1961 International Soccer League
Official programme for the final | |
| Season | 1961 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 16 |
| Champions | Dukla Prague |
| Top goalscorer | Rudolf Kučera (15 goals)[1] |
← 1960 1962 → | |
The 1961 season was the second edition of the International Soccer League. Played in the United States and Canada by teams invited from Europe, the tournament featured two groups of eight teams, who played a round-robin format. The final, held in August, was a two-legged tie between the winner of each group to decide the overall champion.
League standings
Section I
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everton | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 5 | +17 | 12 |
| 2 | Bangu | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 8 | +10 | 9 |
| 3 | New York Americans | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 18 | −5 | 8 |
| 4 | Karlsruher SC | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 7 |
| 5 | Kilmarnock | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 13 | −1 | 6 |
| 6 | Montreal Concordia | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 5 |
| 7 | Dinamo București | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 5 |
| 8 | Beşiktaş | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 19 | −11 | 4 |
| 17 May | Beşiktaş | 3–1 | Karlsruhe | New York, NY |
| Şenol Birol | [2] | Reinhold Wischnowsky | Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 9538 Referee: Peter Rhodes |
| 25 May | Everton | 2–1 | Kilmarnock FC | Montreal, QC |
| news [3] | Stadium: Molson Stadium Attendance: 6,000 |
| 28 May | Bangu | 6–1 | Beşiktaş | New York, NY |
| Zé Maria 30' Valter dos Santos 8' 28' Ademir da Guia 34' |
[3] | Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 7130 |
| 23 May | Montreal Concordia | 0–1 | Everton | Montreal, QC |
| Hector Lopez 87' | Preview[4] post[5] |
Billy Bingham 22' Alec Young 72' |
Stadium: Molson Stadium Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Cameron McShane |
| 30 May | Montreal Concordia | 2–0 | Dinamo Bucharest | Montreal, QC |
| Tito Maule 25' Apard Kiraly 50' |
news[6] | Stadium: Molson Stadium Referee: Peter Rhodes |
| 30 May | New York Americans | 1–0 | Beşiktaş | New York, NY |
| Raul Seoane | [4] | Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 10212 |
| 30 May | Karlsruher SC | 3–2 | Kilmarnock FC |
| 1 June | Kilmarnock FC | 4–0 | New York Americans | Montreal, QC |
| 7:00pm | Hughie Brown (31') Andy Kerr (43') Bert Black (65') Matt Watson (84') |
news [7] | Stadium: Molson Stadium Attendance: 7000[8] |
| 1 June | Montreal Concordia | 1–1 | Beşiktaş | Montreal, QC |
| 9:00pm | José Sanches 48' | [5] | Şenol Birol 15' | Stadium: Molson Stadium Attendance: 5500 Referee: Peter Rhodes |
| 8 June | Kilmarnock | 1–1 | Beşiktaş | Montreal, QC |
| Billy Muir 12' | [6] [7] | Selim Soydan 7' | Stadium: Molson Stadium Referee: Tom Cuthbert |
| 14 June | Everton | 4–0 | Beşiktaş | New York, NY |
| Bobby Collins Frank Wignall Alex Young |
[8] | Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 5000 Referee: John Best |
| 18 June | Dinamo București | 5–2 | Beşiktaş | New York, NY |
| Constantin David Iosif Varga Constantin Frățilă |
[9] | Şenol Birol Arif Özataç |
Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 7331 Referee: Peter Rhodes |
Section II
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dukla Prague | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 6 | +30 | 13 |
| 2 | Montreal Concordia | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 10 | +7 | 10 |
| 3 | AS Monaco | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 13 | +5 | 8 |
| 4 | Red Star Belgrade | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 17 | +7 | 7 |
| 5 | RCD Español | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 7 |
| 6 | Rapid Wien | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 18 | −6 | 5 |
| 7 | Shamrock Rovers | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 26 | −14 | 4 |
| 8 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 31 | −25 | 2 |
Source: [9]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
| 15 June | Shamrock Rovers | 2–2 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | New York, NY |
