Those of us who follow amateur soccer in some capacity know how hard it is for teams to get recognition outside of the little world where us enthusiasts reside. Even for the top clubs it takes some rare feat – Christos scoring first against DC United in an Open Cup match, for an example. It’s got to be something big. Something amazing.

So - what if I told you that there is an amateur side that went undefeated for the entire calendar year of 2021, won eight cups along the way, and yet many who follow soccer in this country still wouldn’t know them? Oh sure – some of you know who I’m talking about. But there are others who do not, and that’s a shame. Something needs to be done to rectify this, which is why I am nominating this club for 2021 Protagonist Soccer Club of the Year.

Ladies and gentlemen, please meet Lansdowne Yonkers FC – right now, the best amateur club in the country.

Formed in 1997, the Bhoys have been a top side in New York’s Cosmopolitan League for many years. For the 2020-21 season, they along with most of the Cosmo League’s first division moved to form the Metropolitan Conference of the new Eastern Premier Soccer League. Lansdowne started off the 2021 calendar year by going on an unbeaten run in league play, holding off the challenge from NY Pancyprian-Freedoms to win the inaugural conference championship. These two clubs would square off again in the EPSL championship, and Lansdowne emerged victorious.

In back-to-back days in June, the Bhoys won the Region 1 National Amateur Cup and the Region 1 Werner Fricker Cup, advancing to the national tournaments of both cups. To win their region’s National Amateur Cup, Lansdowne had to beat, in order: NY Greek Americans, Safira FC, FC Motown, then Brockton FC United in the semis before facing West Chester United in the finals. Wow – that’s a Who’s Who of amateur clubs in the Northeast.

Advancing to the national finals of National Amateur Cup, Lansdowne would defeat Aria SC to win the Fricker Cup. But before that, it would be the National Amateur Cup and defeating the highly-regarded Cal FC at Seatgeek Stadium.

Oh, and they took some time out to play in the NISA Independent Cup this summer and won their region, beating the likes of Mass United Rush and Newtown Pride FC, the previous holder of the National Amateur Cup championship. (I hope you’re keeping track of all of the top-notch sides the Bhoys beat in going undefeated this year.)

It should be mentioned here that Lansdowne Yonkers have an honorary captain that soccer fans in this country should probably know. Tommy Smyth, once a fixture on national soccer broadcasts, serves in the honorary role for the Bhoys and will even broadcast a streamed game or two. So if you missed goals being referred to as ‘bulges in the old onion bag’ you can catch Tommy brining that back on his calls.

Honestly, I do not know if there’s much more Lansdowne Yonkers could have done this year on the field, winning every tournament they played while maintaining such a high level in league. Perhaps they need to move on to issues off the field. Curing cancer, maybe. Or, maybe they tackle an even harder task: creating a true soccer pyramid in the United States. But hey – they’re a soccer club and not miracle workers.

- John Howard-Fusco