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Meet Bavarian SC

By Bill George - Chair USASA Membership Task Force Chair, 07/30/18, 9:15AM CDT

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Founded in Milwaukee in 1929, the Bavarian Soccer Club is one of the country’s oldest soccer clubs. The Club’s adult teams have won six National Championships, a record for Wisconsin-based clubs. The Bavarian Soccer Club has produced hundreds of coaches who have gone on to teach the game in community based programs throughout the United States, NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, Major League Soccer, international leagues, as well at the US Soccer National Team level with Coach, Bob Gansler.

The 1960's became the golden years for the Bavarian Soccer Club. The men's major division team won an unprecedented seven consecutive Wisconsin major league state championships from 1960 to 1966. This feat has not yet been repeated by any team in the Wisconsin Soccer Association. To date the Bavarian major team has won 31 Wisconsin League Championships.

The Bavarian major team won its first National Amateur Cup championship on their home field in 1976. The game was played in Milwaukee against Trenton New Jersey. The major team also won national championships in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2003, 2009 including amateur and open championships in 2003. The team reached the national finals in 1983, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2016, and 2017. Bavarian has lost heartbreakers in the last two National Amateur Cup finals. Last year in the 2017 final, Bavarian played a thriller against Lansdowne Bhoys from Yonkers, New York as the two clubs battled through regulation and extra time to find themselves tied 2-2. Lansdowne would prevail in a dramatic penalty kick shootout 9-8. In 2016, Bavarian battled Christos FC (Maryland) in the National Amateur Cup finals. The match finished regulation knotted at 0-0 before Christos would find two goals in extra time to prevail 2-0. 

The club currently competes in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) Midwest division where they have an undefeated 6-0-0 record. They advanced to this USASA Fritz Marth National Amateur Cup semi-final by winning Region II championship defeating Carpathia FC (Michigan) and 2015 National Amateur Cup Champion Quinto Elemento (Kansas).

Bavarian SC is coached by Pat Hodgins who was named USASA Region II coach of the year in 2018 and has been coaching the squad since 2012. Pat had this to say as his club heads to their third consecutive USASA National Amateur Cup semi-finals, “there’s no other place to start than the fact we've bitterly lost the last two (Amateur Cup Finals), there's a sense of redemption in winning this championship in 2018. Being crowned Amateur Cup champions is driving the team and we look forward to testing ourselves against the other regional champions. Finally, our club is grateful that USASA has given us the opportunity to host and we're looking forward to welcoming the teams to Milwaukee."