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ASL I The original American Soccer League, operating between 1921 and 1933, was the first significant viable professional soccer league in the United States . The league operated primarily in the northeastern United States, particularly in the New York - New Jersey - Philadelphia triangle. Additionally, the ASL was one of the first American soccer leagues prestigious enough to attract talented players from overseas. The league, in fact, was quite well attended, and was quite competitive with the nascent , defied the ASL and entered the Open Cup. When the ASL suspended these teams USFA offered to help bankroll the creation of a new league to rival the ASL. The three ex-ASL teams joined with several other east coast teams to create new Eastern Soccer League . The creation of a competing league, combined with the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, caused severe financial strains on the ASL. The league finally broke and came into compliance with USFA and FIFA. In the fall of the 1929/30 season, the ESL and ASL merged to form the Atlantic Coast League which started play in the spring of 1930 now playing a spring-fall schedule. In the fall of 1930 (the second half of the 1930 season), the league was renamed the American Soccer League again. However, the Soccer Wars had permanently crippled the ASL and after the end of the 1933 spring season, the league collapsed. Ironically, while USFA and FIFA "won" the wars, the spectacle of a U.S. athletic association conspiring with a European organization to undermine a U.S. athletic league alienated many non-committed U.S. sports fans. These fans turned their backs on soccer, relegating the sport to the position of a minor league, ethnic based sport for decades to come. {Link without Title} External links Complete team list ASL II In the fall of 1933, a second American Soccer League was established. This second league survived until 1983. Like the original ASL, this league primarily operated in the northeast for much of its existence. In order to compete with the North American Soccer League , the ASL went national in 1976, expanding to the west coast by adding teams in Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, and Tacoma. In addition, Bob Cousy was hired as commissioner and the league changed the standings scoring system to more closely resemble the NASL. ASL teams were awarded 5 points for a win, 2 points for a tie, and 1 point for each goal up to a maximum of 3 per game (The NASL awarded 6 points for a win and 3 for a tie, with 1 for each goal up to 3 per game). The ASL also had a limit on the number of foreign players each team could have in an effort to gain popularity among American fans. While this expansion gave the ASL national exposure, the league and teams were no match financially for the NASL. On rare occasions, an ASL team would outbid a NASL team for a recongnizable player, but more often than not, the better players in the ASL were offered more money to jump to the NASL. The high point in the history of the league may have been the 1976 championship game between the L.A. Skyhawks and N.Y. Apollo; L.A. won 2-1 in front of over 9,000 fans. But by 1979, attendance was down, every team was losing money, and the league finally folded in 1983. After the ASL II ceased operations, several of its teams formed the original United Soccer League , which played seasons in 1984 and 1985. Complete team list ASL III The next league to call itself the American Soccer League played two seasons in 1988 and 1989. This league comprised ten teams on the Atlantic coast. During its second season, the league champion Fort Lauderdale Strikers played the San Diego Nomads , champions of the Western Soccer Alliance in a "national championship" game. By 1990, the ASL and WSA had merged to form the American Professional Soccer League . Complete team list CHAMPIONS American Soccer League I 1921-22 Philadelphia Football Club 1922-23 J. & P. Coats 1923-24 Fall River Marksmen 1924-25 Fall River Marksmen 1925-26 Fall River Marksmen 1926-27 Bethlehem Steel 1927-28 Boston Wonder Workers 1928-29 Fall River Marksmen 1929 Fall River Marksmen 1929-30 Fall River Marksmen 1930 Fall River Marksmen 1930-31 New York Giants 1932 New Bedford Whalers 1932-33 Fall River Football Club American Soccer League II 1933-34 Kearney Irish 1934-35 Philadelphia German-Americans 1935-36 New York Americans 1936-37 Kearny Scots 1937-38 Kearny Scots 1938-39 Kearny Scots 1939-40 Kearny Scots 1940-41 Kearny Scots 1941-42 Philadelphia Americans 1942-43 Brooklyn Hispano 1943-44 Philadelphia Americans 1944-45 Brookhattan 1945-46 Baltimore Americans 1946-47 Philadelphia Americans 1947-48 Philadelphia Americans 1948-49 Philadelphia Nationals 1949-50 Philadelphia Nationals 1950-51 Philadelphia Nationals 1951-52 Philadelphia Americans 1952-53 Philadelphia Nationals 1953-54 New York Americans 1954-55 Uhrik Truckers (Philadelphia) 1955-56 Uhrik Truckers (Philadelphia) 1956-57 New York Hakoah 1957-58 New York Hakoah 1958-59 New York Hakoah 1959-60 Colombo 1960-61 Ukrainian Nationals (Philadelphia) 1961-62 Ukrainian Nationals (Philadelphia) 1962-63 Ukrainian Nationals (Philadelphia) 1963-64 Ukrainian Nationals (Philadelphia) 1964-65 Hartford SC 1965-66 Roma SC 1966-67 Baltimore St. Gerards 1967-68 Ukrainian Nationals (Philadelphia) 1968 Washington Darts 1969 Washington Darts 1970 Philadelphia Ukrainians 1971 New York Greeks 1972 Cincinnati Comets 1973 New York Apollo 1974 Rhode Island Oceaneers 1975 Boston/Worcester Astros & New York Apollo (Co-champions) 1976 Los Angeles Skyhawks 1977 New Jersey Americans 1978 New York Apollo 1979 Sacramento Gold 1980 Pennsylvania Stoners 1981 Carolina Lightnin' 1982 Detroit Express 1983 Jacksonville Tea Men American Soccer League III 1988 Washington Diplomats 1989 Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 1990 Maryland Bays (Won USL Championship) REFERENCES |
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