MLS has maintained relatively tight roster rules since the death of its reserve league in 2008, and a review of MLS Superdrafts past shows lists of players who never saw an MLS roster, let alone the field. Athletes coming out of college were drafted by MLS teams, but when they weren’t offered a contract or place on the team simply because the roster was full, many of them were frozen out. MLS teams maintain the league rights of their draft picks for two years, so even when one team said no, it wasn’t as though players could shop their game around MLS. There are of course other options — USL or NASL squads or professional PDL teams scattered across the country — but you can usually count the number of guys picked up by MLS teams from lower division squads in a given season on one hand. For many, not catching on with an MLS team after the draft or within the first two years out of school meant never catching on. And for MLS squads, it meant having to make relatively quick decisions about the potential of a player without having worked with them for any real period of time — not a good situation for player or club.

Philadelphia currently holds five draft picks for the upcoming Superdraft and might have more come draft day if Nowak and Co. decide to deal players or allocation cash.

What would the point of drafting a half dozen players be if there wasn’t more than an open spot or two on the MLS roster? Stocking the system.

Instead of freezing players out of MLS for the two years that Philadelphia maintains their draft rights, the Union can provide a place to develop as a player and a professional within relative proximity of the first team squad: Harrisburg. Better yet, already having the draft rights to the player on the Islanders squad means not having to use a discovery signing should the team choose to bring them up after the first season. Certainly this situation is not ideal for an incoming player, but it allows the Union more flexibility in player development and provides an opportunity for the team to continue being aggressive in the draft.

Now, there’s no guarantee that Nowak and Hackworth will take advantage of this opportunity, and with the potential return of the MLS Reserve League next season, how the Union choose to use their affiliate may still be determined. If MLS rosters expand considerably to accomodate the reserves, allowing a draftee or two to play the season in Harrisburg might not be necessary, but the option still exists.

The structure of MLS makes some of these adventures in player development more difficult, but I am hopeful that the Union will look to maximize the benefits for both partners in this affiliation. I am keeping a close eye on the situation, because I am relatively sure that we have not seen the full extent of this partnership yet.

Bastian Schweinsteiger is that powerful controlling midfielder whose quickness and precision passing is complemented by an aptitude that has him finish many a run to the back post after dishing the ball off. He scored on such a run in the 90^th minute to give Bayern the dramatic 2-1 win in week one after Wolfsburg tied the match in the 55^th during a harrying 10 minutes.

Sweinsteiger’s ruggedness is matched by the calculated brutality of Dutchman Mark Van Bommel, who has a penchant for the professional, and at times nasty foul, a la Man U’s Paul Scholes. Van Bommel, in locking up the defensive end of mid, is just as likely to frustrate would be attackers as he is to fiercely go through them in way akin to Nemanja Vidic or Gennaro Gattuso of a few years ago.

Frenchman Frank Ribery will have even more choices for his deadly crosses and indirect kicks once Arjen Robben returns to the lineup; sidelined with a lingering injury, Robben’s deceptive, weightless shiftiness was a joy to watch during the World Cup, his ability to cut inside, fire in an instant, and hit the target with precision something magical.

All the better then that wunderkind Thomas Müller should be even more explosive for Bayern following a World Cup where he stepped into and made the #13 shirt his own with a golden boot winning performance; and that’s exactly how he started the season, receiving a chip in the air to knock the ball back up and fire home a volley inside the box.

The excitement of that goal on Friday the 20^th, struck home in the 9^th minute against a Wolfsburg team that had enough chances to earn a better result, was heightened by my surroundings. While I sat at the bar at Brauhaus Schmitz, Philly’s German beer hall, the subdued atmosphere was impinged upon by echoes of a jubilant crowd, a raucous celebration that seemed never to abate.

'700 Special' (Yards ESA and an Italian deluxe hoagie from Palm Tree Market). You're now on notice.

The cries of yellow clad Dortmund fans on the following Sunday for their team to “Weitermacht, weitermacht,” (“Continue, continue”), even with their concern – Dortmond was down 2-nil — recalled the giddy passion of Supa Deutschland, a chant whose slightly altered words Union fans should adopt according to Chef Jeremy Nolan, given that we already employ the tune at river’s end.

And then there’s the sandwich that gives half of the previously mentioned “700 special” — a brilliant Italian deluxe hoagie from the nearby Palm Tree market — a run for best game time nahrung. If a cookie can bring back one’s childhood, then the döner kebab can send one past mere echoes to make the world’s greatest sporting event an everyday occurrence.

