Historical soccer follow up

Thanks to those who viewed, shared, or contacted me about the previous post on pre-1950 south-central PA soccer. I have a couple local leads and will soon branch out beyond newspaper-based research. I also had an interesting twitter exchange with Ted Westervelt (@soccerreform). He's an activist and strong believer in soccer's American roots. Among other things, he talked about western PA as an "overlooked cradle of American soccer." From what I know, I completely agree with him. However, I am not sure I effectively communicated to him how different the demographics of south-central Adams County are from the Pittsburgh area, which is four hours away on today's roads. My view, which is upheld by my research so far, is that soccer did not begin the early 20th century with passionate roots in south-central PA. Unlike western PA with its recent working-class European immigrants, Adams county was largely a farming community with ancestors who  arrived in the 1700s, long before the game as we know it was developed. Instead I think the county's smaller schools, with their limited funds and tiny student bodies, embraced the game as their way into the "golden age of sport." We will see if what I find continues to bear my view out. Immigrants with a passion for soccer have in fact had an enormous effect on our local game, but that is a different story, one which won't unfold for another 50 years or so after the one I am hoping to tell.

Now how, if at all, did local players of the 20s and 30s participate in the wider world of soccer? Were they completely isolated, playing some clumsy farmhand version of the sport? I don't think so at all; but that answer will need to wait.