1925–26 American Soccer League
Football league season
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Statistics of American Soccer League in season 1925â26.
| Season | 1924â25 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 12 |
| Champions | Fall River F.C. (3rd title) |
| Lewis Cup | New Bedford Whalers |
| Top goalscorer | Andy Stevens (44) |
â 1924â25 1926â27 â | |
Overview
In June 1925, the league admitted the Shawsheen Indians, winners of the 1924â25 National Challenge Cup.[1] The team was owned by William Madison Wood who also owned the American Woolen Company. The team began on a high note, goings 10-4-1 through its first fifteen games. However, in mid-December it experienced a reversal of form, going 1-10-2. When Wood died in February, the team withdrew from the league and disbanded.
Beginning on September 12, 1925, the American Soccer League began a forty-four game schedule which ended on May 31, 1926. The league introduced an innovation this season. Previously winners were selected on cumulative points. With many teams not completing all their scheduled games, the league adopted an approach similar to professional baseball which used a win percentage to determine its champions. However, rather than calculating a win-lose percentage, the American Soccer League calculated the percentage of points won versus the number of points available.
League standings
| Place | Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fall River F.C. | 44 | 30 | 12 | 2 | 143 | 52 | 72 | .819 |
| 2 | New Bedford Whalers | 44 | 28 | 5 | 11 | 119 | 70 | 61 | .693 |
| 3 | Boston | 42 | 23 | 7 | 13 | 100 | 65 | 53 | .634 |
| 4 | Bethlehem Steel | 35 | 23 | 6 | 12 | 115 | 58 | 52 | .616 |
| 5 | Providence | 39 | 21 | 5 | 13 | 90 | 62 | 47 | .602 |
| 6 | Indiana Flooring | 42 | 18 | 6 | 18 | 83 | 81 | 42 | .500 |
| 7 | Brooklyn Wanderers | 40 | 16 | 7 | 17 | 76 | 71 | 39 | .487 |
| 8 | J & P Coats | 40 | 15 | 7 | 17 | 76 | 91 | 37 | .474 |
| 9 | New York Giants | 37 | 13 | 6 | 18 | 76 | 90 | 32 | .432 |
| 10 | Shawsheen Indians[Note 1] | 44 | 11 | 3 | 30 | 33 | 89 | 25 | .284 |
| 11 | Philadelphia[Note 2] | 44 | 8 | 3 | 33 | 41 | 150 | 19 | .215 |
| 12 | Newark Skeeters | 38 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 30 | 124 | 15 | .202 |
- Shawsheen withdrew after 29 games (11-3-15). Their remaining fifteen games were counted as forfeits and their scheduled opponents received one point each. Forfeited games: Bethlehem Steel (2); Brooklyn (2); Indiana (1); J&P Coats (2); Newark (2); New Bedford (1); New York (2); Philadelphia (2); Providence (1)
- Philadelphia forfeited 3 games: Bethlehem (1); Boston (1); Indiana (1)
Lewis Cup
The American Soccer League ran its second league cup during the season. The winners were awarded the H.E. Lewis Cup.[2]
Bracket
| May 16â17 2-legged aggregate | May 22â23 2-legged aggregate | ||||||||||||
| MA | New Bedford Whalers | 6 | 2 | 8 | |||||||||
| RI | Providence | 0 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||
| MA | New Bedford Whalers | 5 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||
| NY | New York Giants | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||
| NY | New York Giants | 0 | 9 | 9 | |||||||||
| PA | Bethlehem Steel | 2 | 3 | 5 | |||||||||
Final
| New Bedford Whalers | 5â1 | New York Giants |
|---|---|---|
Andrew Burnett  8' (o.g.) Neil Turner 14'Robert Hosie 22' (o.g.) Neil Turner Andy Stevens |
Charlie Kelly (pen.) |
| New York Giants | 3â0 | New Bedford Whalers (MA) |
|---|---|---|
| Cecil Bremner Davey Brown 65' Tommy Duggan 70' |
New Bedford wins Lewis Cup, 5â4, on aggregate.