Yes, that’s right, as with the 700, it is actually possibly to receive a “thank you for drinking before noon” discount at a soccer bar.

Dr. Who had his TARDIS. You can have a döner kebab.

As I dove into the marinated lamb and beef mix doused with garlic mayo and a crisp chili based tomato hot sauce in congregation with radishes, pickles, and watercress inside a homemade flatbread, each bite brings back the maddening course of the opening round’s three-a-days, the white knuckle intensity of the knockouts where the team scarves decorating the wall next to the gleaming Germany Purity Law dwindled more and more with each passing match day. Your taste buds buzz and you’re off. Flags dance. Au pairs with painted faces beam effusively. Cowbells sing. I hold the conch to my ear and I hear the packed Brauhaus’ din.

All the better that the sandwich introduced back in June — now available every Sat and Sunday during the season — can be paired with equally delicious Franziskaner and Warsteiner specials ($4) during all Bundesliga matches (as well as all early or non-weekend Union games). Yes, that’s right, as with the 700, it is actually possibly to receive a thank you for drinking before noon discount at a soccer bar.

…as the result instantly became perhaps the most stunning in world club football this term.

And with emphasis, that’s exactly the stamp that Brauhaus is wearing these days. Like The 700, they had the aforementioned great turnouts from June 11^th through July 11^th and are now settling into the cast of die-hard regulars that come out to watch and study the game with frequency. The difference, of course, is that it’s also a magnet for ex-pats and anyone who followed a team while living in or visiting Deutschland, since it has taken up Ludwig’s mantel of being the only place in town to hang your umlaut.

As with the opening match a week ago, this past Friday’s Bayern match brought stunning excitement, albeit for quite different reasons. Their opponent, the recently promoted Kaiserslautern, seemed certain to suffer a nearly eponymous fate. But what happened however, left several eager to jibe the Bavarian born second shift bartender as the result instantly became perhaps the most stunning in World club football this term.

…again, meine Bayerin Deutsche freundin, Union fans feel your pain.

On two separate plays two minutes apart in the first half where they perhaps made the Union feel a little better after Sunday, Bayern, who came within an Inter Milan of securing the treble, spotted the upstart underdogs two devastating goals. On the first, Ilo Ilicevic, running parallel to the top of the box, got to the ball ahead of a defender to strike a wonder shot whose arc beautifully cut across the keeper before sailing the ball into the upper right corner as it dropped. The second goal, eerily reminiscent of Allsopp’s uncontested 2^nd for D.C. United this past weekend, featured an Ilicevic cross pass that a surging forward Srdjan Lakic smacked home with alacrity. While Bayern botched chances in the first, they were fortunate to head to the room only down 2-nil.

All the more stunning was how Kaiserslautern maintained their lead in the second, with a befuddled and frustrated Bayern continuing to come ever so close. Again, meine Bayerin Deutsche freundin, Union fans feel your pain.  The other standouts that draw one to watch Bayern were accounted for in this regard. Miroslav Klose, who recently entrenched himself further amidst World Cup lore, made fans incredulous on either side of a confounding decision to attempt to thread the ball through to a charging teammate at the goalmouth when he had the angle to slot home. On Klose’s third such  attempt in a short span, Philippe Lahm, rushing up the right from the defense around the 55^th, sent a delicious cross into the area only for him to strike well high.

…the Union should take note of what can happen when sheer mettle emerges to spill over into every pass, while informing the team’s composure in defense and transition.

Toni Kroos, on for 3-goal Champions League semi-final man Ivica Ozil in the 63^rd, had his turn to come gloriously shy of goal.  Like Müller, Kroos made the Germany team while proven senior squad members like Törsten Frings were left home. He showed his great promise again when receiving a ball nodded back from the touchline; he viciously took to the volley, surely leaving some sting in the fingertips and face of Tobias Sippel who dove to make the massive save. Equally impressive from the bench for Bayern was Danijel Pranjic, who linked up with Kroos close-in via beautiful crossing. The result, however, was more of the same, with the keeper’s reflexes stunning us all.

The depth of talent on Bayern only served to reinforce the awe directed towards what Kaiserslautern was doing to them. As much as their keeper bailed them out at times, it was hardly a ‘weather the storm’ second half, as the underdogs played with an unwavering fortitude, surging ahead to bring delectable chances into being each time they confounded Bayern in their end.

To bring our team into it again, the Union should take note of what can happen when sheer mettle emerges to spill over into every pass, while informing the team’s composure in defense and transition. Rather than Ribery, it was a heretofore unheralded Kaiserslautern player who continuously tore up the right wing in the second half while the world took notice.

