The Chicago Slovaks were a Chicago soccer team that was based in

Berwyn, Illinois Berwyn is a suburban city in Cook County, Illinois, coterminous with Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 57,250. History Before being s ...

. They were the 1941 winners of the Kelley Cup. In 1942 and 1951, the Chicago Slovaks won the Peter J. Peel Challenge Cup. They tied with the Vikings for the Peel cup in 1943. They participated in the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

and won in 1951, 1952, and 1954. Some of their players during that time were

Pete Matevich Pete Matevich is an American former soccer player who earned four caps, scoring two goals, as a member of the U.S. national team in 1949. Professional career Matevich was a member of the Chicago Maroons of the North American Soccer Football Lea ...

, who earned 4 caps for the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team ha ...

Bill Conterio William Amedeo Conterio (November 29, 1929 – August 9, 2017) was an American soccer midfielder. He was a member of the United States soccer teams at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics. Career Conterio was born in Chicago, Illinois at the st ...

, who was a member of the United States soccer team at the

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

and

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

, and also

Gino Gardassanich Gino Gard, born Gino Gardassanich ( hr, Gardašanić); (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2010) was a soccer goalkeeper who was a member of the United States team at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. He was born in Fiume, Free State of Fiume and died in ...

, who played for multiple clubs in Croatia, and also earned 6 caps with the

Another high point for the Chicago Slovaks was in 1970 when they made it all the way to the semifinals of the 1970 US Open Cup, which is the oldest and most prestigious tournament in the United States to this day. The Slovak Athletic Association is now the current form of the Slovaks, which is a club for Slovak-Americans living in the Chicago area that still nominates old players to the Illinois Soccer Hall of Fame to this day, however the club announced in July 2019 that it will be folding at the end of 2019 after 94 years in existence.

References

{{reflist Soccer clubs in Chicago European-American culture in Chicago Slovak-American history http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/peelcup.html