Lexington Books The Early Years of Chicago Soccer, 1887-1939 (Sport, Identity, and Culture)

For over a century, Chicago has played soccer. This work explains the early history of the game in the Second City, beginning with the 1887 formation of the Chicago Football Association, and concluding with the 1939 season and Chicago Sparta's National Open Cup win, which brought the trophy to the city for the first time. This study chronicles the early British immigrants who first transported and organized the game in Chicago. It documents the myriad ethnic groups and native born players that kicked in the city's many leagues, and examines the many championship tournaments, teams, and players that made Chicago one of the nation's early soccer powers. Review Gabe Logan is one of the foremost scholars of American soccer and this book helps explode the persistent but mistaken notion that the United States is not a soccer playing nation. He deftly traces the early history of the game in Chicago and skillfully integrates the sport into larger economic and cultural developments. Not only is the book a must read for historians of sport it will also prove valuable for those working in urban, immigration, and labor history.--Brian D. Bunk, University of MassachusettsA blueprint for future explorations of the hidden but rich histories of soccer in communities throughout the United States, Logan's study makes a convincing case for the Windy City's special status at the crossroads of sport, immigration, and labor studies. This book is full of surprises, forcing a reconsideration of who played what, where, and when, as sport became an integral element in American culture.--David Kilpatrick, Mercy CollegeGabe Logan passionately tells the untold story of soccer in Chicago. A must read for any scholar or fan of the "beautiful game".--Steven Apostolov, Mercy CollegeThis is a first-rate history of the global game in "The Second City." In this well-researched volume, Gabe Logan documents the deep historical roots of soccer in Chicago. Like its host city, Chicago's soccer past has been marked by both tenacity and endurance. From immigrant beginnings to early professional soccer, and from youth and ethnic clubs to corporately-sponsored teams, Logan breathes life into what he calls "Chicago's soccer mosaic." This is a local story, but it also includes the national and international narratives, while exploring the important themes of recreation, immigration, and labor. Truth be told, we need another fifty books like this, from other places around the country, to tell the whole American soccer story. A triumph!--Thomas McCabe, Rutgers University About the Author Gabe Logan is professor of history at Northern Michigan University.