Ukrainian Lions

Football club
Ukrainian American Sports Club Lions
Full nameUkrainian American Sports Club Lions
Nickname(s)The Ukrainian Lions
Founded1949
LeagueNational 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)[1] 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 Andruss 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[2]
  • Peel Cup: 1
1956
  • Illinois Governors Cup:3
1972, 1974, 1977

Notable former players

Former managers

  • 1970–1986Ukraine Anatoly Hordinskyj
  • 1974–1981Ukraine Vadim Mishalow
  • 1969–1970 Ukraine Orest Klufas

References

  1. ^ 1975 National Challenge Cup
  2. ^ National Soccer League (Chicago)
  • 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
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
  • Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine