Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-11
MAKES
RAPID STRIDES
As j. 6. SPORT
Many Believe Americans Will
Soon Hold Their Own Against
EngIand's Best.

NEW YORK, Jan. To- Soccer
football has made such rapid
strides within tbs past year as
an American sport that rs adhorents
believe within "a snort time this cum.
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
u 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 IS years, it
has gained prominence only within
the past decade. Naturally enough,
being at first strictly English game,
1t made its appearance, around the
seaport towns 1t 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 1893 won the cham
pionship. Buffalo followed suit a few
years later, but as an institution the
game did not make an appearance in
Chicago-but 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 then
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 PNgrims-dectded to
| take swing through the United
States after subduing the best Cana
dian teams. In 1905, at the Pole
Grounds. a crowd of more than 5000
| witnessed one of these international
| combats.
The English tours were more OF
less triumphal, but at several Ameri
! can cities the "bloomin' Yankees
made the Britishers hustle at tor
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.
| sionals miXed-was actually beaten
1t is true that the Britons had a
very fine influence on association, OF
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 afterwsrd against the
old style of mass play in American
college football
Substitute Soccer Game.
: II Will be remembered in those pre-.
carious days OF our autumn colleg,
game large percentage of American
colleges--Columbia among them
; actually prohibited football as W,
knew t. Many of the preparator,
and public schools followed the lead
While the rules committees wer,
, frantically endeaNoring 10 hit tlpoI
. some effective means OF opening tn,
play, valuable time was lost Socce
, then got its real opportunity. Man,
Of the colleges and lesser SCHOOL,
seized upon It as & substitute