Soccer At Yankee Stadium
This article was written by Stephen R. Keeney
This article was published in Yankee Stadium 1923-2008: America’s First Modern Ballpark
Yankee Stadium had a long history hosting soccer, both exhibition matches and as a home field. The exhibition games often featured teams reflecting New York City’s historical immigrant communities. The first friendly at The Stadium featured Celtic, a beacon for the Irish community. Since the 1930s, several matches have featured teams of Jewish heritage. In the 1960s, Italian teams drew the biggest crowds, often playing against the legendary Pelé. While Yankee Stadium was not the city’s only host for such exhibitions, it was arguably the most prestigious.
The first soccer match at Yankee Stadium was an exhibition between Celtic (Glasgow, Scotland) and a local team known as the New York Yankees, on June 28, 1931.1 Celtic won 4-1, avenging a 4-3 loss to the Yankees in Boston earlier on Celtic’s dozen-plus-game preseason tour of several North American cities.2 The match drew 10,000 spectators.3 Two previous matches on Celtic’s national tour, at New York’s Polo Grounds, drew crowds of 30,0004 and 20,000.5 Both teams were reigning champions. Celtic won the 1931 Scottish Cup.6 The Yankees won the 1931 US Challenge Cup7 as the Fall River (Massachusetts) Marksmen before moving.8
Over the next decade, many exhibitions at Yankee Stadium featured teams of ethnic or national identity, especially Jewish identity. In September 1934 a team of local Jewish All-Stars beat a team of local Irish All-Stars, 3-0. The match drew 3,000 fans with the proceeds going to building funds for the Hope of Israel Centre and the Catholic Boys Club of New York.9 In September 1936, Israeli club Maccabi Tel-Aviv (called the “Maccabees” by the New York Times) played an exhibition match at Yankee Stadium against a New York State All-Stars team. The Maccabees won, 6-0, before 30,000 spectators,10 after an exhibition match between the Furriers Union and the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union.11 The Maccabees match was part of a world tour to persuade the International Olympic Committee to recognize an independent team from Palestine – then a British colony encompassing modern Israel and Palestine – to be included in the 1940 Olympics.12 Those Olympics were originally award to Tokyo, who withdrew as host under pressure from the Japanese government, in part due to Japan’s need of resources to conduct its wars of conquest in China.13 The games were transferred to Helsinki, Finland, before being canceled due to the onset of World War II.14 The Maccabees returned for another exhibition on November 8, 1936, which they lost 4-1 to a team of American Soccer League All-Stars.15 A similar bid to join FIFA,16 global soccer’s governing body, was complicated because the organization was almost exclusively Jewish,17 which contradicted FIFA’s rule requiring national associations to represent the whole population of the territory they represented.18
In May 1947, Hapoel, from soon-to-be-Israel, began a goodwill tour of America with a game at Yankee Stadium. The mayor of New York, delegates from the United Nations, and other dignitaries were slated to attend.19 While the organizers allegedly sold 60,000 tickets, the Times later reported that only 36,115 had attended an unnamed soccer exhibition in 1947.20 Another source listed the attendance at 43,117, making it the most-attended soccer game ever at old Yankee Stadium.21 This trend would continue. On April 29, 1956, the Israeli Olympic Team22 earned a 2-1 victory at the end of what the New York Times described as an “Arms for Israel” event attended by local and national politicians, including then-US Senator John F. Kennedy.23 That October, Israel, aided by France and England, invaded Egypt after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal in July. The Israeli National Team returned to Yankee Stadium, where it defeated an American Soccer League All-Star Team, 3-1, on October 15, 1967 – just months after the Six Day War between Israel and several Arab nations.24
Yankee Stadium hosted exhibitions for international teams and world-class clubs from Europe and South America. On June 15, 1952, 24,582 fans saw Tottenham defeat Manchester United, 7-1.25 The two teams were in top form, with each team topping the other for first and second place in the English Football League26 the prior two seasons, and playing each other in exhibitions earlier in that tour.27 That match was preceded by a warm-up match – the final of the Lewis Cup – in which the Philadelphia Nationals beat the New York Americans, 2-1.28
The 1950s brought bigger and bigger soccer teams to Yankee Stadium. For five weeks in October-November 1952, The Stadium hosted a weekly doubleheader of matches in the eight-team American Soccer League.29 On June 8, 1953, Yankee Stadium hosted a friendly between the United States and England. England won 6-3 in a rematch of one of the most famous upsets in World Cup history – the United States’ 1-0 victory over England at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.30 Also in June 1953, Liverpool finished an exhibition tour against the Swiss team BSC Young Boys at Yankee Stadium.31
The 1960s saw even more illustrious teams from around the world play at Yankee Stadium, especially Italian teams, often in matches featuring the legendary Pelé. Arguably the greatest player ever, Pelé visited Yankee Stadium several times with his Brazilian club, Santos. After his side won the first of his three World Cups with Brazil in 1958, the Brazilian government declared Pelé a national treasure to prevent Santos from selling his contract rights to European clubs.32
