Full name | Ukrainian American Sports Club Lions |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Ukrainian Lions |
Founded | 1949 |
League | National Soccer League (Chicago) |
The Ukrainian Lions was a soccer club that was operated by the Ukrainian American Sports Club. The club was based in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1949 by Ukrainians that had settled in the Chicago area after the Second World War. They competed professionally in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup (National Challenge Cup) and the National Soccer League (Chicago). All their home games were played at Hansen Stadium. There were 6 players from the Ukrainian Lions that played on the US National Team Willy Roy, Nick Krat, Orest Banach, Stefan Szefer, Fred Kovacs and Mike Noha.
In 1975, the Chicago Sting signed Ukrainian Lions players Willy Roy, Stefan Szefer, Richard Greene, Mike Winters, Eugene Andrus and Ian Stone for their inaugural season in the North American Soccer League. Other players that went on to play in the American Soccer League and the North American Soccer League were Nick Owcharuk with the San Diego Sockers, Leo Kulinczenko with the Los Angeles Skyhawks and Bill Mishalow with the Memphis Rogues. The club stopped operations in 2004.
Honors
- 1952-53, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1973–74
- Peel Cup: 1
- 1956
- 1972, 1974, 1977
Notable former players
- Orest Banach
- Mike Noha
- Willy Roy
- Leo Kulinczenko
- Bill Mishalow
- Nick Owcharuk
- Nick Krat
- Ian Stone (soccer)
- Eugene Andrus
- Mike Winters
- Richard Greene (soccer)
- Fred Kovacs
- Stefan Szefer
Former managers
- 1970–1986 Anatoly Hordinskyj
- 1974–1981 Vadim Mishalow
- 1969–1970 Orest Klufas
References
External links
- Футбол – Українська футбольна діаспора (in Ukrainian)
- Volyanska, M. Founders of the Ukrainian-American Sports Association "Lions" (Будівничі українсько-американського спортового товариства “Леви”). Ukrainian people.
- Pavlosyuk, Z. Ukrainian-American Sports Association "Lions" are champions again! (УАСТ “Леви” – знову чемпіони!). Chas I Podii. 11 June 2009
- Soccer clubs in Chicago
- Defunct soccer clubs in Illinois
- Ukrainian association football clubs outside Ukraine
- Association football clubs established in 1949
- Ukrainian-American culture in Chicago
- 1949 establishments in Illinois
- 2004 disestablishments in Illinois
- Association football clubs disestablished in 2004
- Diaspora soccer clubs in the United States