16 February 1931 - America's Other New York Yankees

On 16 February 1931, the American Soccer League's Fall River Marksmen merged with the New York Soccer Club to form a new team--the New York Yankees.

The Marksmen were one of the ASL's most successful clubs, with seven league titles and three National Challenge Cup trophies from 1922 through 1930. But by the time they won their last league title in 1930 (despite playing only 27 of 30 matches), the Great Depression had lowered attendances across the league. In an effort to revive the team's flagging revenues, owner Sam Mark moved them from Fall River, Massachusetts to New York.

The team competed in the Spring 1931 league season as the New York Yankees, but had already registered for that year's National Challenge Cup under their former name. Accordingly, they participated in the two different competitions under two different names. As the Yankees, they finished third in the league, but as the Marksmen, they won the Cup, defeating the Chicago Bricklayers in a three-leg Final, behind strong play from their US internationals, Billy Gonsalves (above left) and Bert Patenaude (above right).

After splitting the first two matches of the Final, the Marksmen won the third leg 2-0. It was the last match the team ever played under either name, as the owner moved the team back to Massachusetts as the New Bedford Whalers.

3 February 1929 - Their Glory Truly Was Fleeting

On 3 February 1929, the New York Nationals won the Lewis Cup over New Bedford, beating them 4-2 in a playoff.

The Nationals had been created in 1927, when owner Charles Stedham (who also owned the New York Giants baseball team) bought and rebranded an older team, Indiana Flooring. In that first season, they won the National Challenge Cup, the predecessor to the US Open Cup.

They got off to an equally impressive start in their second season, 1928-29, finishing third in the first-half standings and advancing to the final of the Lewis Cup, which served as the league cup for the American Soccer League. There, they lost the first leg to New Bedford, 3-2, then won the second leg 2-1, to set up a decisive single-game playoff, played at Hawthorne Field in Brooklyn.

After a scoreless first half, New Bedford took the lead with a 46th-minute goal from former Everton star Sam Chedzgoy. But midfielder Jimmy Gallagher (pictured), who had been with the Nationals since 1925 when they were still called Indiana Flooring, scored a hat-trick between the 56th and 73rd minutes, followed by a goal from striker Johnny Nelson as the Nationals went on to win 4-2 (Sam Kennedy was the other scorer for New Bedford).

It turned out to be the last trophy for the Nationals, who became the New York Giants in 1930, though they won the league title under their new name in 1931 before withdrawing from the ASL in 1932.

3 January 1932 - When Giants Roamed The Earth

On 3 January 1932, the New York Giants came back from an 8-3 deficit to win the league 9-8 on aggregate over the New Bedford Whalers.

The Giants were owned by Charles Stoneham, who also owned the New York Giants baseball team. When he first acquired the football team in 1927, they were known as Indiana Flooring (and later, the New York Nationals), while another team in the league used the New York Giants name. When those Giants changed their name in 1931 to New York Soccer Club, Stoneham claimed the name for his team, who went on to win the Spring 1931 American Soccer League title.

In the fall table, they finished as runners-up to New Bedford, setting up a home-and-away playoff to decide the league's consolidated champions for the year. New Bedford hosted the first leg at their Battery Park ground on New Year's Day, winning 8-3. The teams then met at the Polo Grounds in New York City for the second leg two days later.

There, the Giants took a 3-0 lead into the break with goals from Shamus O'Brien (20'), Bert Patenaude (23'), and Bart McGhee (30'). While McGhee had been with the team since 1925, both O'Brien and Patenaude (pictured) were in their first seasons with the club, with O'Brien moving from the former New York Giants. Patenaude moved from the New York Yankees, which was a brief-lived merger between the Fall River Marksmen and the New York Soccer Club.

Down 8-6 on aggregate at the start of the second half, New York drew level with goals from O'Brien (53') and Jimmy Gallagher (67'). Gallagher, like McGhee, had been with the team since 1925, but had previously played for the other New York Giants team in 1924. Then, in the 80th minute, Patenaude scored again to put the Giants up 9-8, which ended up as the final score.

Despite the constant use of the New York Giants name in the American Soccer League from 1923 to 1932, when the second Giants team folded, the 1931 league title was the only one won by a team with that name.

16 February 1931 - America's Other New York Yankees

On 16 February 1931, the American Soccer League's Fall River Marksmen merged with the New York Soccer Club to form a new team--the New York Yankees.

The Marksmen were one of the ASL's most successful clubs, with seven league titles and three National Challenge Cup trophies from 1922 through 1930. But by the time they won their last league title in 1930 (despite playing only 27 of 30 matches), the Great Depression had lowered attendances across the league. In an effort to revive the team's flagging revenues, owner Sam Mark moved them from Fall River, Massachusetts to New York.

The team competed in the Spring 1931 league season as the New York Yankees, but had already registered for that year's National Challenge Cup under their former name. Accordingly, they participated in the two different competitions under two different names. As the Yankees, they finished third in the league, but as the Marksmen, they won the Cup, defeating the Chicago Bricklayers in a three-leg Final, behind strong play from their US internationals, Billy Gonsalves (above left) and Bert Patenaude (above right).

After splitting the first two matches of the Final, the Marksmen won the third leg 2-0. It was the last match the team ever played under either name, as the owner moved the team back to Massachusetts as the New Bedford Whalers.