The Infinite Soccer Tie

In 1914, two teams in the American Cup were engaged in a deadlock for over a month. Despite a slew of games to break the draw, they just couldn't find a winner. That is, until a crazy rail mishap. Plus, we study some soccer chemistry, examine a horrible crime in Philly, and much more.

This week’s stories:

• 🤠 Austin FC’s “Alright” Birthday

• 🧪 Soccer Chemistry 101

• ♾️ The Infinite Soccer Tie

• 🧑‍⚖️ FIFA Punishes Philly Union

• 🗳️ Poll + Last Week’s Answers

• ➡️ And More

OUR HISTORY
Austin FC’s “Alright” Birthday

Six years ago, on January 15, 2019, MLS officially announced Austin FC as an expansion team. It was huge news, and it was only boosted by the great Matthew McConaughey becoming a co-owner and “Minister of Culture” at the club a few months later.

By now, you’ve probably seen many of his antics (he’s a baller).

But as we gear up to celebrate Austin’s anniversary tomorrow, it’s cool to look back at how McConaughey got there and how he impacted the fans from the jump.

SCIENCE
Soccer Chemistry 101

If you’re reading this, you probably pride yourself on being an American soccer nerd. But Paul Harvey from American Soccer Analysis may have us all beat.

He wrote about a simple metric to measure the strength of the connection between players on the pitch together, providing at-a-glance information about how teams are constructed and how they develop over time.

He basically quantified team cohesion and proved whether it matters for team performance or not. Just brilliant work.

COVER STORY
The Infinite Soccer Tie

One of my favorite things to do as a child was calling “last goal wins” and then staying outside for an extra hour before my parents had to hunt me down and drag me inside for dinner. The 1914 American Cup tie between Bethlehem Steel and West Hudson was exactly that but ten times worse.

They started playing in late December of 1913 and by early February 1914, they still didn’t have a winner.

The first game, held in December, finished as a 1-1 draw after extra time. Unfortunately, the replay in early January was an absolute slugfest when the organizers forced both teams to play in “a storm of sleet, wind and rain and on a field heavy with mud and water.” With 25 minutes left on the clock, the ref decided to simply call the game and just force another replay.

The third game was hosted in mid-January, but once again, the score ended 1-1 after extra time. It’d been nearly 310 total minutes of soccer between these two clubs. By this point, everyone involved was absolutely sick of the whole situation, and even the Gods had to intervene to make sure there’d be a winner somehow.

For the fourth game, now in February, the universe made sure two West Hudson players missed their train to Philadelphia ahead of the crucial duel. Part of me can’t help but wonder if their families had finally had enough and “grounded” them.

In this pivotal match, the score was still deadlocked at the half, but with their squad depleted, West Hudson collapsed in the final 45 minutes and surrendered three goals. It was all finally over.

To this day, that fixture between Bethlehem Steel and West Hudson is considered one of the longest — if not THE longest — cup ties in American soccer history. These types of situations were exactly why penalty shootouts were eventually introduced into our game.

CRIME
FIFA Punishes Philly Union

You’d expect this from NYCFC for being part of City Football Group. But no, it’s actually the Philadelphia Union who find themselves on the FIFA Registration Ban List.

Surprisingly, they’ve been banned since December 4th, and they’re the only American team on the list. They’re facing three registration periods of not being able to sign new players.

Here’s why they may have ended up on that infamous list and all the implications for the Union.

CLUBELEVEN
The Supporters Section

Let’s see what the community chooses between these common transfer tactics. We’ll highlight your best answers next week!

CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates

Gate-Gate: American soccer fans are hilarious but also just ruthless. The Earthquakes unveiled a new gate at their training facility, and Reddit let them have it. Too funny.

Post-Breakup Shots: Gregg Berhalter had a few things to say about his time coaching the USMNT. It was quite controversial. 

Whoops: The MLS transfer window is a hectic time. So much so that the league falsely confirmed a transfer that wasn’t actually happening.

Best Crest: It was written in the stars. This is your winner for the best new crest in USL 1.

No Show: I’ll always love Lucho Acosta for what he did at DC United. But it’s sad to see this happen over in Cincinnati.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE
From Milan to Vegas

The offseason always gets spicy around January, and this one is no exception.

Las Vegas Lights have made an incredible turnaround over the past couple of seasons, and now they’ve signed an Italian legend to lead them in 2025.

With 247 appearances in Serie A — including stints at Juventus and AC Milan — we’ll see if their star signing can cut it in USL. It’s tougher than many might expect.

BUSINESS
First Deal of Its Kind

It feels like every week we get a “first” in American soccer. And this is quite a remarkable one.

Yesterday, Orlando Pride became the very first club in the NWSL to sign a player directly from college, since the league’s removal of the Draft.

The club inked a one-year deal with Wake Forest’s Zara Chavoshi, who just helped her school reach the National Championship game a few months back. The NWSL defending champs are already strengthening their lines ahead of 2025. Scary.

CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️ 

Last week, we asked you: If you could buy a franchise in one American soccer league, which one would you choose? Here are some of your best answers:

• “I love the MLS as a whole but I feel like pro/rel is more of a potential reality in the USL. I think in order to unlock the true benefits of the beautiful game pro/rel must be possible. That's just me though. Love the newsletter by the way!” - Willie L. Alexander III

• “After the latest expansion team in NWSL I think the most accessible league and the one with the biggest ROI is probably that one.” - Ben

In the poll, “USL Championship” came in first with 37% of the vote. “MLS” followed closely with 30% of the vote, and “NWSL” ended third with 21%. In this case, I’m gonna have to go with USL like the majority of you. As Willie mentioned, the potential of pro/rel in that system is just too attractive to pass up, even if it obviously involves more risk as an owner.

PS: Thank you for the kind words Willie!

UP NEXT
Photos and Collections

We’ve rounded up all your entries to our 2024 North American Soccer Photo Contest, and it’s all in the hands of our judges now. Thanks to everyone who submitted their work! Stay tuned next week as we unveil the finalists.

Also, we’re looking for more soccer collections around the country! If you have any cool soccer memorabilia lying around just shoot us a message 😃.

Enjoying This?

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Have a great Tuesday!

Pablo