Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-11
MAKES
RAPID STRIDES
AS ]. 8. SPORT.
Many Believe Americans Will
Soon Hold Their Own Against
EngIand's Best,

NEW YORK, Jan, l0.-Soccer
" football has made such rapid
strides within the past year as
an American sport that it's adherents
believe within short time this coun-
try will be able to hold its OWN
against the Britons.
Indeed, plans have been laid toward
shaping some strong elevens for the
Olympic games OF 1916 in Berlin AS
preliminary try-out the best aggre-
cations of the country viii take part
In a gigantic tournament at the ex-
position in San Francisco next year
While soccer has been known to
this country for the past 20 years. it
has gained prominence only within
the past decade. Naturally enough,
being at first a strictly English game,
VI made its appearance around the
seaport towns. II was introduced by
the English and Scotch immigrants
both here and in Canada. Naturally
the Canadians interested a number of
American border towns.
Detroit was one of the very first
American cities TO take to the sport
Away back in the early nineties a
team from Detroit entered the PENN
sular League, the first international
circuit, and in 1898 won the cham
pionship. Buffalo followed suit few
years later, but as an Institution the
game did not make an appearance in
Chicago-but a few hundred miles
west OF Detroit-until ten years after
ward
Play in Border Towns
In the early days, soccer football in
the United States was confined al
most exclusively to the border towns
of the Canadian frontier, New York.
New Jersey, Pennsylvania and vari-
Gus spots of New England Around
1900 st. Louis became interested and
promoted four club league In the
Mound City the English game made
rapid strides and soon the teams of
that locality were able to hold their
own against all sorts of opposition
More than ten years ago the soccer
game in the East and Middle West
had taken such a hold that two cele-
brated amateur English teams-the
Corinthians and Pilgrims-decided to
take a swing through the United
States after subduing the best Cana .
NA'ii ''fAAilos III ISuo, at the POLO
Grounds. crowd of more than 5000
witnessed one of these international
| combats
The English tours were more or
less triumphal, but ~ several Ameri-
can cities the "bloomin' Yankees
made the Britishers hustle at TOP
speed. a couple of years ago the
Pilgrims paid a second visit to this
country and at Fall Rivera town
which plays amateurs , and profess.
slonals miNed-was actually beaten.
1t is true that the Britons had a
very fine influence on association. or
| soccer football. in this country. They
| let the more or less crude Americans
| who learn very fast, in on many
| tricks and the finer points of the
| game. But even more good resulted
| from the reform wave that swept the
| country shortly afterward against the
| old style Cf mass play in American
| college football
Substitute Soccer Game.
II will be remembered in those pre =
! carious days Of our autumn college
| game large percentage of American
| colleges-Columbia among them
| actually prohibited football as we
| knew Il. Many Of the preparatory
and public schools followed the lead
| While the rules committees were
! frantically endeavoring to hit upon
some effective means of opening the
! play. valuable time was lost Soccer
| then got it's real opportunity. Many
Of the colleges and lesser schools
seized upon it as substitute.