| Frank O'Neill | Zaharia Ratzabi Nahum Stelmach |
Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 12,244 Referee: Nels Dahlquist |
| 27 June | Dukla Prague | 4–2 | Red Star Belgrade | Montreal, QC |
| Josef Masopust 24' Rudolf Kučera 81', 84' Svatopluk Pluskal 88' |
[10] | Vojislav Melić 14' Branko Zebec 90' |
Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Bel Betts |
| 27 June | Montreal Concordia | 4–0 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | Montreal, QC |
| Humberto Gambaro 40', 44' Ken Leek 51' Sam Lawrie 88' |
[11] | Stadium: Molson Stadium Attendance: 10,000 |
| 2 July | Dukla Prague | 7–1 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | New York, NY |
| Svatopluk Pluskal Rudolf Kučera Jaroslav Borovička Josef Vacenovský |
[12] | Zecharia Ratzabi | Referee: Mohl |
| 2 July | AS Monaco | 3–2 | Rapid Wien | |
| [13] |
| 4 July | Montreal Concordia | 1–1 | RCD Español | Montreal, QC |
| Sam Lawrie 67' | [14] | Antonio Camps 7' | Stadium: Molson Stadium Attendance: 4,500 |
| 4 July | Shamrock Rovers | 1–4 | AS Monaco | New York, NY |
| Frank O'Neill 23' | Bart Carlier 53' Lucien Cossou 60' Henri Biancheri 64' Claude Peretti 72' |
Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 8,615 Referee: Nels Dahlquist |
| 4 July | Dukla Prague | 6–0 | Rapid Wien | |
| [15] |
| 6 July | Montreal Concordia | 2–2 | Dukla Prague | Montreal, QC |
| Tommy Barrett 26' (pen.) Ken Leek 42' |
[16] | Josef Jelínek 25' Josef Vacenovský 65' |
| 9 July | Montreal Concordia | 2–2 | Red Star Belgrade | |
| [17] |
| 9 July | Shamrock Rovers | 1–4 | RCD Español | New York, NY |
| Liam Tuohy (footballer) 68' | Índio Da Luz 18', 28' Ramón Carranza 61' Ronnie Nolan 69' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 10,208 Referee: Nels Dahlquist |
| 11 July | Montreal Concordia | 3–2 | Rapid Wien | Montreal, QC |
| Humberto Gambaro 21' Tommy Barrett 31' (pen.) Ron Heckman 87' |
[18] | Rudi Flögel 4' Walter Seitl 9' |
Stadium: Molson Stadium Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Mike Devine |
| 12 July | Red Star Belgrade | 7–2 | RCD Español | New York, NY |
| [19] | Attendance: 17,000 |
| 12 July | Dukla Prague | 2–0 | AS Monaco | New York, NY |
| Josef Vacenovský 6' Josef Jelínek 41' |
[19] | Attendance: 17,000 |
| 16 July | Shamrock Rovers | 5–1 | Red Star Belgrade | New York, NY |
| Tony Byrne Paddy Ambrose Frank O'Neill Liam Tuohy |
Novak Tomić | Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 10,701[20] Referee: William Peters |
| 16 July | Dukla Prague | 5–1 | RCD Español | New York, NY |
| Josef Vacenovský 31' Josef Masopust 64' Rudolf Kučera 67', 78' Josef Jelínek 89' |
[21] | Índio Da Luz 8' | Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 10,701 Referee: George Mohl |
| 18 July | Montreal Concordia | 3–1 | AS Monaco | Montreal, QC |
| Humberto Gambaro Jose Sanches |
[9] | Bert Carlier | Stadium: Molson Stadium Attendance: 4,500 |
| 19 July | Shamrock Rovers | 1–3 | SK Rapid Wien | New York, NY |
| Frank O'Neill 79' | Josef Höltl 3' Walter Seitl 35' Rudi Flögel 74' |
Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 10,701 Referee: Jim McLean |
| 20 July | Red Star Belgrade | 7–0 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | |
| [22] |
| 23 July | AS Monaco | 3–0 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | |
| [23] |
| 23 July | SK Rapid Wien | 3–0 | RCD Español | |
| [23] |
| 24 July | Montreal Concordia | 2–2 | Shamrock Rovers | Montreal, QC |
| Olivio Lacerdo 38' José Sanches 51' |
[24] | Liam Hennessy 29' Tommy Hamilton 59' |
Stadium: Molson Stadium Attendance: 400 |
| 30 July | Shamrock Rovers | 0–10 | Dukla Prague | New York, NY |
| [25] | Rudolf Kučera Josef Vacenovský Josef Masopust Jan Brumovský Jaroslav Borovička |
Stadium: Polo Grounds Attendance: 5,180 Referee: Leo Goldstein |
| 30 July | Rapid Wien | 2–2 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | Fall River, MA |
| [25] |
| 30 July | AS Monaco | 4–2 | Red Star Belgrade | Fall River, MA |
| [25] |
Championship finals
First leg
| Dukla Prague | 7–2 | Everton |
|---|---|---|
| Rudolf Kučera Josef Jelínek Jaroslav Borovička Jan Brumovský Josef Masopust |
[26] | Roy Vernon Alex Young |
Second leg
| Team details | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Dukla Prague won 9–2 on aggregate.
