Coats Trophy Winners in the American League
Although somewhat tainted by the refusal of J & P Coats to play one of the two scheduled games over the weekend as decreed by the Emergency Committee of the American Soccer League, the trophy offered for the winner of the campaign just closed will remain in the possession of the Pawtucket, R. I., clan. Coats refused to play the scheduled game with Bethlehem on Saturday, willing to forfeit the points and expose the club to the penalty of a $250 fine. However, Coats journeyed to Paterson yesterday and by defeating the National champions by the score of 2 goals to none, the victory brings the league campaigning to a close and carries with it the bunting emblematic of championship. When Coats entered the fracas with Paterson the club was leading in the league r ace by a one point advantage in the league standing.
Bad for League Sovver
The action of the Coats team in refusing to honor the schedule with a game here is just exactly what it is believed the league when organized had in mind when adopting stringent regulations relative to clubs refusing to report for games or showing up on the field short of players. Bethlehem in the past has had numerous experiences such as occurred on Saturday and it certainly did not help to increase the patronage or stimulate interest. Before Bethlehem campaigned in the infant soccer league which was operated it is said with huge success during the two seasons of its existence, it was nothing unusual to have fans gather on the Steel Field only to be informed that the opposing club would not appear or to have a club appear minus players for quite a few positions. Therefore when the old league "blew" up and the American League was organized to replace it, it was given to understand that the disappointment occasioned by the canceling of games was a thing of the past and fans were beginning to believe that this was true. Bethlehem probably did not draw on a part with other clubs and frequently it is believed efforts were made to transfer the games elsewhere but the promoters were firm in their stand and refused to comply with these suggestions in spite of the luring recompense they offered. The game with Coats for Saturday would have been played under the most ideal conditions and the real drawing power of the local club tested.