Two stunning, albeit disparate results from a team and league to watch. And even if there were other places devoted to Bundesliga, I couldn’t imagine a better perch.

If you want to check out Brauhaus Schmitz, here are the basics:

Brauhaus Schmitz

718 South St.

Philadelphia, PA 19147

(267)909-8814

After a summer layoff, Philadelphia’s Casa Soccer League is back in business! And the good news is that it’s bigger than ever.

CASA expanded by six teams and now has three divisions of twelve teams behind a ten-team Primera division. There are some new teams in the league and a lot of movement between divisions. Let’s have a look at how last season ended and what’s in store for Fall 2010.

Primera

After winning only one game during the regular season, AC Milan somehow changed their fortunes in the playoffs and walked away with the Primera playoff crown. AC Milan returns a strong squad in the fall, but new league rules means the regular season champ will raise the cup this year. Milan will have to improve on their 7th place finish if they want to get their names on the trophy again.

Primera was tight all season in the spring, and expect nothing to change. While Grey Lodge finished first in the regular season, West Philly and Real Optimus were right on their tail.

At the other end of the spectrum, four teams finished even with or one point above the relegation zone. Philly United and Drinkers Pub United survived but they’ll be fighting off NewPhillyUnited and Stoney United who arrive in the top flight determined to make an immediate impact. NewPhilly cruised through Segunda in the Spring but can they compete in Primera? Stoney earned promotion after their offense came alive in the playoffs. I spent all last year saying Segunda was strong. Prove me right, guys.

Prediction: I play in Primera, so I feel uncomfortable picking a winner here. So I asked Allison. She said, “Well who won the regular season? Grey Lodge? Then I pick them.” She’s dangerously logical.

Segunda

Five new squads in Segunda these time around as two teams come down from Primera, two are added to the new 12 team division, and one team replaces the departing Memphis Tap Room. Penn United and Cannons come down from Primera, but as noted above, they were tied for points with two other squads. These are two teams that have spent a lot of time in Primera, and they’ll be itching to get right back up.

United Nations is another favorite for promotion after losing 4-2 to Stoney in the playoff final. They’ll have to hold off a number of strong teams coming up from Tercera, led by Quaker City FC and Mt. Laurel FC. These two battled it out all season for the top spot in the third division and there is no doubt they’ll find themselves at home in Segunda. The other two teams joining Segunda are Tri-County United and Bayern Makefield. Makefield lost 3-2 in the playoff finals to Quaker City, but Tri-Co were bounced in the first round by Park Towne United. What do you say, Tri-Co? Are you ready for the big move?

Prediction: Quaker City and Mt. Laurel were so impressive in Tercera last season, but I’m putting my money on Nittany United. They scored a lot last year but gave up too many goals. If they can solve their defensive issues, they’ll be a tough group to beat.

Tercera

Park Towne United finished third last year, but the first, second, fourth and fifth place teams have all moved up to Segunda. Does this mean Park Towne will waltz through the leauge this season? Not if FC Spartans and Revolution 76 have anything to say about it. Spartans had no trouble scoring, but they couldn’t keep the ball out of their net last season. I remember watching a NOVA special on human beauty that listed Halle Berry as the most beautiful celebrity because her face was the most symmetrical. Congratulations, Rev76: You’re the Halle Berry of Casa. After a 3-3-3 record last year with 11 goals for and 11 goals against, Rev76 could make the next step and challenge for the title, or maybe they’re riding a lucky streak and it will all fall apart. I guess that’s why we play the games.

Prediction: Park Towne. PTU should be the best team in Tercera. The teams coming up from Abierto are very talented, but Casa is a strong league so AOH61, Spruce Goose and Sweet Lucy’s might not be the wrecking balls they were last year. Organized Chaos had a tough run in Segunda last season, so I think they’ll also make a push back to the second division.

Abierto

Without looking at rosters or last year’s records, it looks like the Sons of Ben have a 25% chance of winning Abierto this season. But will it happen? Sons of Ben Zolo finished in third place last year and should be favorites to grab a spot in Tercera. There was a lot of offense in Abierto last year, but a lot of the firepower has moved up to Tercera. Will we see a different story this year? Will the new teams provide the same high-scoring matches we saw last season? What’s the story, Abierto? Who’s going to step up?