References
- ^ Holroyd, Steve (24 October 1999). "The Year in American Soccer - 1961". sover.net. Archived from the original on 13 November 1999.
- ^ "Concordia Blanks Ulster". The Montreal Gazette. 13 May 1961. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Gillespie, Norman (26 May 1961). "Collins Paces Everton Over Kilmarnock". The Montreal Gazette. p. 30. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
- ^ Gillespie, Norman (23 May 1961). "International League Makes Debut Concordia Meets Everton Tonight". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Gillespie, Norman (24 May 1961). "Everton Eleven Defeats Concordia 1–0". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
- ^ Gillespie, Norman (31 May 1961). "Concordia Beats Dynamo". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
- ^ Gillespie, Norman (2 June 1961). "Kilmarnock Wins, Concordia, Besiktas Tie 1-1". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
- ^ Note: The match was a double header with Montreal Concordia vs. Beşiktaş following.
- ^ a b "Concordia Rallies To Beat Monaco". The Montreal Gazette. 19 July 1961. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ "Dukla zahájila v Americe vítězně". Rudé právo (in Czech). 29 June 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ Gillespie, Norman (28 June 1961). "Concordia Blanks Israel Dukla Upsets Yugoslavia". The Montreal Gazette. p. 24. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Vysoké vítězství fotbalistů DUKLY". Rudé právo (in Czech). 4 July 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Soccer". The Montreal Gazette. 3 July 1961. p. 18. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ Gillespie, Norman (5 July 1961). "Sam Lawrie Gets Equalizer As Concordia Holds Espanol To 1-1 Deadlock". The Montreal Gazette. p. 22. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ Briordy, William J. (5 July 1961). "Dukla, Monaco Triumph in Soccer Games Here". New York Times. p. 44. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Čtvrté utkání nerozhodně". Rudé právo (in Czech). 8 July 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Soccer Record". The Montreal Gazette. 10 July 1961. p. 21. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ Gillespie, Norman (12 July 1961). "Concordia Wins Over Rapid 3-2". The Montreal Gazette. p. 26. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ a b "New York: čtvrté vítězství fotbalistů Dukly". Rudé právo (in Czech). 14 July 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ Note: The match was a double header with Dukla Prague vs. RCD Español following.
- ^ Briordy, William J. (17 July 1961). "Dukla Wins, 5-1, Clinches Tie for Soccer Title". New York Times. p. 18. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "Soccer Record". The Montreal Gazette. 21 July 1961. p. 22. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Soccer Record". The Montreal Gazette. 24 July 1961. p. 18. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ Norman Gillespie: Concordia, Shamrock Rovers Tie, The Montreal Gazette, 25 July 1961, p. 21
- ^ a b c "Dukla Praha-Shamrock Rovers 10:0!". Rudé právo (in Czech). 8 July 1961. p. 8. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ "Vysoké vítězství Dukly Praha". Rudé právo (in Czech). 4 August 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ "DUKLA Praha vítězem turnaje v USA". Rudé právo (in Czech). 7 August 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- Series on "Pitch Invasion" by Tom Dunmore from 2011:
- Part 3: Expanded Dreamsn
- Part 4: Struggling Towards Orbit