Every once in a while, you stumble across something that makes you wonder how we are still talking about soccer as a second tier sport in this country and how the game has died a thousand deaths here. Today was that day for me when I found a meticulously maintained history of Bethlehem Steel. They had two nicknames, the Babs and the Steel Workers, they met regular opponents, got regular coverage, and had a covered stand. I always imagined just a field and two nets. Here is the site
Quite an interesting site. Thanks for the find. It reminds me that I once stumbled upon a personal website in which someone was explaining and presenting evidence that during the 1920's, there was this major attempt within the U.S. media to diminish any mention of soccer coverage. The writer mentioned how at those times, soccer games at some Universities in the Northeast were filling stadiums in the same numbers or moreso than American football games. Even presents evidence of how some Ivy League schools (Princeton? Harvard?) had huge rivalries in soccer that made it at the time one of the most biggest sporting events in that area and time. The writer goes on to explain that slowly but assuringly, media correspondents began to perpetuate the stereotypes that soccer is "a foreigner's game", "un-American", and "too violent/for hooligans". It then reached a point where the unwillingness of the media to cover soccer leagues in the U.S. together with greater coverage for American football and baseball, in effect, made interest decline for soccer , to the point of almost completely forgeting about its history. I so wish I can find that site again on google but I can't! Great picture from your site though: Brooklyn Celtic FC! Sweet name! http://www.geocities.com/bethlehem_soccer2/champteam1915.jpg
Dang, never saw this before. I knew about Bethlehem Steel, but never knew Philly actually had a soccer club, ehem, "football" club named Philadelphia Football Club way back in the 1920s. And they were crowned champions league champions. http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/champs1.html
Dig a little deeper, and you'll find Philadelphia clubs ruled the ASL II from the end of WW II until the arrival of the NASL. BTW, the old Bethlehem Steel stadium is getting a makeover by its current owner, Moravian College. Soccer is apparently no longer played there.
What's the support for soccer like in Bethlehem nowdays? Maybe there's something MLS or at least USL could tap into. Don't you just hate what the press was rumoured to have done about sweeping soccer reporting under the carpet?
As a history fan, here's where one of the links went: Great stuff! http://ussoccer.4mg.com/excerpt.htm
Don't forget about the Philly Ukranian Nationals -- they won 4 US Open Cups in the 60s. http://www.ussoccer.com/events/competitions.sps?iType=262&icustompageid=272
I grew up 10 mintues from that area. My father worked at Bethlethem Steel as a foreman. My mother works at Moravian College (where I guess the old stadium is/was.) I grew up playing soccer. Thanks. Cool site. Jon O (I read bigsoccer everyday but never post. To quote Elaine... this is "post-worthy")