Prediction: A lot of new teams here, and I’m not sure what the Sons of Ben teams will look like. How do you guys operate? Will it be the same rosters as last year? Has anybody moved around? The first 11 guys to show up are Zolo? I have no idea who the new teams in this division are. If you’re out there, introduce yourself. If you make a convincing argument, maybe I’ll change my prediction from FC Kilbanes. Kilbanes dropped 24 goals last term but somehow managed to let in 36. 36! I just don’t think they can do that again. The defense is better, Kilbanes are going up.

The Islanders 2010 league campaign has fallen short of expectation. While the team impressed with a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal run, they were unable to piece together a run in the regular season.

While the Isles find themselves eliminated from the upcoming USL-2 playoffs they still have pride to play for. Sitting in 5th place in the six team league, the Islanders will look to end on a positive note and would love to close with a win. The three previous meetings of the Islanders and Riverhounds this season have all ended in 1-1 draws and each contest has been a heated affair—with pride on the line, don’t expect this finale to be any less intense.

Kick-off is scheduled for 7pm at Skyline Sports Complex and this is likely to be your last chance to see the Islanders in action until March. Check out the team website for more details.

Then, hosts Greg Orlandini of KYW and Dan Walsh of PSP talk a little Union before PSP contributors Mike Servedio and Adam Cann join Greg in previewing the English Premier League season, which kicks off this weekend.

Listen to the podcast here.

The Philadelphia Union affiliate went into the second half having played a scoreless first, but Portland’s Paul Ogunyemi netted three minutes into the second half to put his team ahead. Reading’s Aquilas Levi Houapeu equalized in the 73rd minute, but Portland put in the winning goal just a minute later when Freddie Braun scored to make it 2-1.

Portland then defeated Thunder Bay 4-1 in the final to become PDL champs for the year.

Reading got this far by having won its division and the Eastern Conference in a hugely successful campaign.

The club was then forced to play early the next afternoon in the consolation match against Baton Rouge, where they lost on penalty kicks.

(Photo: USL)

Reading plays Portland tonight at 10:30 p.m., with the match streamed live at http://www.usllive.com.

If they win, they’ll play in the championship match Saturday at 7 p.m., which will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel.

Reading, an affiliate of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union, earned the trip to Portland by winning the Mid-Atlantic Division and then the Eastern Conference, with a 3-2 playoff win over Ottawa.

For more information, check out the PDL’s web site or Reading’s web site.

Buried at the end of a piece in the Daily News on Monday about the Union’s draw with the Revolution was a mention about FC Delco’s loss to the Crew Juniors—an MLS academy team— in the U–19 Youth Soccer National Championship that really got my goat.

It wasn’t that this “news” had been published nine days after the final was broadcast live on FSC—even though the wording suggested that the match had happened this past Saturday. And it wasn’t that there was no mention of the final score, nor were any FC Delco players named. (In case you’re wondering the score was 1–0 and Chris Harmon, for example, had an excellent game. We wrote about it.)

2010 USYSA U-19 National Championship Runners-up, FC Delco Hammerheads

No, what got me was how this two-sentence mention began:

“While this won’t mean much except to area youth soccer aficionados…”

Really? Thanks.

Thanks for nothing

Forget for a moment that this was the first time a MLS academy team has won the James P. McGuire Cup and what that means in terms of the long term development of the league.

And put from your mind the question of whether a sentence about a local youth football, baseball or basketball team appearing in a national championship would begin with the same words and ask yourself this:

Where does the Daily News think American professional soccer players come from?

Which got me thinking…

All of this got me thinking about several former “area youth soccer” players, each of which were born within one year of one another, and either played with or against one another in local leagues for local schools and clubs before embarking on the path toward successful professional careers. Three of these players currently ply their trade in MLS. One of those three played in the Premiership and represented the US in the World Cup. The fourth player has had a long career in Europe and recently was playing in Saudi Arabia.

You don’t have to be an “area youth soccer aficionado” to know their names:

Bobby Convey. Dan Gargan. Jeff Larentowicz. Jeremiah White.

A golden Philly soccer generation

In high school soccer, Gargan and Larentowicz played together at Chestnut Hill Academy. Convey played for Penn Charter, White for the Haverford School. Each of these schools play one another in the Inter-Academic League. Chestnut Hill Academy was league champions in 2000 and 2001 while Gargan and Larentowicz were there.

In club soccer, Larentowicz and White played at FC Delco. Even though they played on different teams there, each earned national honors with their respective teams. White was on the 2001 U–19 USYSA National Championship FC Delco Black II team. Larentowicz captained the FC Delco Arsenal II to the U–18 and U–19 National Championship in 2002 and 2003.