On September 5, 1966, Santos played the Italian powerhouse Inter Milan at Yankee Stadium.33 Santos had just won the Cup of Champions exhibition tournament34 on its American tour, and the two teams together had won the last four Intercontinental Cups: Santos in 1962 and 1963, and Inter in 1964 and 1965.35 Over 41,500 spectators – “the majority loudly pro-Italian” – saw Pelé score in Santos’s 4-1 win.36 The crowd was termed the largest for a soccer match in the United States in 40 years.37 The teams met again the following summer, with Inter winning 1-0 before over 37,000 fans on August 26, 1967.38 The match had been stopped for over 10 minutes when an on-field scuffle brought fans out of their seats and onto the field in defense of the Italian club.39
In 1968 Santos defeated the Italian club Napoli,40 4-2, at Yankee Stadium, with Pelé scoring before the crowd of 43,702.41 A few weeks later, Santos lost to the New York Generals, 5-3.42 Later that year, almost 37,000 fans turned out to see two of the world’s best individual players when Pelé’s Santos faced Eusebio’s Benfica (Lisbon, Portugal). The game ended in a 3-3 draw, with Eusebio scoring for Benfica.43 Real Madrid, the most successful club in European club competition, also appeared at Yankee Stadium that summer, defeating the New York Generals 4-1 on August 21.44
In 1969 several of Italy’s top clubs played exhibition matches at Yankee Stadium. On May 30, Barcelona defeated Juventus (Turin), 3-2.45 On July 27 Inter Milan defeated Sparta Prague on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regular time.46 That same day, AC Milan defeated the Greek club Panathinaikos 4-0.47 Two days later, AC Milan and Inter Milan played each other at Yankee Stadium, with AC Milan winning 6-4.48 Years later, continuing the Italian tradition, the Italian National Team played a friendly against England on May 28, 1976, as part of the USA Bicentennial Cup,49 a tournament eventually won by Brazil.50
In 1967 two different soccer teams called Yankee Stadium home. The New York Skyliners played in the United Soccer Association, finishing fifth out of six teams in the Eastern Division over the 12-game season. The USA was officially sanctioned as the top American league by FIFA.51
The New York Generals played in the National Professional Soccer League in 1967, finishing third out of five teams in the Eastern division in a 32-game season. The NPSL faced a minor scandal when a referee claimed that CBS employees secretly told referees to call imaginary fouls52 at certain intervals so the network could squeeze in commercials without fans missing any of the game.53
In 1968 the two leagues merged into the North American Soccer League, which operated until 1984. The Generals continued to play home games at Yankee Stadium in 1968, which was their last season. They finished third in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division, missing the playoffs.54
The most successful soccer team to call the old Yankee Stadium home was the New York Cosmos. The Cosmos played in the North American Soccer League from 1971 until the league folded in 1984. But they played at Yankee Stadium for only the 1971 and 1976 seasons. The league had been reduced from 17 teams in four divisions in 1968 to eight teams in two divisions by 1971. That year, the Cosmos finished second in the Northern Division, losing the first two of the best-of-three semifinal series to the Atlanta Chiefs. The Cosmos’ Bermudan forward Randy Horton was named Rookie of the Year, finishing second in the league in goals.55 After drawing small crowds, the Cosmos moved to Hofstra Stadium (at Hofstra University in Uniondale, New York, on Long Island)56 and then Downing Stadium (Randall’s Island, New York City).57 During the 1975 season, the Cosmos finally succeeded in bringing Pelé out of retirement. His arrival sparked a massive increase in attendance, and the Cosmos turned away would-be spectators because of the lower capacity of Downing Stadium.58
To handle bigger crowds, the Cosmos moved back to Yankee Stadium for the 1976 season. By then the league had increased to 20 teams in four divisions. The Cosmos finished second in the Eastern Division, making the playoffs, losing in the division final to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Predictably, Pelé won league MVP.59 The next season, the Cosmos permanently moved to the larger Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Cosmos were consistently successful throughout their existence. They reached the playoffs in all but three seasons (1974, 1975, and 1984), and won five NASL Championships (1972, 1977, 1978, 1980, and 1982).60
The Cosmos were the last soccer team to call the old Yankee Stadium home. But the new Yankee Stadium is home to New York City FC of Major League Soccer. NYCFC is owned by the City Football Group, a conglomerate of soccer teams from all over the world,61 which in turn is owned primarily by the royal family of Abu Dhabi.62 Yankees Global Enterprises, which owns the New York Yankees, owns 20 percent of NYCFC.63 Since joining MLS in 2015, NYCFC has made the playoffs every season except for 2015, winning the MLS Championship in 2021.64
From the early days of exhibition matches to becoming the home field for the greatest player ever, the old Yankee Stadium hosted some of the greatest teams and players in soccer history. Hundreds of thousands of fans watched champions from around the world play in The House that Ruth Built. Yankee Stadium has been a palace of champions, both on the diamond and on the pitch.
