1967–68 American Soccer League

Statistics of American Soccer League II in season 1967–68.

American Soccer League
1967–68 season
Season1967–68
ChampionsUkrainian Nationals
(5th title)
PremiersUkrainian Nationals
Top goalscorerNelson Bergamo (15)
Longest unbeaten runNew York Inter (11)
1968 →

Overview

For the 1967–68 season the league set up a two division system to work as a pro/reg tandem, with the First Division being the higher tier.[1] Ultimately pro/reg wound up occurring only on paper because Hartford S.C withdrew after five games,[2] and by season's end Boston, Baltimore, Newark Portuguese, Patterson Roma, and New Brunswick all folded.[3]

Nearly all of the season was played in the later part of 1967, with a handful of make-up games and the playoffs scheduled for early 1968. Weather issues,[4] a slate of regional cup and National Challenge Cup matches,[5] friendlies against both NASL and international sides,[6] and the apparent disorganization[7] of the league itself conspired to continually reschedule those few remaining regular season matches until April. Individually, notching his 15th goal, Rochester's Nelson Bergamo overtook Ivan Paletta of Philadelphia's Ukrainian Nationals for the ASL scoring title in the Lancers' final match of the season on April 28.[8]

The finals were played more than a month later in late May and early June. Newspaper stories at the time indicate that because the Boston Tigers had already closed up shop,[9] the league quickly adapted on the fly and matched First Division winners, Ukrainian Nationals of Philadelphia with Premier Division champions, New York Inter, instead playing semifinal matches, as was originally planned.[10][11] The Uke-Nats won the two-legged final, 8–4, on aggregate.

League standings
First Division
Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
Ukrainian Nationals 15 10 3 2 36 12 23
Boston Tigers 15 8 0 7 34 26 16
Washington Britannica 15 7 2 6 28 26 16
Rochester Lancers 15 6 2 7 34 31 14
Baltimore Flyers 15 4 3 8 17 35 11
Newark Ukrainian Sitch 15 4 2 9 15 34 10
Source:
Premier Division
Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
New York Inter[12] 11 7 4 0 36 12 18
Fall River Astros 11 6 3 2 23 13 15
Newark Portuguese 11 5 2 4 24 20 12
Patterson Roma SC 11 3 4 4 27 25 10
Hartford S.C.[lower-alpha 1] 5 2 1 2 9 8 5
N.B. Hungarian Americans 12 1 0 11 19 55 2
Updated to match(es) played on April 20, 1968. Source: [14]
Notes:
  1. Hartford S.C. requested and were granted a leave of absence for the remainder of season due to financial problems.[13]

Championship final
Team 1 Aggregate Team 2 First leg Second leg Attendance
Ukrainian Nationals8–4New York Inter3–35–1May 30 • Edison High Field • ???
June 9 • Eintracht Oval • ???

First leg
Ukrainian Nationals3–3New York Inter
Onofre Benitez (1st Half)
Serafin Marolla (1st Half)
Ivan Paletta 65'		 Report 1
Report 2		 Sloboda Diarejvic (1st Half)
Peter Millar (2nd Half), (2nd Half)

Second leg
New York Inter1–5Ukrainian Nationals
Report 1
Report 2
Report 3		 Ivan Paletta , , ,
Eintracht Oval, Astoria, New York

1969 ASL Champions: Ukrainian Nationals (8–4 aggregate)

References
  1. Loj, Alex (December 13, 1967). "Lancers Sure Of Spot in First Division". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. p. 6D. Retrieved November 9, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  2. Larson, Bertil (October 21, 1967). "Local Soccermen Cancel Schedule". Hartford Courant. p. 18. Retrieved November 9, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  3. "The Year in American Soccer - 1968". Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  4. Butz, George (January 17, 1968). "Winter Plays Havoc With Loop, Cup Tests". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 37. Retrieved November 10, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  5. Butz, George (February 28, 1968). "Reichel Snaps Scoring Slump With Hat Trick". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 31. Retrieved November 10, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  6. Butz, George (March 27, 1968). "Uke Nats Gain New Prestige". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 41. Retrieved November 10, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  7. Butz, George (February 7, 1968). "Corner Kicks". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 39. Retrieved November 10, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  8. Loj, Alex (April 29, 1968). "Lancers Gain Tie, Finish 4th". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. p. 6D. Retrieved November 10, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  9. "Ukes Inter SC Open Playoffs". The Philadelphia Inquirer. May 30, 1968. p. 23. Retrieved November 10, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  10. Butz, George (May 29, 1968). "Title Playoffs Open Here". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 31. Retrieved November 10, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  11. Butz, George (January 3, 1968). "Soccer Owners to Map Plans". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 31. Retrieved November 10, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  12. Butz, George (May 29, 1968). "Title Playoffs Open Here". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 31. Retrieved November 10, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  13. Larson, Bertil (October 21, 1967). "Local Soccermen Cancel Schedule". Hartford Courant. p. 18. Retrieved November 9, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  14. "The Year in American Soccer - 1968". Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
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