Convey and Gargan played for FC Coppa at the Philadelphia Soccer Club in Northeast Philly. Convey was barely 16 years-old when he was selected as part of the inaugural class of the IMG Soccer Academy at Brandenton, Florida, in 1999, the full-time residency program U–16 and U–17 US National Team programs. There he was joined by the likes of Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Oneywu and Kyle Beckerman.

By 2000 he was playing for DC United and for a time was the youngest player ever signed by MLS. After visa problems prevented him from joining Tottenham in 2003, Convey signed with Reading where. In 2006 he helped lead the club into its first appearance at the top flight of English football since the club’s founding in 1873. That same year he played on the US National Team at the World Cup, making two starts and becoming one of the few US players to be praised for his performance. Now with the San Jose Earthquakes, Convey played in the 2010 MLS All-Star Game where he subbed in for the Union’s Sebastien Le Toux.

While Convey was beginning his professional career, Gargan, Larentowicz and White had embarked on successful college careers. Gargan played for Georgetown, where he was captain an MVP. Larentowicz played for Brown, where he won two Ivy League Championships. White, who had earned All-American honors while playing in high school, then played at Wake Forest where he was named ACC Player of the Year in his senior year and to the All-ACC Team three years in a row.

Gargan began his professional career at the Colorado Rapids 2005, the same year Larentowicz joined the New England Revolution. Gargan now plays for Toronto FC while Larentowicz is with the Rapids, whom he represented at the 2010 MLS All-Star Game. In 2004, White went to Europe where he played for clubs in Serbia, Greece, France and Denmark. He then played in Saudi Arabia. White has one international cap for the US.

They gotta come from somewhere

So there you have it, four Philly players born within a year of one another who have gone on to make professional careers for themselves in soccer. And they’re not the only former “area youth soccer” players who are doing so. From FC Delco, three other players currently make their living in MLS. 2010 MLS All-Star Kevin Alston is another IMG Soccer Academy grad who currently plays for New England Revolution. John Conway began with the San Jose Earthquakes, moved to the New York Red Bulls, and had a brief spell at Chivas USA before joining his current club, Toronto FC. Jeff Parke is now with Seattle Sounders after playing for the New York Red Bulls.

Other FC Delco players who have had professional careers include Ben Olsen, who played for DC United, Nottingham Forrest and the US national team (37 caps including one appearance at the 2006 World Cup) and was just named interim coach of DC United; Brian Kelly, who played for the New York MetroStars and LA Galaxy; Tim Sahaydak, Matt Napoleon and Ryan Kelly all played for the Columbus Crew. Beckett Hollenbach even had something of a career in lower division English football, playing with St Albans City and Harlow Town. Several of these FC Delco players— and more—were active with US Soccer below the senior team level. Many more had successful college careers and played or still play in different levels of the USL.

So, its not just “area youth soccer aficionados” who care about what a club like FC Delco or other area clubs do in a national championship final, not to mention at state or regional competitions. Believe me, scouts from colleges, professional clubs and US Soccer pay attention to these things too.

Actually, anyone who wants US professional soccer or the US national team to succeed cares, or ought to, if you tell them about it.

Such people are called “soccer fans,” you see.

Get to know them.

Because those players soccer fans love to watch on TV and at PPL Park, well, they gotta come from somewhere.

And they might just come from an “area soccer” club near you.

Postscript

Kerith Gabriel, the author of the “While this won’t mean much except to area youth soccer aficionados…” line,  apologized for the statement on Thursday just before this piece was posted. Gabriel wrote that it was “obviously an incorrect statement,” adding “My bad, and a personal congrats to head coach Alan Mezger.” (How about the kids?) But in doing so he didn’t even quote himself correctly, writing that he said “only true youth soccer aficionados” when in the original article he actually said “area youth soccer aficionados” (emphasis added). At the risk of sounding terribly pedantic, what are readers supposed to think if the author can’t even quote himself correctly, especially when the misquote favors the author by lessening the offensiveness of the original put down?

Ethnic social clubs and soccer in Philadelphia

Ethnic social clubs have long been both the starting place and the sustainer of soccer in many communities in the United States. The place of ethnic social clubs in the history of soccer in Philadelphia is no different. English, Scottish and Irish clubs were the founders of soccer in Philadelphia and team names such as Albion, Caledonian and Hibernian reflected the ethnicity of the players. Other team names such Kensington Rovers and Philadelphia North End referenced the names of established teams back in the old country.

As immigration patterns changed, new ethnic groups formed new social clubs that soon fielded teams of their own. Ethnic German immigrants from the Danubian plains of Hungary founded the club that would become United German Hungarians, which can trace its origins to the Banater Artbeiter-Verein, founded in 1906.