STEPHEN R. KEENEY is a lifelong Reds fan. He graduated from Miami University in 2010 and from Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law in 2013. He lives in Dayton, Ohio, with his wife and two children, and works as a union-side labor lawyer. He has contributed to several SABR publications, and his article “The Roster Depreciation Allowance: How Major League Baseball Teams Turn Profits into Losses” was selected for SABR 50 at 50: The Society for American Baseball Research’s Fifty Most Essential Contributions to the Game.
NOTES
1 Jack Bell, “Yankee Stadium, Like Its Predecessor, Is a Home to Soccer,” New York Times, July 21, 2012, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/sports/soccer/yankee-stadium-as-its-predecessor-did-opens-its-doors-to-soccer.html. Most of the exhibitions in this article were part of a national or continental tour by the foreign team played during the offseason, similar to barnstorming or traveling offseason trips played by baseball teams.
2 “Glasgow Celtics Conquer Yankees,” New York Times, June 29, 1931.
3 “Glasgow Celtics Conquer Yankees.”
4 May 24: Celtic (3) vs. (2) New York (Soccer) Giants; see “Soccer Giants Lose to the Celtics,” New York Times, May 25, 1931.
5 June 14: Celtic (1) vs. (1) Hakoah; see “Hakoah and Glasgow Celtics Play 1-1 Tie Before 20,000 at the Polo Grounds,” New York Times, June 14, 1931.
6 “Soccer Giants Lose to the Celtics.”
7 Precursor to the US Open Cup. (See Note 8.) In soccer, most countries have at least one tournament (usually with at least some knockout component) that runs concurrent with but separate from the league season. Imagine MLB having the regular season and at the same time having a full-league playoff, with each competition having its own distinct winner. In 1931 the US Challenge Cup was played in January-March before the regular season began. In Europe, soccer seasons usually run fall-spring, meaning the 1931 champion was the champion of the 1930-1931 season.
8 “Past Open Cup Winners,” USSoccer.com, https://www.ussoccer.com/us-open-cup-preview/past-open-cup-winners.
9 “Jewish Team Downs Irish at Soccer, 3-0,” New York Times, September 17, 1934.
10 “Maccabees Score, 6-0, Before 30,000,” New York Times, September 28, 1936.
11 “Maccabees Play All-Stars Today,” New York Times, September 27, 1936.
12 “Palestine Making Progress in Sport,” New York Times, September 20, 1936.
13 “Japanese Shamed by Loss of Games,” New York Times, July 15, 1938.
14 “Finnish Officials Cancel Olympics,” New York Times, April 24, 1940.
15 2022 New York Yankees Official Media Guide and Record Book, 405; accessible at https://pressbox.athletics.com/Publications/MLB%20Media%20Guides/2022%20New%20York%20Yankees%20Media%20Guide.pdf.
16 The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football).
17 In fact, several New York Times articles refer to the team as the “Jewish” team.
18 See Tamir Sorek, “Palestinian Nationalism Has Left the Field: A Shortened History of Arab Soccer in Israel,” International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 35 (2003): 417-437.
19 “60,000 to Watch Stadium Contest,” New York Times, May 4, 1947.
20 “Crowds in 1947 Set Mark for Stadium,” New York Times, December 28, 1947.
21 Clemente Lisi, “European Soccer at Yankee Stadium,” USSoccerPlayers.com, July 23, 2012, https://ussoccerplayers.com/2012/07/european-soccer-at-yankee-stadium.html.
22 Israel was later eliminated in Olympic Qualifying by the Soviet Union, which ended up winning the Gold Medal. “Russia Beats Israel, 2-1,” New York Times, August 1, 1956; “Olympic Football Tournament Melbourne 1956,” FIFA.com, https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/mensolympic/melbourne1956.
23 “Arms for Israel Urged at Rally,” New York Times, April 30, 1956; Gordon S. White Jr., “Israel Olympic Team Beats American Soccer League Stars at the Stadium,” New York Times, April 30, 1956.
24 2022 New York Yankees Official Media Guide and Record Book, 405.
