Yes believe it or not in the same year that they won the English League, Burnley went and joined the USA International soccer league.

This was the first modern attempt to create a major soccer league in the United States. The ISL was created in 1960, by Bill Cox, a former owner of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball club. He felt there was an audience for senior level competition among the urban populations and first-generation immigrant communities. The ISL imported major teams from Europe and other places around the world to play in the United States during their off-months. Most games took place in New York City, at either the Polo Grounds, Downing Stadium or Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City. A few other games were played in Chicago, Detroit and Chicopee, MA.

There were two divisions of equal stature (Division I and Division II). All clubs played each other on an equal basis, accumulating points on a league-wide system. At the end of the regular season, the divisional leaders would play a championship match.

Over the years, a steady stream of world teams joined and left the league, but there were usually 2-3 fairly major teams represented, although they did not always bring all of their top players. Dukla Prague was so strong, that the American Challenge Cup was instituted, in which they played the ISL Champion.

The lack of star players and low attendance ultimately led to the league's demise, but by then the push was on to develop a truly top-level league in the USA.

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1960 Results

Section I

Section II

1960 League Tables

Scoring System: 2 for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss.

Section I

Section II

Championship - Kilmarnock v Bangu

Bangu defeated Kilmarnock, 2-0.

Report

Bob Lord had longed to go to the States, and he hoped beyond hope that in this inauguration season of this competition his beloved Burnley would be chosen to play in it, his wish came true as Burnley departed on May 19th 1960 from Southampton on the SS United States. It was VIP treatment all the way as the party were met on arrival by the organiser Mr Cox. Bob Lord was assured that the hotel they were to stay in was one of the finest, but on arrival Bob was thoroughly dismayed, and complained to Mr Cox, his reply was, not a problem you will be found alternative accommodation. After searching New York for a while a suitable hotel was found on Seventh Avenue, funnily enough managed by a guy from of all places, Huddersfield.

Over the next few days things didn't go that well, as Burnley were being given some bad press, suggesting that they were being whingers and prima donnas, this was far from the truth and Bob Lord was getting angry as some of the made up stories were getting back to him via the English press.

Burnley won the first game against Bayern by 3-0, and the team thought it was going to be a really good tournament for them as this first game allowed for both teams playing skilful and flair football, the second game proved this theory to be totally wrong as the Scottish side Kilmarnock kicked them all over the park to beat us 2-0. After the game Bob Lord had quite a few words with the referee, who duly reported him to the FA, he was cleared of his misconduct a few months later. Burnley went on to beat both Glenavon and Nice and drew with New York finally finishing runners up in their League.

As part of their duties the English League asked the Burnley party to submit a report on how the Tournament had gone, Bob Lord's report didn't make for good reading, as he listed complaint after complaint about more or less everything from hotel accommodation to food costs to press reports etc etc.

Overall it was a bit of a disaster, and Bob Lord on his return to England made sure that any future participants from England knew exactly what they were going to face in participating. Everton were invited to play in 1961, but they were the last English team to take part, as the English League refused to send anymore representatives.

Photo of Statue of Liberty licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License. Photograph taken by Derek Jensen.