New York Yankees (soccer)

Last updated

New York Yankees were a New York soccer team that played briefly in the American Soccer League. They were formed following the merger of Fall River F.C. and New York Soccer Club. Although the Yankees survived only a short time, they beat Celtic in a prestige friendly and effectively won the 1931 National Challenge Cup. However, due to complications over the merger their moment of glory was credited to Fall River F.C.

Contents

History

Fall River F.C. were originally one of the most successful early United States soccer clubs. However by 1931 they were suffering financially and Sam Mark, owner of the franchise, moved the club to New York, hoping that a new market there would be more lucrative. Once there he merged the club with New York Soccer Club and renamed them the Yankees. New York Soccer Club had previously played as New York Giants. [1] [2]

Before the merger was finalized however, Fall River F.C. had entered the 1931 National Challenge Cup. After the merger, the new club was unable to re-register for the competition, so they continued to play in the Challenge Cup as Fall River F.C. With a team featuring Billy Gonsalves and Bert Patenaude they eventually beat Chicago Bricklayers in a final played as a three game series. [3] At the same time they also competed in the Spring 1931 American Soccer League as the New York Yankees, finishing in third place. [2]

In the summer of 1931, a Yankees team featuring Gonsalves, Patenaude and George Moorhouse twice played Celtic in friendlies. On May 30 at Fenway Park, Gonsalves scored a hat-trick as the Yankees won 4-3. However on June 28 at Yankee Stadium, Celtic avenged the defeat and won 4-1. [4] The relocation to New York was not a financial success and in Fall 1931, Sam Mark relocated his team once again, this time to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where they became New Bedford Whalers. [5]

Year-by-year

YearDivisionLeagueReg. SeasonPlayoffsNational Challenge Cup
Spring 1931 1ASL3rdDid not qualifyChampion

Notable players

Honors

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Patenaude</span> American soccer player (1909–1974)

Bertrand "Bert" Arthur Patenaude was an American soccer player who played as a forward. Although it was formerly disputed, he is officially credited by FIFA as the scorer of the first hat-trick in World Cup history. He is a member of the United States Soccer Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Kennaway</span> Scottish footballer (1905–1969)

James T. Kennaway, commonly known as Joe Kennaway, was a dual international football goalkeeper. He began his career in Canada, spent four years in the American Soccer League before finishing his career with Celtic in the Scottish Football League. He later coached the Brown University soccer team from 1946 to 1959.

<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 Football Club, was the name used by a United States soccer clubs, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. They played in the American Soccer League during the 1932 season. The name is often used and is not to be confused with the Fall River F.C. team owned by Sam Mark aka the Marksmen.

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.

The Providence Football Club was a member of the American Soccer League. They were renamed the Providence Gold Bugs before the spring half of the 1928–1929 season. In the fall of 1929, the team installed lights at its field, allowing for night games. The club won the American Soccer Association Cup in 1929.

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.

New York Giants was a name used by three different New York City soccer teams. Two of these teams were associated with the New York Giants baseball franchise. The first team that used the name played in the American League of Professional Football in 1894. The second team played in the American Soccer League between 1923 and 1930 while the third team played in the same league between 1930 and 1932.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Massachusetts</span> Aspect of history

Sports in Massachusetts have a long history with both amateur athletics and professional teams. Most of the major professional teams have won multiple championships in their respective leagues. Massachusetts teams have won 6 Stanley Cups, 17 NBA Championships, 6 Super Bowls, and 10 World Series. The New England Revolution won the MLS Supporter's Shield in 2021. Early basketball and volleyball was created in Massachusetts, which homes the Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield), and the Volleyball Hall of Fame (Holyoke). Massachusetts also houses the Cape Cod Baseball League. It is also home to prestigious sports events such as the Boston Marathon and the Head of the Charles Regatta. The Falmouth Road Race in running and the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in bicycle racing are also very popular events with long histories.

New York Soccer Club was the name of a New York soccer team that, in 1930, played briefly in the American Soccer League.

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

Werner "Scotty" Nilsen is a former Norwegian American soccer forward. He is one of the highest scoring players in U.S. 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. He also earned two caps with the United States in 1934, one at the 1934 FIFA World Cup. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex McNab</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Reder</span> Polish-American soccer and baseball player

John Anthony Reder was a Polish-American sportsman who, during the 1930s, played soccer with Fall River F.C. and the New Bedford Whalers and baseball for the Boston Red Sox. In soccer, he played as a goalkeeper and won three American Soccer League titles and two National Challenge Cup titles. In baseball, he played as a first baseman for the Boston Red Sox, and was voted Most Valuable Player of the New York–Penn League while playing for the Williamsport Grays. Together with Moe Drabowsky, Nap Kloza and Henry Peploski, Reder is one of only four Major League Baseball players to be born in Poland.

Mark's Stadium is a former soccer stadium located in North Tiverton, Rhode Island. During the 1920s and early 1930s it was the home of Fall River F.C., one of the era’s most successful soccer teams. It is one of the earliest examples of a soccer-specific stadium in the United States. After the demise of the 'Marksmen', the stadium was used as a home ground by other local teams, most notably Fall River F.C. (1932) and Ponta Delgada S.C.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James White (Scottish footballer)</span> Scottish footballer

James White, also known as Jimmy White or Tec White, is a Scottish former footballer who spent most of his career playing for Fall River F.C. in the American Soccer League. He was born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1931 National Challenge Cup</span> Football tournament season

The 1931 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 1931.

The American Soccer League, established in 1921, was the first of four different professional soccer sports leagues in the United States to use the ASL name. It was formed by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For several years the ASL's popularity rivaled the popularity of the National Football League. Disputes with the United States Football Association and FIFA, as well as the onset of the Great Depression, led to the league's collapse in spring 1933.

References

  1. "www.sover.net". Archived from the original on 2009-08-20. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  2. 1 2 "American Soccer - 1931". Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  3. U.S. Open Cup at rsssf.org
  4. Celtic tour 1931
  5. "American Soccer - 1932". Archived from the original on 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
  6. Credited to Fall River F.C. because of registration issues