Very Encouraging, Indeed
While the popularity of soccer is gradually taking hold in Bethlehem, the attendance here does not indicate anything like that experienced in other districts. The management of the local team is fully cognizant of this fact and although at times the response has been discouraging is patient in waiting until the "game has arrived." This is the season it is hoped will see the vast change and with games such as to be witnessed on Saturday afternoon when the Steel Workers oppose the Boston cup champions to continue throughout the Fall and Winter months, a big increase is expected in the ranks of soccer enthusiasts. Figures submitted by the American Soccer League executives disclose that despite the high temperature, acting as a deterrent to the highest grade of play, the league's fifth season was ushered in last week with nine games on as many playing pitches which attracted a combination attendance of more than 60,000 fans, notwithstanding many strong counter-attractions, including league and other baseball figures. Insofar as the league is concerned the report is indeed very encouraging. Locally fans are a bit skeptical in accepting the sport. But once it arrives it is sure to stick. While revisions in soccer rules have been few, one in particular that is certain to meet with favor and add to the attractiveness of the game is the one which has to do with the offside rule.
Deception on Forward Line
Deception on the forward line is that the scoring possibilities are more equally distributed among the front liners in an asset of the Steel Workers that has probably been missing in the last several seasons. With the newly arranged front line representing the Steel team this year, there is no one individual on which the opposing defense can concentrate in bottling up or giving exclusive attention. This probably was the case in the past, particularly last season when the Steel Workers relied most exclusively on the accuracy of Archie Stark to place the ball in the net. As a result Stark in every game was the target of the closest surveillance but in spite of this disadvantage blazed through the season as the league's highest individual goal scorer with a total of 67. Unless badly mistaken the Steel Workers have a goal scoring forward line this season. It is significant to note that in the game in which Bethlehem rode through shod over Newark last Sunday, six goals were notched and not one came from the boot or the head or Bethlehem's brilliant center forward.