Chicago Lions SC was an American Soccer Club based in Chicago Illinois. The club was operated by the (Ukrainian American Sports Association). The club competed professionally in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (National Challenge Cup) [1] and the National Soccer League (Chicago). They were also known as the Ukrainian Lions. All their home games were played at Hansen Stadium in Chicago Illinois. The club was founded in 1949 by Ukrainian immigrants who settled in the Chicago area after WW 2. There were 6 Lions players that played on the US Men's National Team Nick Krat, Orest Banach, Willy Roy, Mike Noha and Stefan Szefer and Fred Kovacs. In 1975 the Chicago Sting signed Chicago Lions players Willy Roy, Ian Stone, Stefan Szefer, Mike Winter, Richard Green and Eugene Andruss for there inaugural season in the North American Soccer League. Other players that went on to play in the North American Soccer League and the American Soccer League were Nick Owcharuk with the San Diego Sockers, Leo Kulinczenko with the Los Angeles Skyhawks, Bill Mishalow with the Memphis Rogues.
Ian Stone 1968-1976
Fred Kovacs 1974-1976
Stefan Szefer 1973-1974 Leo Kulinczenko 1974-1976 Bill Mishalow 1970-1974 Nick Owcharuk 1970-1974
Paul Keenan 1980-1983 Terry Gallager 1980-1983 Nick Woznij 1972-1976
Richard Green 1974-1975 Mike Winter 1974-1975 William Drozd 1980-1982 Eugene Mishalow 1972-1976 Christian Kipka 1974-1976 Nick Iwanik 1968-1976 
Nick Krat 1968-1976 
Mike Noha 1968-1970 Manuel Medina 1964-1973 George Perry 1970-1974 Jerry Leciuk 1972-1976
John Gusella 1970-1976 Leo Schorohod 1968-1976 Eugene Andruss 1973-1976 Nick Shlapak 1974-1975 Andrew Cozij 1968-1974
Anatoly Jaworskyj 1966-1973 Raymond Roy 1974-1977
Bozo Banovic 1975-1976 Ilia Pavljasevic 1975-1976 Andrew Babek 1964-1970 Eddie Paoli 1974-1980 Anatoly Hordinskyj 1970-1986 Vadim Mishalow 1974-1981 Orest Klufas 1960-1970
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It was the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the United States. The league final was called the Soccer Bowl from 1975 to 1983 and the Soccer Bowl Series in its final year, 1984. The league was headed by Commissioner Phil Woosnam from 1969 to 1983. The NASL laid the foundations for soccer in the United States that helped lead to the country hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the set-up of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996.
Roy Mitchell Kinnear was a British character actor. He was known for his roles in films such as The Beatles' Help! (1965), Clapper in How I Won the War (1967) and Planchet in The Three Musketeers (1973). He reprised the role of Planchet in the 1974 and 1989 sequels, and died following an accident during filming of the latter. He played Private Monty Bartlett in The Hill (1965), Henry Salt in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and cruise director Curtain in Juggernaut (1974), The Dick Emery Show (1979–1981), and in the sitcoms Man About the House (1974–1975), George and Mildred (1976–1979) and Cowboys (1980–1981).
The National Soccer League was a soccer league in Canada that existed from 1926 to 1997. Teams were primarily based in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The league was renamed to Canadian National Soccer League in 1993 following the folding of the Canadian Soccer League, and the accepting of the Winnipeg Fury, making the league more national.
The Chicago Sting (1974–1988) is an American professional soccer team representing Chicago. The Sting played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1984 and in the Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1982–83 season and again from 1984 to 1988. They were North American Soccer League champions in 1981 and 1984, one of only two NASL teams to win the championship twice.
The St. Louis Stars were a soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri that played in the original North American Soccer League from 1968 to 1977. The Stars were known for playing mostly American players, many from the St. Louis area, in contrast to other NASL teams' reliance on foreign players. The team moved to Anaheim in 1978 and became the California Surf.
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Willy Roy is a retired American soccer forward and coach. He played for several teams in the National Professional Soccer League and the North American Soccer League in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the United States national team from 1965 to 1973. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Mike Ivanow is a retired U.S. soccer goalkeeper who was born in Shanghai, China. He spent eight seasons in the North American Soccer League and was a member of the U.S. soccer team at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He also earned ten caps with the U.S. national team between 1973 and 1975.
Nick Krat is a retired Ukrainian-American soccer defender who played professionally in the National Soccer League of Chicago and the North American Soccer League. He earned fourteen caps with the United States men's national soccer team between 1968 and 1972.
Gene Geimer is a former U.S. soccer forward who spent seven seasons in the North American Soccer League and at least one season in Major Indoor Soccer League. Before entering the professional ranks, Geimer won a National Amateur Cup with St. Louis Kutis in 1971. He also earned six caps, scoring two goals, with the United States in 1972 and 1973.
Ştefan Birtalan is a former Romanian handball player, coach and sports official.
Orest “Orri” Banach is a retired German-American soccer goalkeeper of Ukrainian descent who played three seasons in the North American Soccer League and earned four caps with the U.S. national team.
Stefan Szefer(also known as Steve Shafer or Shaffer) is a former Polish American soccer defender. He earned six caps during his career, three with Poland and three with the United States.
The Ukrainian Lions was a soccer club that was operated by the Ukrainian American Sports Club. The club was based in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1949 by Ukrainians that had settled in the Chicago area after the Second World War. They competed professionally in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup and the National Soccer League (Chicago). All their home games were played at Hansen Stadium. There were 6 players from the Ukrainian Lions that played on the US National Team Willy Roy, Nick Krat, Orest Banach, Stefan Szefer, Fred Kovacs and Mike Noha.
Kenneth Charles Swofford was an American film and television actor often cast as a villain or a police officer.
Leo Kulinczenko is an American/Ukrainian association football player who played professionally in the CONCACAF Champions League and the Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup. He played in the American Soccer League the North American Soccer League the National Soccer League (Chicago) and the Greater Los Angeles Soccer League.