Eastern Professional Soccer League II 1928-1929

Fall 1928

PWDLPts
Bethlehem Steel (C)20190138
New York Giants18112524
Hakoah All-Stars18104424
Newark Skeeters1435611
IRT Rangers1551911
Philadelphia Centennials1435710
New York Hispano1422106
New York Celtics80262
Eastern Professional Soccer League II Fall 1928 [Reference: 1]

Note: Incomplete Table: Table as at 28 December 1928 plus Five Wins for Bethehem Steel to finish out the season. 20 game season.

Spring 1928

PWDLFAPts
New York Hakoah181242682328
Bethleham Steel (C)15942412122
IRT Rangers13715303015
New York Hungaria16628314414
New York Giants15618522413
New Bedford Whalers8611261413
New York Hispano16411136499
Philadelphia Centennials1230924506
Newark Skeeters90279302
New York Celtics???????
Eastern Professional Soccer League II Spring 1929 [Reference: 1]

Note: Bethlehem Steel were Champions, New York Celtics disbanded after two months, and New Bedford Whalers, Newark Skeeters and Philadelphia Centennials disbanded after season (or possibly during the season).

Fall 1929

PWDLPts
Bethlehem Steel (C)13110222
Hakoah All-Stars1291219
New York Giants1282218
Newark Portuguese1143411
New York Hispano103258
Victoria Hungaria123278
Newark Skeeters80171
IRT Rangers100191
Eastern Professional Soccer League II Fall 1929 [Reference: 1]

Note: Before the season New York Hungaria became Victoria Hungaria. Complete Standings apart from one game: Betthlehem Steel v Newark Portuguese.

League Report

The second American Soccer League to take the name “Eastern Professional Soccer League”, the league arose out of a dispute between three clubs (New York Giants, Bethlehem Steel and Newark) and the American Soccer League I. The three clubs defied the ASL and entered the US Open Cup, and the ASL then banned them. The USFA (which ran the US Open Cup at the time) then responded by creating the EPSL, which added teams from the Southern New York State Association (SNYSA). The EPSL II played three seasons (Fall 1928, and Spring & Fall 1929) before merging with the ASL I after a peace deal to form the Atlantic Coast League.

At the time Soccer was the big Professional Sport in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New England, with Professional American Football (the NFL) most popular in Ohio, Upstate New York, New York City and the Mid-West (Wisconsin, Chicago, Illinois, Michigan).

Irish Players

Bethlehem Steel included the Irish players Pitt, who joined from Newry Town, as well as McMeekim and Gibson.All three players joined Glentoran in Northern Ireland for the 1931-32 Irish Football League season. [Reference: 2]

References

[1] RSSSF / David A. Litterer (2017) Eastern Professional Soccer League II [Internet] Available from: http://www.rsssf.com/usadave/epslii.html [Accessed 3 April 2017]

[2] “Recorder” (1931) The Goals at the Oval. Belfast Newsletter. Monday, October 12, 1931. pg. 3. [Available on the Internet at the Irish Newspaper Archive: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ [Accessed 11 September 2020]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Richard Mulcahy, Fiona Connolly-Mulcahy, Conor Connolly-Mulcahy, Dara Connolly-Mulcahy, Orla Connolly-Mulcahy & Aodhan Connolly-Mulcahy

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 1 September 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2019-20

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.

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