National Soccer League Opens Sept. 21
The National League soccer season will open Sunday, Sept. 21, according to Secretary Patrick, who also announced last night that an exhibition match will be played Sunday, Sept. 14, between a picked team from the New Jersey National League clubs and a picked team from the New York National League clubs. Later in the season a match will be played between the winners of the above game and a picked team from the Pennsylvania National League clubs. In other words, it will be a sort of elimination contest with the winner of the deciding match being recognized as the champions of the National Association Football League.
With the National League having decided to open its season next month, this will start the 1919-20 soccer season officially in this city, New Jersey and New York. It will also be the first time in the history of the sport in this country that league matches have been played in September. This action was adopted at a recent meeting of the National Association, however, owing to the circuit having 10 clubs heretofore awarded franchises, in any league since the days of the old Pennsylvania League, when such clubs as the Thistles, Hibernians, British-Americans, American Eagles, Albions, Corinthians and other leading clubs were members of the parent league in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia will be represented with two clubs in the National League. They are Disstons, of Tacony, and the Merchant Shipbuilding team, of Harriman, Pa.