Greek American AA

Greek American Atlas Astoria, commonly known as New York Greek American, is an American soccer team from New York City that currently plays in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. The club was formed in 1941 by Thomas Laris and is one of the most successful clubs in America's annual national soccer tournament, the U.S. Open Cup, winning four times, in 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1974. The team is one of the oldest American soccer clubs in existence and plays its games at the Metropolitan Oval in Maspeth, Queens.

New York Greek American Atlas
Full nameNew York Greek American Atlas Astoria Soccer Club
Nickname(s)Atlas, The Greeks
Founded1941
GroundMetropolitan Oval,
Maspeth, New York
Capacity1,000
FounderTom Laris
ChairmanGeorge Mellis[1]
General Manager Tony Drizis
Coach Michael Megaloudis (Head coach)[2]
Joe Ruesgen (Assistant coach)[3]
LeagueCosmopolitan Soccer League
2013–14Champions
WebsiteClub website

History

Greek American Atlas Astoria, formally New York Greek American Atlas Astoria Soccer Club, was formed in 1941.[4] The club was founded by Greek-American Tom Laris[5] and would go on to become one of the most successful and longest continually operating teams in American soccer history. The club has a long-standing rivalry with New York's Cypriot team and fellow multiple National Cup champion, the Pancyprian Freedoms.[6]

The team currently plays in the 5th tier of the American soccer pyramid, under the USASA in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League. The club plays out of the Metropolitan Oval in Maspeth, Queens and has been a perennial contender in the league, winning five of eleven Eastern New York Championships between 2001 and 2012.[7]

National Cup success

The Greek Americans have won America's nationwide domestic soccer tournament, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, formerly the National Challenge Cup, four times in its history, from 1967 to 1969 and in 1974. The club is one of only two teams, alongside the Seattle Sounders FC, to have won the annual tournament on three consecutive occasions.

While the club had not qualified for the Open Cup since 2005, it returned to the tournament in 2012 but lost in the first round to Reading United of the USL's Premier Development League (PDL), by a score of 2–1.[8]

The Greeks won re-entry to the Open Cup again in 2014 thanks to their USASA Amateur Cup regional championship,[9] being seeded in the second round. They won their first game against PDL opponents, Ocean City Nor'easters, 2–0.[10] before falling to Richmond Kickers in the 3rd round.[11] In 2014, after appearing in three consecutive National Cup finals, Atlas would finally lift the trophy for the first time in their history after defeating Guadalajara FC 4–2 in the final.[12]

Honors
  • National Challenge Cup winners: 4
1967, 1968, 1969, 1974
  • National Challenge Cup runners-up: 1
1989
  • US National Cup Champions: 1
2013–14
2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2016-17

U.S. Open Cup finals
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References
  1. Atlas Hit Vistula For Seven Archived 2014-08-26 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Greek American Atlas Win In Boston Archived 2014-08-26 at the Wayback Machine
  3. r Joe Ruesgen who shares coaching duties with Megaloudis’ father, Michael Archived 2014-08-26 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "2012 Meet the USASA:Four-time US Open Cup champion New York Greek American Atlas SC". TheCup.us. May 11, 2012. Retrieved Sep 16, 2012.
  5. http://usa.greekreporter.com/2013/05/16/n-y-atlas-soccer-marks-67th-year/
  6. "Ethnic Soccer Teams Drift Toward Diversity". The New York Times. May 7, 2011. Retrieved Sep 16, 2012.
  7. "2012 US Open Cup Qualifying: NY Greek American Atlas dispatch first-timers Battery Park Gunners in Region I opener". TheCup.us. April 4, 2012. Retrieved Sep 16, 2012.
  8. "Reading United soccer team beats Greek Americans, advances in U.S. Open Cup". bctv.org. May 16, 2012. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. Retrieved Sep 16, 2012.
  9. Michael Berton (June 17, 2013). "New USASA qualifying deadline for US Open Cup: Greek American Atlas, Icon FC first to qualify for 2014". TheCup.us. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  10. J.T. Alwin (May 7, 2014). "2014 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Results". Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-09-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2014-09-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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