The Hakoah soccer team maintained its reputation as champions of the game in two spectacular contests at the Polo Grounds, New York, on Saturday, and in Providence on Sunday, A record attendance of over 40,000 and over 6,000 in Providence witnessed the Hakoah eleven’s contests with America’s best players.
Both in New York, where the Hakoah lost to the New York Giants and Indiana Floorings with a score of 3–0 and in Providence where the score in their game with the Providence team of the American Soccer League was a tie of 2 to 2, the skill and swiftness of the all-Jewish team was recognized and highly praised.
The Hakoah team left New York with an even break against the best New York could place in the field.
While defeated, the men of Hakoah were by no means disgraced. They gave a brilliant exhibition worthy of the record crowd. Although behind at half time by 1–0, they had most of the play in the first half, during which New York, after ten minutes, scored through what many regarded as a lucky break.
Of a total of eight corners in that period six went to the credit of Hakoah. The team work of the Hakoah was superb and time and again had the crowd on its feet. In shooting, on the other hand, they fell below the standard and this is where they lost. The victors really owed their success to its impenetrable defense and its ability to take advantage of openings.
In the second half the play was more even, each side getting two corners. Brown, the centre forward of the New York Giants, who figured prominently in the international match against Canada, shot the first goal ten minutes from the start. The next score was not made until the second period had been in progress thirty minutes, when Carlson, Indiana’s star forward, penetrated the Hakoah net. Duggan, also of the Giants, made the third score.
Neufeld was again in evidence on the right wing and had the crowd with him from the beginning. He forced a corner inside of three minutes. The Hakoah players kept up the pressure, drawing continuous applause.
Fabian, the Hakoah goal keeper, who brought cheer after cheer from the crowd for his fine saves all through the game was away from the goal when Brown scored. He had leaped out to intercept the play and the goal was made before he could get back.
From the scoring of the goal until the end of the period, Hakoah had all the better of the going, with the play in New York territory practically all of the time.
The Hakoah started with a rush in the second period and before five minutes they had made six attempts at the New York goal. Two of these were by Hess, two by Schwartz and two by Haeusler. Despite the fact that the spectators were pro-Hakoah the New York team was enthusiastically applauded when its two goals, late in the second period, clinched the game.
In the Providence game on Sunday, the players displayed remarkable ability in their short passing game. Time after time they took the ball near the centre of the field and sent it down to the opponents’ goal with an amazing series of passes. So quick were the Jewish stars on their feet that Providence could not check the advance until Hakoah had approached the goal mouth. It was evident that if the Hakoah had a scoring attack half as powerful as its passing game it would have swept the Providence players from the field.
Fabian, goal guardian for the Hakoah team, made a wonderful showing and his work was really the main feature of the Hakoah team’s defensive. He blocked almost impossible drives repeatedly and was applauded throughout the game.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
