1930 American Soccer League

Statistics of American Soccer League in season 1930.

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 boycot the cup, but three teams, Bethlehem Steel F.C., 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 Marksmen 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 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)

Place Team GP W L D GF GA Points Percentage
1 Fall River Marksmen 27 19 1 7 84 40 44 .814
2 New Bedford Whalers 33 12 10 11 56 50 35 .530
3 Hakoah All Stars 33 14 12 7 65 61 35 .530
4 Providence 27 12 11 4 53 56 28 .519
5 New York Nationals 33 14 14 5 88 89 33 .500
6 Pawtucket Rangers 28 10 11 7 50 61 27 .483
7 Bethlehem Steel F.C. 27 11 12 4 66 54 26 .481
8 New York Giants 30 11 13 6 67 77 28 .467
9 Brooklyn Wanderers 32 9 13 10 63 66 28 .438
10 Bridgeport Hungaria/Newark[Note 1] 15 0 12 3 21 59 3 .100
11 Boston[Note 2] 4 1 0 3 5 9 2 .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)

Place Team GP W L D GF GA Points Percentage
1 Fall River Marksmen 27 13 8 6 54 43 34 .630
2 New Bedford Whalers 30 15 6 9 75 62 36 .600
3 Hakoah All-Stars 27 10 8 9 40 42 28 .519
4 Newark Americans[Note 1] 28 11 6 11 62 55 28 .500
5 New York Soccer Club (Giants)[Note 2] 27 12 3 12 51 55 27 .500
6 Providence 29 12 3 14 46 29 27 .466
7 Brooklyn Wanderers 30 10 7 13 57 58 27 .450
8 New York Giants (Nationals)[Note 3] 31 9 7 15 64 86 27 .435
9 Pawtucket Rangers 31 0 8 14 54 26 26 .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 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 netural 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 May 27-October 23
      
MA Fall River Marksmen 1-3
RI Pawtucket Rangers 1-1
MA Fall River Marksmen 2-3
NY Hakoah All-Stars 1-0
NY Hakoah All-Stars 2-1-2
NY New York Nationals 2-1-1

Final

May 27, 1930
Fall River Marksmen 2-1 Hakoah All-Stars
Billy Gonsalves  4'
Werner Nilsen 		Siegfried Wortmann
The Polo Grounds, New York, New York
Attendance: 5,000


October 23, 1930
8:15 PM EST
Hakoah All-Stars 0-3 Fall River Marksmen
Billy Gonsalves
Arnie Oliver
The Polo Grounds, New York, New York
Attendance: 2,500

Goals leaders

Rank Scorer Club Games Goals
1 Jerry Best Pawtucket Rangers
Fall River Marksmen
New Bedford Whalers		 49 52
2 John Nelson New York Nationals 42 45
3 Bert Patenaude Fall River Marksmen
Newark Americans		 44 44
4 Archie Stark Bethlhem Steel
Newark Americans		 38 40
5 Bill Paterson Providence
New Bedford Whalers		 44 38
6 Billy Gonsalves Fall River Marksmen 53 35
7 Werner Nilsen Boston
Fall River Marksmen		 51 27
8 Bob McIntyre Pawtucket Rangers 31 23
Davey Brown New York Giants 50 23
Josef Grünfeld Hakoah All-Stars 56 23
11 Tommy Florie New Bedford Whalers 59 22
12 Siegfried Wortmann Hakoah All-Stars 50 20
Jimmy Gallagher New York Nationals
New York Giants		 64 20
14 Bobby Yule Brooklyn Wanderers 49 19
15 Janos Nehadoma Brooklyn Wanderers 32 18
16 Herbert Carlsson New York Nationals
New York Giants		 46 17
Bart McGhee New York Nationals
New York Giants		 58 17
18 James Brown New York Giants
New York Soccer Club		 38 16
Red Ballantyne New York Giants
Brooklyn Wanderers		 49 16
20 Max Grünwald Hakoah All-Stars 52 15
21 Tec White Fall River Marksmen 50 14
Moritz Häusler Hakoah All-Stars 56 14
23 Jimmie Baillie New York Soccer Club 26 13
Billy Oswald Providence 36 13
Jimmy McAuley Fall River Marksmen
Pawtucket Rangers		 49 13
Mike McLeavy New Bedford Whalers 50 13
27 Rudolph Nickolsburger Hakoah All-Stars 49 12
József Eisenhoffer Brooklyn Wanderers 50 12
George Moorhouse New York Giants
New York Soccer Club		 55 12
30 Johnny Harvey Pawtucket Rangers 46 11
Arthur Scott Pawtucket Rangers 33 11
32 Leslie Lyell Brooklyn Wanderers 31 10
Alex McNab Fall River Marksmen 44 10
Shamus O'Brien New York Giants
New York Soccer Club		 51 10
Ernő Schwarz Hakoah All-Stars 51 10

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

External links