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| Founded | 1933; 92 years ago (1933) |
|---|---|
| Folded | 1983; 42 years ago (1983) |
| Country | United States |
| Promotion to | None |
| Relegation to | None |
TheAmerican Soccer League has been a name used by four different professionalsoccersports leagues in the United States. The second American Soccer League was established in summer 1933 following the collapse of theoriginal American Soccer League, which lasted from 1921 until spring 1933. The new league was created on a smaller scale and with smaller budgets. This league existed until over-expansion and financial limitations led to its collapse in 1983. Two successor leagues later operated.
In the fall of 1933, the second American Soccer League was established, surviving until 1983. Like the original ASL, this league operated primarily in the Northeastern United States for much of its existence. The league grew to become inter-regional in1972 by adding several teams from the Midwest; theChicago Americans,Cincinnati Comets,Cleveland Stars,Detroit Mustangs, andSt. Louis Frogs. In order to compete with the growingNorth American Soccer League, the ASL went national in1976, expanding to the Western United States by adding teams inLos Angeles,Oakland,Sacramento,Salt Lake City, andTacoma. 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 recognizable 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 theLos Angeles Skyhawks andNew York Apollo; Skyhawks won 2–1 in front of over 9,000 fans. But by1979, attendance was down, every team was losing money, and the league finally folded in1983. After the ASL II ceased operations, several of its teams formed the originalUnited Soccer League, which played seasons in1984 and1985.
| Year | Metropolitan Division | New England Division | Top scorers | MVPs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933–34 | Irish-Americans (1) | Fairlawn Rovers (1) | Archie Stark &Razzo Carroll (Metro) ??? (NE) | Not awarded |
| 1934–35 | Philadelphia German-American (1) | Portuguese Sport Club (1) | Millard Lang (Metro) ??? (NE) | |
| 1935–36 | New York Americans (1) | league dormant | Alex Rae (Metro) | |
| 1936–37 | Scots-Americans (1) | Providence S.C. (1) | Charlie Ernst (Metro) ??? (NE) | |
| 1937–38 | Scots-Americans (2) | Providence S.C. (2) | Fabri Salcedo (Metro) ??? (NE) | |
| 1938–39 | Scots-Americans (3) | Lusitania Recreation (1) | Bert Patenaude (Metro) ??? (NE) | |
| 1939–40 | Scots-Americans (4) | Swedish-Americans (1) | Charlie Ernst (Metro) ??? (NE) | |
| 1940–41 | Scots-Americans (5) | Fall River S.C. (1) | Fabri Salcedo (Metro) ??? (NE) | |
| 1941–42 | Philadelphia Americans (2) | St. Michael's (unofficial)[note 1][1][2][3][4][5] | John Nanoski (Metro) ??? (NE) | |
| 1942–43 | Brooklyn Hispano (1) | league dormant | Chappie Sheppell (Metro) | |
| 1943–44 | Philadelphia Americans (3) | Tommy Marshall (Metro) |
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