Boston Soccer Club

Last updated
J.Ballantyne, McNab, McArthur, T.Fleming, McMilan Bostonsc.jpg
J.Ballantyne, McNab, McArthur, T.Fleming, McMilan

The Boston Soccer Club was a member of the American Soccer League. [1] They were renamed the Boston Bears for the Fall 1929 ASL season.

In 1925, the ASL and the St. Louis Soccer League (SLSL) boycotted the National Challenge Cup, now known as the U.S. Open Cup. The "Wonder Workers" or "Woodsies" (after team president G. A. G. Wood), as they were dubbed, had won the 1925 league cup, known as the Lewis Cup. That victory qualified them for the one time American Professional Soccer Championship pitting them against the Ben Millers, the top team in the St. Louis Soccer League. The 'Wonder Workers' defeated the Ben Millers in three games. The 'Wonder Workers' won the Lewis Cup again in 1927.

After the 1925/26 ASL season the 'Wonder Workers', the Brooklyn Wanderers and the New Bedford Whalers joined with four top Canadian clubs to form the one-off International Soccer League held that summer and early fall.

Year-by-year

YearDivisionLeagueReg. SeasonPlayoffsNational Cup
1924/251ASL4thNo playoffDid not enter
1925/261ASL3rdNo playoffThird round
1926N/AISL2ndNo playoffN/A
1926/271ASL2ndNo playoffFirst round
1927/281ASL1st (1st half); 5th (2nd half)ChampionSecond round
1928/291ASL6th (1st half); 7th (2nd half)No playoffDid not enter

Related Research Articles

Bethlehem Steel Football Club (1907–1930) was one of the most successful early American soccer clubs. Known as the Bethlehem Football Club from 1907 until 1915 when it became the Bethlehem Steel Football Club, the team was sponsored by the Bethlehem Steel corporation. Bethlehem Steel FC played their home games first at East End Field in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley, then later on the grounds Bethlehem Steel built on Elizabeth Ave named Bethlehem Steel Athletic Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Gonsalves</span> American soccer player

Adelino William Gonsalves was an American soccer player, sometimes described as the "Babe Ruth of American Soccer". He spent over 25 years playing in various American professional leagues and was a member of the U.S. squad at the FIFA World Cup in 1930 and 1934. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Fall River F.C. was an American soccer club based in Fall River, Massachusetts. During the 1920s and early 1930s they were one of the most successful soccer clubs in the United States, winning the American Soccer League on six occasions. They also won the National Challenge Cup four times. In 1924 they won the first ASL / Challenge Cup double and were subsequently the American soccer champions three times in succession. Between 1928 and 1930 they won a further three titles in a row. In 1930 they completed a treble, winning the ASL title, the Challenge Cup and the Lewis Cup. The same year they also toured Central Europe.

New Bedford Whalers was the name of three American soccer teams based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The first Whalers played in the Southern New England Soccer League between 1914 and 1918. The second Whalers played in the American Soccer League between 1924 and 1931 before merging into Fall River F.C. The third Whalers were then formed when Fall River merged with New York Yankees. They played in the ASL between 1931 and 1932.

Archibald McPherson Stark was a soccer player who became the dominant player in U.S. leagues during the 1920s and early 1930s. He spent nine seasons in the National Association Football League and another twelve in the American Soccer League. He also earned two caps, scoring five goals, as a member of the U.S. national team. He holds the U.S. single-season scoring record with 67 goals scored during the 1924–25 season which is the current World Record. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950.

David "Davey" Brown was an American soccer forward. He spent most of his career playing for teams in New Jersey and New York, gaining his greatest fame with the New York Giants. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Bernard "Barney" Joseph Battles was a footballer who played as a striker for Boston Soccer Club and Heart of Midlothian. A dual-internationalist, he represented both Scotland and the United States at full international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Werner Nilsen</span> American soccer player (1904-1992)

Werner "Scotty" Nilsen was a former soccer player who played as a forward. He is one of the highest scoring players in United States soccer history, scoring 131 goals in 239 games with the Boston Soccer Club. He won five consecutive National Challenge Cups during his career, and four doubles. Born in Norway, he earned two caps with the United States national team in 1934. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

The St. Louis Soccer League was a professional soccer league in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1915 with four teams drawn from two amateur leagues, it was at the time the country's only pro soccer league. It folded in 1938.

Malcolm Goldie was a Scottish-born American soccer player who played as an outside left who began his career in Scotland before moving to American Soccer League in 1922. Born in Scotland, he earned one cap for the United States national team in 1925. He also coached the MIT soccer team from 1933 to 1941.

Harry Jay Ratican was an American soccer forward, coach and team owner. He began and ended his career in the St. Louis Soccer League with several years in both the National Association Football League and American Soccer League. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex McNab</span> Scottish-American soccer player and coach

Alexander McNab was a Scottish-American soccer player and coach. He began his career in Scotland before moving to the United States. In the US, he won six consecutive National Challenge Cups with teams from both the American Soccer League and St. Louis Soccer League. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005.

James Dunn was an American soccer forward who spent nine seasons with Ben Millers in the St. Louis Soccer League and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1974.

The Eastern Professional Soccer League, better known as the Eastern Soccer League (ESL), was an American soccer league which existed for only a season and a half in 1928 and 1929. Born of the internecine strife between soccer organizations in the United States known as the “Soccer War”, the ESL was created by the United States Football Association (USFA) as a counter to the professional American Soccer League which was contesting USFA control of professional soccer in the country.

Sam Mark is a former United States soccer club owner. During the 1920s and early 1930s he was the owner of Fall River F.C., one of the era's most successful teams. Mark's continued to own the team after it relocated and became the New York Yankees and then New Bedford Whalers. He also briefly owned Boston Soccer Club. He had played guard for the Massachusetts American Legion basketball team.

Ernő Schwarz or Schwarcz was a Hungarian American soccer player, coach and promoter who served as head coach of the United States men's national soccer team. He played professionally in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria and the United States, earning two caps, scoring two goals, with the Hungarian national team in 1922. Schwarz founded, owned, managed and played for the New York Americans in the first and second American Soccer Leagues. He was also the ASL and International Soccer League vice president. His daughter was married to United States national team player Ben Zinn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1924–25 National Challenge Cup</span> Football tournament season

The 1924–25 National Challenge Cup was the annual open cup held by the United States Football Association now known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Statistics of American Soccer League in season 1924–25.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is an American soccer competition open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of Major League Soccer. The following is the history of the U.S. Open Cup tournament.

Soccer in the United States has a varied history. Research indicates that the modern game entered the country during the 1850s with New Orleans' Scottish, Irish, German and Italian immigrants. Some of the first organized games, using modern English rules, were played in that city.

References

  1. Creel, Daniel (April 27, 2022). "Overview: The American Soccer League, 1921-1934". Society for American Soccer History.