A.A.C. Eagles crest
A.A.C. Eagles
Chicago, IL 1940–present Midwest
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Polish immigrants in Chicago started this club in 1940. It has changed its name several times since, and it won the national amateur title in 1989 and the U.S. Open Cup in 1990.1,2

  1. Polish American Athletic Club1940
  2. Chicago Eaglesfrom 1950
  3. Chicago American Eagleslater
  4. Polish Eagleslater
  5. A.A.C. Eaglesby the 1990s
The club's names, in the order Wikipedia gives them. Most are undated.1

A Polish club in Chicago's league

The Eagles began in the National Soccer League of Chicago. It was founded in 1920, and unlike older local leagues built around British and Irish players, it drew on the city's other immigrant communities.4 The Polish American Athletic Club won the league's major division in 1949, and the Eagles won it in 1950 and shared it in 1954 and 1956.4

Their first national cup game was a 6–4 win over Hansa on November 16, 1947. In 1949 they reached the Western final, the national semifinal, and lost to Pittsburgh's Morgan Strasser 4–3 on aggregate.2 In 1953 a group of players who wanted more time on the field left to form the Falcons, and the Falcons won the National Challenge Cup in their first try.2

Joe Gryzik, born in Katowice, came to Chicago in 1949 and played halfback for the Eagles until 1965. He won the Peel Cup five times with them, once scored eight goals in a Peel Cup game, and played in the 1955 National Amateur Cup final, which the Eagles lost to the Pittsburgh Heidelberg Tornados. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1973.5

National champions, 1989 and 1990

In the Metropolitan Soccer League, the Eagles won the major division eight times between 1982 and 1991.4 In 1989 they won the National Amateur Cup and reached the Open Cup semifinals, losing on penalties to the St. Petersburg Kickers.1

The next year they went all the way. The final was played on July 28, 1990, at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis. Janusz Kieca scored first, the Brooklyn Italians equalized, and Piotr Modrzejewski won it in the 89th minute.3 It was six years before MLS began, and the Eagles were an amateur team.2

The 1990 U.S. Open Cup3
RoundOpponentScore
Region II semifinalMadison 56ers1–0
Region II finalMike Duffy's, Missouri1–0
National semifinalFC Dallas3–0
Final, IndianapolisBrooklyn Italians2–1

The title put the Eagles in the 1991 CONCACAF Champions' Cup, where Bermuda's PHC Zebras beat them 4–1 on aggregate in the first round.1

Amateurs against professionals

Professional teams returned to the Open Cup in 1995, and the Eagles' next four appearances ended in first-round losses: to the Chicago Stingers in 1995, the New York Freedom on a golden goal in 2002, Chicago Fire Premier in 2005 and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2008.1,2 They won the USASA Open Cup in 2002, as they had in 1989, and the Peel Cup in 1999 and 2000, and they sponsored the Chicago Eagles Select in the Premier Development League in 2001 and 2002.1,2

“We train with the mindset of a professional squad.”Peter Bielecki, defender, 20112

The club joined the United Premier Soccer League in 2022 and left after one spring season. It now plays in Chicago's amateur leagues, with a squad drawn mostly from Polish players, and its youth academy is affiliated with a club in Poland.1,6 The current club page is AAC Eagles.

  • U.S. Open Cup1990
  • National Amateur Cup1989
  • Peel Cup1950, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1963, 1999, 2000

Sources

  1. “A.A.C. Eagles.” Wikipedia.
  2. Gubala, David. “Meet the USASA: 1990 US Open Cup champions, AAC Eagles from Chicago.” The Cup, June 10, 2011.
  3. “1990 U.S. Open Cup.” Wikipedia.
  4. Litterer, David. “National Soccer League (Chicago).” American Soccer History Archives, 2008.
  5. “Joseph Gryzik.” Wikipedia.
  6. AAC Eagles Chicago Soccer Academy.