WSSFL 1927-28 season

Dec. 8, 2022 |  Categories:  Wisconsin   WSSFL  

On August 26, 1927 the Wisconsin State Soccer Football League met to iron out details for the 1927-28 season. League officials decided that there would be two entirely separate divisions in the league operating under the same organization. The first, or A division, was made up of Viking A.C. of Racine, Simmons Blues and Ke-Nash-A of Kenosha, F.C. Wacker and Vienna A.C. of Milwaukee, and the Sheboygan Sports Club. The second, or B division, was made up of the Viking A.C. second team, the F.C. Wacker second team, the Deutscher Sport Club of Kenosha, the Kohler Recreation Club team of Kohler, Wisc., and Deutscher Sport Verein of Milwaukee. The league also installed a promotion system whereby the team at the top of the B division would be promoted and the team at the bottom of the A division would be demoted.

The MacWhytes were not included in the A division because they were suspended from the league until the team produced the soccer ball they were alleged to have taken after being defeated by the Vikings in the state title game. Robert White, their manager, was suspended for one year due to the trouble at that game.

The season was split into the traditional fall and spring halves. The A division season ended on June 10, 1928 with the Simmons Blues and F.C. Wacker tied for first with 14 points each. But, Vienna A.C. protested their loss to Simmons on June 10 because the Simmons team was late arriving to the game in violation of league rules. The league grievance committee ruled against the protest. A playoff was then scheduled for Sunday, June 24 to determine the league champion.

On Friday, June 22, Vienna A.C. took the protest to the Wisconsin State Football Association. The WSFA ruled in favor of Vienna and ordered the WSSFL game replayed on June 24. Simmons traveled to Vienna A.C. field in Milwaukee. The Blues were losing 2-1 when the referee called the game with 13 minutes to go due to heavy rain. Under WSSFL rules the game stood and F.C. Wacker won the league title.

Chris Vance, manager of the Simmons Blues, appealed the loss to the U.S.F.A. Vance was of the opinion that conditions on June 24 were so bad that the game should not have even started. On September 25, 1928, after several months of bickering and protesting with state and national officials, the Simmons Blues notified the WSSFL and WSFA that it had been awarded a favorable decision in their protest and that the Simmons were entitled to their original win on June 10.

U.S.F.A. officials ordered that the game between F.C. Wacker and Simmons Blues be played to determine the 1927-28 WSSFL champions. The Wackers had been claiming the title since the close of the season. The U.S.F.A. also stipulated that the players who made up the rosters during the 1927-28 season be eligible for the WSSFL title game. As a result of the actions by the WSFA, the Simmons Blue withdrew from the WSSFL for the 1928-29 season.

The WSSFL title playoff was finally held on December 3, 1928 in the middle of the 1928-29 season. Even though the Simmons Blues had practically disbanded, the team practiced during the fall and managed to beat F.C. Wacker 3-0 on a wet Vienna field in Milwaukee.

Earlier that year, Viking A.C. beat the Simmons Blues 2-0 on Sunday, May 27, 1928 at Horlick Athletic Field in Racine to win the George S. Whyte Wisconsin Challenge Cup for the second straight year. Ke-Nash-A took part in the National Amateur Cup but lost 5-0 on November 20, 1927 to the Swedish-American team of Chicago.

Details are sparse concerning the B division and it is not known how that competition ended. Deutscher Sport Verein moved to the A division in 1928-29 so it is possible that team won the B division in 1927-28.