I played for this organization's youth teams in the 70's & 80's. Cool story about their 1954 National Amateur Championship against the St. Louis Simpkins. Beadling soccer alumni gather to celebrate a special anniversary Sunday, May 02, 2004 By Phil Axelrod, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Growing up in the then-dirt-poor section of Beadling in Upper St. Clair in the 1930s, Ken Ball and his friends followed in the footsteps of their fathers and grandfathers who had immigrated from the "Old Country . . . '' http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04123/309896.stm
Great story. You wouldn't know anything about an Open Cup winner from the Pittsburgh area named Pittsburgh Gallatin (or something to that effect)? I believe they won in 1949. My in-laws are in southwestern Pennsylvania and they can't believe soccer was played in that area.
Hammarville PA won it in '52, and was runner-up in '53. In 1951, Pittsburgh Heidelberg lost to the NY German Hungarians. Here's a basic link. http://www.soccertimes.com/facts/usa/usopencup.htm About a year ago, there was a great article about Hammarville and some of the survivors in the Post-Gazette. I'll post a link. I remember a guy in there saying that the big matches would draw about 5000 fans, so there was some pretty good soccer played in this area in the "Dark Ages" of American soccer, and it was fairly popular in the immigrant communities.
Thanks for that. I do remember the Hammarville article last year. After looking at that list, I realize I was thinking about Gallatin S.C., who won in 1942. I'm trying to find out more information about them. I mentioned Aldo "Buff" Donnelli to my in-laws as well. I believe he coached the Steelers as well as score 4 goals in a game against Mexico in 1934.