Bethlehem Steel played most of their history in the American Soccer League (ASL), which ranked among the most professional of the many regional soccer leagues in the country at the time. During the club’s 20-year run, the Steelworkers, as they were known, claimed five U.S. Open Cups and nine league championships.
The team was well-known for attracting talented players from European leagues to play in the little hamlet of Bethlehem, PA.
Continuing Impact
While Bethlehem Steel got the ball rolling a century ago, they’re far from the only team from the area to lift the Open Cup. Uhrik Truckers (also known as Philadelphia German-American) won the 1936 edition and went to two further Finals. Pittsburgh Gallatin (1942) and Morgan-Strasser (1949) also lifted the Open Cup.
In all, six teams from the Keystone State have claimed 14 Open Cup titles. Only the states of New York and California can claim more Open Cup titles than Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals dominated the competition in the 1950s and 60s, claiming four titles. The Harmarville Hurricanes – from the coal mines in the Pittsburgh area – nabbed two Open Cup crowns in 1952 and 1956.
“We were the best team in American soccer at the time,” said the late Alexandre Ely, playmaker for the Philly Ukrainian teams of old (Open Cup Champs in 1960, 1961, 1963 and 1966). “We didn’t play like other teams played – we liked to keep the ball and move it around.”
Without Pennsylvania’s participation in the sport, we might not even have a Soccer Hall of Fame – where Ukrainian legend Ely was inducted as part of the Class of 1997.
The HOF was founded by the Philadelphia Oldtimers Soccer Association. A group of former players from the area originally formed the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950, formally inducting its first 15 members. Three years later, the National Soccer Hall of Fame was transferred to the United States Soccer Football Association (eventually renamed US Soccer).