25 Michael Strauss, “Tottenham Routs Manchester Before 24,582 Fans at Yankee Stadium,” New York Times, June 16, 1952.
26 The First Division of the English Football League was the top league in England at the time, but it became the Championship (the second-highest tier) after the creation of the English Premier League, the current top tier in English soccer.
27 “Top British Teams Clash Here Today,” New York Times, June 15, 1952.
28 Strauss, “Tottenham Routs Manchester.”
29 “Soccer Contract Signed,” New York Times, August 3, 1952; “Soccer Twin Bill at Stadium Today,” New York Times, October 12, 1952.
30 Travis Clark, “Tame Those Lions: Here’s How the USA Have Fared vs. England at All Levels,” MLSSoccer.com, October 19, 2017, https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/tame-those-lions-heres-how-usa-have-fared-vs-england-all-levels.
31 “Liverpool to Face Swiss Team Today,” New York Times, June 14, 1953.
32 “Pelé,” Britannica.com, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pele-Brazilian-athlete.
33 “Inter Milan and Santos to Play on Yankee Stadium Bill Today,” New York Times, September 5, 1966.
34 Held at Downing Stadium in New York City, a public stadium owned by the city, which also hosted many famous soccer clubs for exhibitions on their American tours.
35 The Intercontinental Cup was a two-legged championship between the champions of CONMEBOL (South America) and UEFA (Europe), which was later expanded to other federations. It was also the precursor to today’s FIFA Club World Cup.
36 Gerald Eskenazi, “41,598 See Santos Win in Soccer, 4-1,” New York Times, September 6, 1966.
37 “41,598 See Santos Win in Soccer, 4-1.”
38 Gerald Eskenazi, “37,063 See Inter Defeat Santos, 1-0,” New York Times, August 27, 1967.
39 “37,063 See Inter Defeat Santos, 1-0.”
40 Future home of fellow “greatest ever” candidate Diego Maradona.
41 Michael Strauss, “43,702 Watch Santos Turn Back Napoli, 4-2, in Soccer at Yankee Stadium,” New York Times, June 22, 1968.
42 2022 New York Yankees Official Media Guide and Record Book, 405.
43 Gerald Eskenazi, “36,904 See Late Rally by Santos Tie Benfica, 3-3; Generals Triumph 4-1,” New York Times, September 2, 1968.
44 2022 New York Yankees Official Media Guide and Record Book, 405.
45 Michael Strauss, “Barcelona Defeats Juventus Here, 3-2,” New York Times, May 31, 1969.
46 2022 New York Yankees Official Media Guide and Record Book, 405.
47 2022 New York Yankees Official Media Guide and Record Book, 405.
48 2022 New York Yankees Official Media Guide and Record Book, 405.
49 2022 New York Yankees Official Media Guide and Record Book, 405.
50 Alex Yannis, “Brazilians Take Soccer Cup,” New York Times, June 1, 1976.
51 K. Michael Gaschnitz, Statistical Encyclopedia of North American Professional Sports: All Major League Teams and Major Non-Team Events Year by Year, 1876 through 2006, 2d. Ed. (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company, Inc., 2008), 480-481.
52 See, “Foul: Letter to the Editor,” New York Times, March 31, 1968.
53 Gaschnitz, 482-483.
54 Gaschnitz, 498-499, 1508.
55 Gaschnitz, 543-544, 1507.
56 Gaschnitz, 1972, 1973.
57 Gaschnitz, 1974, 1975.
58 Gavin Newsham, “When Pele and Cosmos Were Kings,” TheGuardian.com, June 10, 2005, https://www.theguardian.com/football/2005/jun/10/sport.comment.
59 Gaschnitz, 634-636, 1507.
60 Gaschnitz, 1507.
61 “Our Clubs,” CityFootballGroup.com, https://www.cityfootballgroup.com/our-clubs/, last accessed September 9, 2022. The company’s flagship club is Manchester City, who have won four of the last five Premier League titles in England (2017/18, 2018/19, 2020/21, and 2021/22). “Seasons,” PremierLeague.com, https://www.premierleague.com/history/season-reviews, last accessed September 9, 2022.
62 “Ownership,” CityFootballGroup.com, https://www.cityfootballgroup.com/our-business/ownership/, last accessed September 9, 2022.
63 Mike Ozanian, “New York Yankees Hold Substantial Rights in $66 Billion Disney-Fox Deal,” Forbes.com, December 15, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2017/12/15/new-york-yankees-hold-substantial-rights-in-66-billion-disney-fox-deal/?sh=5ffa23474a34.
64 “MLS 2022 Fact and Record Book,” Major League Soccer, available at https://mlssoccer.app.box.com/s/qw8arv6wycfn127r8p847chr6185n2ed, last accessed September 9, 2022.