The principal activity of the club, apart from providing companionship and community support for people with a shared culture, traditions and language, was the formation of Maennerchors, or male choral groups. In 1910, Banater Maennerchor, the original name of United German Hungarians, was formed with some 48 members. There club was located at Eighth and Columbia until 1923 when they moved to Second and Norris. In the harsh conditions of industrial Philadelphia, Banater Maennerchor and other similar groups would be important places for workers to gather and discuss the hardships of work without the taint of political agitation. In 1939 the club changed its name to United German Hungarians of Philadelphia and Vicinity. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll refer to the club as UGH.

First soccer team is formed

The 1924-1925 first team squad

Following the First World War, increasing numbers of German-speaking immigrants began to arrive in Philadelphia and brought with them their love of soccer, a sport which had rapidly spread throughout Europe from Britain in the years leading up to the war. Their love of the game proved infectious and from informal games at club picnics the desire to form a proper team soon took hold.

On December 10, 1922, a Sports Section was formed by the club and a soccer team soon followed with practices at Burholme Park in Philadelphia’s Fox Chase neighborhood. Soon after, the team affiliated with the Football Association of Eastern Pennsylvania and District and was eligible for participating in exhibition games. In the fall of 1923 the team entered the Third Division of the league. The club’s 1972 booklet celebrating 50 years of soccer notes,

At the time there was a lot more body contact allowed, charging the goal tender was permissible, and these conditions were cause for many rough and hard-fought games. In the meantime the membership of the Sport Section had grown to around the four-hundred mark, and it was therefore necessary to form a Second Team in order to give more members an opportunity to play and at the same time develop players for the First Team.

Among those on the team was John Mayerfield, who would later serve as president of the Pennsylvania League, beginning a tradition of UGH playerswho also served the sport of soccer as administrators. That tradition would reach its height when Werner Fricker, captain of the 1965 United States Amateur Soccer Association Open Cup winning team, later became the head of the United States Soccer Federation from 1984 until 1990. During his tenure he led the successful US bid to host the 1994 World Cup.

In 1926 the club began to play its games at the grounds at Frankford and Robbins. That same year they traveled to Baltimore for their first game outside of Philadelphia to play the Baltimore Kickers, then considered one of the best German amateur soccer teams on the East Coast. UGH won a “moral victory” in the 1—1 draw “through desire and sheer aggressiveness.” Such spirit led to the club entering their First Team squad into the Second Division of the National League in 1927. The team made it through the first half of the season without being defeated to win “the first-half title.” In 1929 the team entered the First Division and also acquired a new field at Front and Olney.

Club and team grow

1931-1932 National League "First-Half" Championship team

The sport section of Banater Maennerchor had originally been called Banater Athletic Association but in 1930 changed its name to the German-Hungarian Sport Club. The experience of the First Team in the top flight of the league paid off when it won the league’s “first-half championship” in the 1931-1932 season, a feat repeated by the club’s Second Team in the league’s Third Division. In the 1931-1932 season UGH played Philadelphia Passon at Passon Field in Tacony in the first amateur night game in Philadelphia using portable lights mounted on a flatbed truck. They won 4–1.

In 1932 the First Team joined the Pennsylvania League, one of the top amateur leagues in the country, and during the 1932-1933 season the club moved to a new field at Rising Sun and Ella. All of the club’s soccer supporters pitched in to build a fence around the grounds in “a singular display of pride and solidarity,” making it the only enclosed pitch in the Pennsylvania League. That same year, the team played New York German Hungarians, a semi-professional team that played in the German American Soccer League, losing 4–1.

When the German cruiser Karlsruhe, the first German warship to visit the US since the end of the First World War, landed in Philadelphia in 1932, a picked-team of players from Philadelphia German clubs played the ship’s team, at the time the champions of the German navy. Three members of the UGH’s First Team played in this, the first international amateur friendly in Philadelphia since the Corinthians visited the city in 1911. The Philadelphia Germans “won the match quite handily.”

The First Team and its players weren’t the only one’s to perform well on the field. The Third Team won the Philadelphia Worker’s League title in 1936 and the Second Team won the North Philadelphia League championship in 1937.

