played as the New York Nationals in the first half.

League Cup

The winners of the League Cup final were awarded the H.E. Lewis Cup. Hakoah All-Stars and New York Nationals were forced to play a replay on May 22, 1930, to determine a winner after the first two matches ended in draws, and neither side scored in 30 minutes of extra time at the end of the second match. [4] [5]

The first game of the two-game final was originally scheduled for May 25, 1930, but was cancelled due to rain. It took place at night at a neutral site, the Polo Grounds in New York, two days later. The second game of the final was then scheduled for May 28, but rain forced its cancellation as well. The game was continually rescheduled until it was finally played on October 23, 1930.

Bracket

May 10–22
2-legged aggregate & *match replay
May 27 and October 23
2-legged aggregate
          
MA Fall River F.C. 1 3 4
RI Pawtucket Rangers 1 1 2
MA Fall River F.C. 2 3 5
NY Hakoah All-Stars 1 0 1
NY Hakoah All-Stars 2 1(2) 5
NY New York Nationals 2 1(1) 4

Final

Team 1AggregateTeam 2First legSecond legAttendance
Fall River F.C. 5–1 Hakoah All-Stars 2–13–0May 27 • Polo Grounds • 5,000
October 23 • Polo Grounds • 2,500

First leg

Fall River F.C. 2–1 Hakoah All-Stars
Billy Gonsalves Soccerball shade.svg4'
Werner Nilsen Soccerball shade.svg70'
Report Soccerball shade.svg Siegfried Wortmann
The Polo Grounds, New York, New York
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Ed McCabe

Second leg

Hakoah All-Stars 0–3 Fall River F.C.
Report Soccerball shade.svg, Soccerball shade.svg Billy Gonsalves
Soccerball shade.svg Arnie Oliver
The Polo Grounds, New York, New York
Attendance: 2,500
Referee: Ed McCabe

Fall River F.C. won Lewis Cup, 5–1, on aggregate.

Goals leaders

RankScorerClubGamesGoals
1 Jerry Best Pawtucket Rangers
Fall River F.C.
New Bedford Whalers
4952
2 John Nelson New York Nationals 4245
3 Bert Patenaude Fall River F.C.
Newark Americans
4444
4 Archie Stark Bethlehem Steel
Newark Americans
3840
5 Bill Paterson Providence
New Bedford Whalers
4438
6 Billy Gonsalves Fall River F.C. 5335
7 Werner Nilsen Boston
Fall River F.C.
5127
8 Bob McIntyre Pawtucket Rangers 3123
Davey Brown New York Giants 5023
Josef Grünfeld Hakoah All-Stars 5623
11 Tommy Florie New Bedford Whalers 5922
12 Siegfried Wortmann Hakoah All-Stars 5020
Jimmy Gallagher New York Nationals
New York Giants
6420
14 Bobby Yule Brooklyn Wanderers 4919
15 Janos Nehadoma Brooklyn Wanderers 3218
16 Herbert Carlsson New York Nationals
New York Giants
4617
Bart McGhee New York Nationals
New York Giants
5817
18 James Brown New York Giants
New York Soccer Club
3816
Red Ballantyne New York Giants
Brooklyn Wanderers
4916
20 Max Grünwald Hakoah All-Stars 5215
21 Tec White Fall River F.C. 5014
Moritz Häusler Hakoah All-Stars 5614
23 Jimmie Baillie New York Soccer Club 2613
Billy Oswald Providence 3613
Jimmy McAuley Fall River F.C.
Pawtucket Rangers
4913
Mike McLeavy New Bedford Whalers 5013
27 Rudolph Nickolsburger Hakoah All-Stars 4912
József Eisenhoffer Brooklyn Wanderers 5012
George Moorhouse New York Giants
New York Soccer Club
5512
30 Johnny Harvey Pawtucket Rangers 4611
Arthur Scott Pawtucket Rangers 3311
32 Leslie Lyell Brooklyn Wanderers 3110
Alex McNab Fall River F.C. 4410
Shamus O'Brien New York Giants
New York Soccer Club
5110
Ernő Schwarz Hakoah All-Stars 5110

References

  1. Merger Inevitable
  2. PROPOSE TO ADOPT NEW NAME FOR SOCCER LOOP
  3. EXPECT HOME SOCCER GAME FOR SATURDAY: Recent Merger May Bring Former Heated Rival Here as Bethlehem Foe
  4. "All-night Soccer Looms For Tonight". New York Daily News. May 22, 1930. p. 47. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  5. "Night Soccer Play". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 21, 1930. p. 27. Retrieved February 3, 2019.