Putting the book in: American soccer literature to read this winter

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http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/2017/12/28/putting-the-book-in-american-soccer-literature-to-read-this-winter/

Putting the book in: American soccer literature to read this winter

People will sometimes ask me, “whatever possessed you to start digging up American soccer history and writing pieces about it?”

My answer is quite simple: envy.

Like most American kids, soccer was not the only sport I played. I played street hockey in the winter, touch football in the fall, baseball in the spring, and basketball whenever I could get an open basket. I not only played those sports, but I followed them—eagerly anticipating the 3:30 arrival of the afternoon Camden Courier-Post and devouring the box scores and game reports from the previous evening’s contests.

I also collected the Topps bubblegum cards of all of those sports—baseball, in particular, but with a special affinity for basketball cards because they actually included American Basketball Association players along with the NBA stars (the other sports did not include rival leagues like the World Hockey Association in their sets).

When I started playing soccer as an 8-year old in 1973, I naturally assumed I would slot it alongside the other sports. However, there were no soccer cards to be found…standings and statistics were not included in the newspaper…no Street & Smith’s annual season previews to whet my appetite. Nothing.

It drove me crazy.

As I got into my teens, and began to come across books like Basil Kane’s Kyle Rote Jr.’s Complete Handbook of Soccer (the book was, and technically still is miscredited to Kyle Rote Jr.) and Zander Hollander’s The Encyclopedia of American Soccer, I learned that American soccer did exist prior to 1967. Still, a lot of the story was not being told. And I resolved, when I got the time and resources, to help tell that story.

I’d like to think that my work—along with the much more important work of Colin Jose, Roger Allaway, David Wangerin and (dare I say it?) Ed Farnsworth has done a lot to fill in the gaps and connect those dots. Certainly, readers here have expressed appreciation for what they have read about famous teams and players from the 1920s to the present. So, in some small way, I can kick back and think “mission accomplished.”

Nevertheless…I’m still jealous.

Let’s face it—there will never be a Ken Burns’ Soccer. Too much material is forever lost to time. No one bothered to ask the players who played in the American Soccer League of the 1920s for their stories (Jim Smith in Hollander’s book had the chance, but he dismissed his interviewees’ stories about an “old” ASL and “Soccer War” as urban myth in his intro to his American Soccer League chapter—opportunity forever lost). To date, no uniforms from any of the 1920s ASL teams have been found. The league’s cup—the Lewis Cup—sits in a museum in Ukraine. No one made tobacco cards of Archie Stark, Billy Gonsalves, or Davie Brown.

And it’s not just in history and collectibles where American soccer unfortunately lags behind. In America, we get to enjoy some outstanding sports literature. Baseball, in particular, has inspired some absolutely magnificent writings over the decades. Go to a Barnes & Noble, however—or even your local library—and you are most likely to see books like Coaching Soccer For Eight Year Olds on the shelf before any “real” soccer literature.

As with history, however, great American soccer literature exists. You just need to know where to find it. With Amazon making the acquisition of out-of-print books easier than ever, digging up these forgotten classics is a snap. As the season for American soccer approaches, allow me to recommend these fine examples of American soccer literature.

(Note: I am deliberately omitting “history books” like Wangerin’s Soccer In A Football World.)

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7mvi7t/cole_we_know_what_we_have_to_do/

Cole: We Know What We Have To Do (rowdiessoccer.com)

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/870400

Cole: We Know What We Have To Do

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7mn7si/sch%C3%A4fer_eager_for_more_in_2018/

Schäfer Eager For More In 2018 (rowdiessoccer.com)

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/870276?referrer_id=2824806

Schäfer Eager For More In 2018

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7mmhum/rowdies_u23s_ricky_lopezespin_invited_to_mls/

Rowdies U23's Ricky Lopez-Espin Invited to MLS Combine (uslpdl.com)

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http://www.uslpdl.com/news_article/show/869148

MLS Combine List Includes 46 PDL Alums

Ricky Lopez-Espin - Creighton/Tampa Bay Rowdies U23

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7mjp5e/ralphs_mob_grand_theft_auto_mob_city_tifo_is_up/

Ralph’s Mob - “Grand Theft Auto, Mob City” Tifo is up for 2017 /r/MLS Best Tifo/Fan Display Award (self.TampaBayRowdies)

You can check it out (and vote) here:

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/7mis2w/stage_2_of_the_2017_rmls_awards_voting_thread/druc2uy/

Stage 2 of the 2017 /r/MLS Awards - Voting Thread (self.MLS)

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7mfi6y/collins_gearing_up_for_2018_season/

Collins Gearing Up For 2018 Season (rowdiessoccer.com)

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/870045?referrer_id=2824806

Collins Gearing Up For 2018 Season

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7ldbi9/2017_ruslpro_raise_your_game_awards_winners/

2017 r/USLPRO "Raise Your Game" Awards: WINNERS ANNOUNCED!!! - (Rowdies take home 3 awards) (reddit.com)

Four awards if you count the "Mitch Face" meme that was caused by Marcel Schäfer's rocket...

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https://www.reddit.com/r/USLPRO/comments/7laasx/2017_ruslpro_raise_your_game_awards_winners/

2017 r/USLPRO "Raise Your Game" Awards: WINNERS ANNOUNCED!!! self.USLPRO