Creation of Junior Section

Hoping to improve the quality of its teams, in 1935 the club hired James “Jimmy” Purvis, who had great success in Philadelphia playing for Fleisher Yarn (where he won the American Cup), Bethlehem Steel FC (21 goals in 22 games before a season ending injury) and Philadelphia FC, as player, coach and trainer. But perhaps more important was the formation of the club’s Junior Section for boys aged eight to twelve years old in on February 5, 1939. Realizing that many of the club’s players would soon be “called to the Colors,” some forward thinking club members realized that the “only hope for a good future in soccer rested on the development of very young players.”

The Junior Boys Section in 1942

By August enough players had joined this “midget” team to meet the experienced Lighthouse Midgets. Despite the game ending in a  5–0 loss, “there was no discouragement, but rather a sound realization that much practice, good physical condition and good sportsmanship were requisites for success in competitive sports.” Two of the men most involved in developing the club’s junior soccer program, Ted Kereczmann and Pete Noel, were instrumental in the formation of the “Midget” division of the Philadelphia Junior Soccer League.

By 1942 the demands on the Junior program, of which soccer was the most popular activity but also included basketball, wrestling and weight lifting as well as a Girls Section, were so great that Kereczmann was forced to make an impassioned plea for assistance from the club’s membership. “The immediate response was rather tepid,” but assistance soon came in the form of a Parents’ Organization. Nevertheless, the demands of the war meant a decline in participation in the Junior Section as young men were drafted or enlisted and parents were involved in the war effort.

Despite the decline in participation, the club still needed to field a team in order to maintain its league affiliation. In 1945 a team was entered into the the First Division of the Philadelphia Soccer League and played there for the rest of the 1940s without significant success. But a foundation built on the players of the Junior Section, along with returning servicemen and new immigrants from Europe, promised better things ahead.

Difficult post-war years

Along with the Philadelphia German Americans of the professional American Soccer League, UGH was a sponsor of the tour of Hamburg SC in 1950 and the picked team that faced them included several players from the club in the 5–0 loss. Other players were on the picked Philadelphia team that played Stuttgart Kickers in 1952 and lost 10–2.

UGH players and teams were doing much better against Philadelphia opposition. Having moved down to the Third Division of the Philadelphia League in 1951, they won the division championship and moved up to the Second Division instilled with greater confidence. On the team were players such as Johnny Jacoby and Matt Noel who were selected to tryout for the US Olympic team, as well as newly arrived immigrants. Still, the Korean War and the draft continued to draw off players and roster numbers declined. This, along with a serious funding crisis, resulted in the very real possibility that the club might not have enough players to field a team. An effective and persuasive recruiting effort resulted in enough players to field two teams. Among those recruited to play on the Second Team, which won the Second Division championship that year, was Werner Fricker, who had recently immigrated with his family to the US.

UGH players continued to represent Philadelphia in friendlies against visiting German teams such as Nuernberg, Kaiserslautern and Offenbacher Kickers. And while no trophies would be won in the 1950s, interest in playing was increasing, which lead to the formation of a third team for the 1957–1958 season.

The Golden Years

1965 USASA National Championship team. The team was captained by Werner Fricker, who later became president of the USSF.

In 1959 the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania was formed. It was at first an “outlaw” organization after it was refused recognition by the Eastern Pennsylvania and District soccer association, and thus by the governing body of US soccer. The league’s origins origins were in United Soccer, a group of German American sport and social clubs that promoted international friendlies. When recognition of the new league was granted in 1961, UGH missed winning the championship but only one point. They then proceeded to win the championship in each of the next six years. In between, in 1962, the club moved to its present location in Oakford, Bensalem Township.

The strong First Team, by now called the Major team, extended its winning record outside of league play when it won the Eastern United States Amateur Championship title, which led to an appearance in the 1963-1964 National Amateur Championship final against Schwaben AC of Chicago. Having played a grueling semifinal only the week before in Cleveland, UGH was unable to win the day: “The combination of fatigue and intense heat took its toll, and our boys succumbed 0:5 to a strong and superior Chicago team.”

From the moment the team landed back in Philadelphia, the club rallied around its team.

Naturally, it was a rather downhearted group which landed at Philadelphia International Airport after this disappointing loss, but the tremendous reception by Club members awaiting them upon their arrival quickly dispelled their gloom and instilled in them the determination to show their loyal supporters they had the ability and will to achieve a National Championship…Once the goal of a National Championship had been fixed, a rigorous period of training was established. Rain, snow and sleet were no deterrents. There was a goal to be reached and it could be attained only by strict adherence to rules and regulations.

