1928–29 American Soccer League

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1928–29 American Soccer League season

The league had 12 teams. Fall River F.C. won the league title, earning their fourth championship. The New York Nationals won the Lewis Cup, the league’s cup competition. The season’s top scorers were Werner Nilsen and János Nehadoma, each with 30 goals.

Season context and key events
- The season ran during the Soccer War between the American Soccer League and the United States Football Association. The ASL boycotted the National Challenge Cup in September 1928.
- Three teams—Bethlehem Steel, Newark Skeeters, and New York Giants—defied the boycott and entered the cup. In response, ASL president Bill Cunningham suspended and fined them.
- The USFA helped form the Eastern Professional Soccer League (EPSL), which included the suspended teams plus others from nearby leagues.

Schedule and team changes
- The first half of the season ended at different times for different teams, as early as December 25, 1928 and as late as January 13, 1929.
- The second half began late December 1928 for some teams and in early to mid-January 1929 for others, creating overlap where some teams were finishing the first half while others started the second.
- In December 1928, Jersey City joined as the ninth team for the second half but withdrew after seven games.
- On March 23, 1929, J&P Coats withdrew, were sold to new owners, renamed Pawtucket Rangers, and re-entered the league, taking over J&P Coats’ record. Pawtucket’s first game was March 30, 1929, a 2–1 loss to Fall River.
- The New Bedford Whalers left the league on March 17, 1929 to join the EPSL after a 4–0 win over Boston.

Outcome
- Fall River FC led the standings in both halves of the season and were declared league champions.
- The Lewis Cup final featured New York Nationals against New Bedford. After two matches the teams were tied on aggregate, so a third, winner-takes-all match was played at Hawthorne Field in Brooklyn, which New York won to take the cup.