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Who Was New York’s Best Ever Jewish Soccer Player?

JL;DR SUMMARY New York's history in the soccer world owes much to Jewish players such as Erno Schwarz and Béla Guttmann, both of whom made significant contributions after emerging from Austria's Jewish team Hakoah Vienna. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish AthletesJewish Sports HistoryMuscular JudaismForward NewspaperHakoah ViennaErno SchwarzBéla GuttmannNew York Soccer1926 U.S. TourSoccer Camps

Places mentioned

New York, United States
"Once the stomping ground of world soccer stars, Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Chinaglia (not to mention Mordechai Spiegler, Israels highest ever goal scorer), New York is again a formidable force in North American soccer."
Israel
"as recent friendlies that Israel has played in America (one of which saw Moyals international debut), the crowds consisted significantly of Jews, curious about this proud sporting team."
Vienna, Austria
"Bla Guttmann, two Hungarians from the famed Hakoah Vienna team that celebrated its Jewishness in its name (Hakoah is the Hebrew word for strength) and badge (a Star of David, for millennia a Jewish symbol)."
Brooklyn, New York, United States
"It was front-page news when the Brooklyn Wanderers played Hakoah on May 22, 1926, at Hawthorne Field in Brooklyn."
Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
"Nat Agar, a Jewish CPA originally from Yorkshire, England, was the manager of the Wanderers and a prime mover in the founding of early American soccer leagues."
Portugal
"His first coaching experience was in New York with Hakoah All-Stars and would culminate in him winning the European Cup twice in a row with Benfica, beating Barcelona in 1961 and Real Madrid in 1962."
Barcelona, Spain
"His first coaching experience was in New York with Hakoah All-Stars and would culminate in him winning the European Cup twice in a row with Benfica, beating Barcelona in 1961 and Real Madrid in 1962."
Madrid, Madrid Province, Spain
"His first coaching experience was in New York with Hakoah All-Stars and would culminate in him winning the European Cup twice in a row with Benfica, beating Barcelona in 1961 and Real Madrid in 1962."

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Retrieved 2026-06-12 05:30:52 UTC
Curated 2026-06-12 08:31:36 UTC