U.A.S.C. TRYZUB CELEBRATES 60 YEARS OF UKRAINIAN NATIONALS SOCCER AND SPORTS PROGRAMMING

First fielded in 1950, “Tryzub’s” amateur soccer team rapidly became the premier professional soccer franchise in the United States.  In 1959, the club acquired the American Soccer League’s Philadelphia Nationals, aptly renamed it the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals and proceeded to win the U.S. Open Cup Championship the very following year.  No one will ever forget the fever-pitched deafening thunder of the Ukrainian American community’s cheers as “Nasha Druzhyna” (“Our Team”) reached the heights of success.  Some highlights include:

• 1956 -  U.S. Amateur Cup Final in St. Louis, Missouri
• 1960’s – Six American Soccer League Professional Championships
• 1960,61,63, and 66 – Four U.S. Open Cup Professional Championships
• 1960’s –  Five U.S. Open Cup Finals

Tryzub’s was the first soccer team in the United States to have home games televised and played in the first indoor regulation soccer game in Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey.  Soccer teams from around the world visited Philadelphia to play “Our Team”: Manchester United, England; Dundee, Scotland; Stuttgart, West Germany.  In 1967, the Ukrainian Nationals represented the United States in international competition before 102,000 fans in El Salvador.

The ultimately failed entry of the North American Soccer League into professional sports ended the financial viability of the American Soccer League and its teams. After a few additional professional years and one championship in the highly competitive German American League of New York, Tryzub focused its efforts on amateur soccer and the development of youth and adult amateur programs.

In 1983, the club purchased 38 acres of farmland in Horsham, Pennsylvania and transformed them into a premier amateur soccer venue with Class A fields, lighting, a clubhouse, banquet room, and festival and picnic pavilions, stage and grove.  Thirty-one youth teams, boys’ and girls’, in age brackets between “Under 8” and “Under 18” years of age, play under the Ukrainian Nationals’ flag.  Most of these teams play at the top of their divisions and attain and play very successfully in championship, tournament and cup play. An exceptionally dedicated crew of coaches and parents and a consistently creative and dynamic leadership have made “Our Club” a most desirable place for children to play soccer and to sharpen their skills. 

The annual Ukrainian Nationals Invitational Tournament, held over Memorial Day weekend, has been a resounding success, now attracting almost 200 teams to Tryzub’s fields.  Teams from throughout the United States participate in this tournament, which also has experienced visits from Canadian and Bermudan teams. The tenth annual Memorial Day Weekend tournament is planned for this year.

In 1988, 1996, 2000 and 2008, Tryzub held four memorable Ukrainian Olympiads and youth jamborees, to which thousand of fans gathered to see the best in Ukrainian sports and cultural programming.  The year 2010 also held witness to the 34th annual golf tournament and yet another series of tennis tournaments and high-caliber soccer camps. Tryzub’s youth swim team continues to compete in the USCAK National Finals.

Currently, plans are underway to construct a fully lighted artificial turf field. Many other renovations to the landscape are underway as well.

But, the pride of Tryzub still rests on the shoulders of its Majors Division soccer team, the Ukrainian Nationals, currently coached and managed by Petro Boretsky and Mykola Jurchak. The team continues almost perennially to capture league and eastern Pennsylvania state championships. 

The Ukrainian Nationals invite you and your families to participate in our programs and to attend the games. Cheer “Our Team” with the pride and enthusiasm of old.  Your presence as “The Twelfth Man” in the stands will no doubt again push “Our Team” to recapture the championship for our community.

For more information on the Ukrainian Nationals, just click on “soccer”. Explore the rest of the Tryzub website s well. Join us for our cultural programs such as the annual Father’s Day picnic and the highly popular Ukrainian Folk Festival.