The “Spartan-like” training regimen—aided by the installation of lights at the club’s field in 1963, the first for an amateur club in the Philadelphia area— paid off as “foe after foe was mowed down.” UGH faced Western US Amateur Champions St. Ambrose FC of St. Louis on June 27, 1965. In front of an overflow crowd, St. Louis was mowed down, too. The final was 6–0. The celebrations began early; UGH was up 5–0 at the half.

Capitalizing on the club’s national success, a program of international friendlies was begun against amateur teams from Germany, beginning in 1967 against Turngemeinde Heilbronn. UGH lost a close 1–0 game against the visitors bur fared better than the Philadelphia All-Star side, which lost 2–0. The following year, Tennis Borussia Berlin visited. In 1969 came TSV Meinaschaff and Phoenix Durmersheim, followed by Eintracht Lueneburg and Allemania Karisruhe in 1970, the same year that UGH once again reached the National Amateur Cup final, losing to Chicago Kickers. 1971 saw visits by Neustadt-Diespeck and TSV Ottobeuren. In 1972 the club hosted Falke-Steinfeld and FC Perlach.

Between the 1959-1960 and the 50th anniversary of soccer at UGH in 1972, the Major team had a remarkable record of 254 wins, 34 losses and 19 ties, winning ten league championships, nine Eastern District championships, three Eastern US Amateur Championships and one National amateur championship. Such success could not go unnoticed and the club drew the attention of the USSF. Three players—Arthur Jethon, Werner Fricker and Otto Brand—were variously selected for the US Pan-American and Olympic teams in 1963, 1964, and 1967.

The club continued to expand its youth soccer program, formalized as the Junior Soccer program in 1964. One of the Junior teams, the Junior Red Team for boys aged 15–18 years old, was the undefeated champion of the Inter-County League, which the team joined in 1965, for four consecutive years and was the Eastern Pennsylvania District Champion in the National Junior Cup.

Continuing national success

The impact at of UGH at the national level continued in 1977 when they appeared in the finals of both the National Amateur Cup and the US Open Cup. Although they lost both games, the first against Denver Kickers and the second against Maccabi of Los Angeles, appearing in two national finals in the same year was a considerable achievement. They reached the final of the US Open Cup again in 1993, losing 5–0  to CD Mexico of San Francisco. Meanwhile, a former UGH player would be central to the US successfully winning the bid to host the 1994 World Cup.

Werner Fricker

Werner Fricker, the captain of the 1965 National Amateur Cup winning team who had been joined the club in the 1952 recruitment drive soon after his family had emigrated to the US, had long served both the club and local and regional soccer organizations as an administrator. By the early 1980s, Fricker was a vice-president at the USSF where, in 1981, he had started the U-20 program.

When Colombia dropped out as host of the 1986 World Cup and then USSF president Gene Edwards refused to make a bid, the leadership of the then-faltering NASL turned to Fricker to organize a bid to replace Colombia. Though the bid was ultimately unsuccessful, Fricker’s leadership was recognized when he replaced Edwards to become president of the governing body of US soccer in 1984. Fricker would go on to successfully lead the bid to host the 1994 World Cup.

Along the way he initiated the program that insured that US national team players who were not affiliated with a professional team would have contracts with the USSF—personally guaranteeing the line of credit that financed the program. The program was instrumental in the successful campaign to qualify for the 1990 World Cup, the first appearance by the US since 1950. He also oversaw the formation of the US women’s national team in 1985 and the launch of the U-17 boys program. During his tenure, which ended in 1990, he laid the groundwork that turned the federation from insolvency to a successful business by signing the agreement with Soccer USA Partners. It is not an exaggeration to say that Fricker, who passed away in 2001, is the man who built the foundation of US Soccer’s present success. Fricker was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1992 and CONCACAF Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2002, USSF created the Werner Fricker Builder Award in his honor.

The club’s connection to the US National Team also includes Peter Vermes, who played in the 1990 World Cup and is currently the coach of Kansas City Wizards. Vermes played at the club in 1987, the year before he won his first cap for the US.

UGH closed out the 20th Century by winning the 1999 National Amateur Cup by defeating Detroit Arsenal. Now celebrating it’s 100th anniversary, the club will host the 2010 National Amateur Cup Final July 30 through July 31, having previously hosted the event in 1989, 1994, 2000 and 2004. The final will feature four women’s and twelve men’s teams in the Amateur, Open and Over 30 competitions. The chairman of the National Cup committee is Werner Fricker, Jr. UGH was only two games away from appearing in the tournament but lost on penalty kicks.

Photos courtesy of United German Hungarians.

Greg and Dan also talk about the Union, their recent trade for midfielder Justin Mapp, and a look at how the club has performed up to this midseason break.

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