Like a thoroughbred bursting out of the gate, Lansdowne Yonkers have begun their spring campaign in the American Premier Soccer League [APSL] blazing. There’ve been four wins in four matches as the Bhoys in hoops pursue silverware on multiple fronts.
The most successful Irish club States-side is in the final of the New York State-wide Manning Cup scheduled for later this spring against Greek side Leros FC. Reaching the Manning Cup final automatically qualified the Bhoys for the National Amateur Cup -- a competition they won in 2017 and 2021.
Matt Kane’s lads are also in contention for a fourth National Fricker Cup that they previously bagged in 2017, 2019 and 2021. Then there’s the APSL Metropolitan Conference title race, in which they trail undefeated foes New York Greek Americans [11-0-2, 35] by three points; and, ultimately, the APSL championship itself.
It’s a potential grand slam the William McGrory-managed Bhoys last recorded in 2021. That’s the season when they entered eight competitions and won all eight in the club’s most successful season to date.
In addition to the aforementioned National Amateur Cup and the Fricker Cup, Lansdowne’s victory roll then included: the EPSL Metropolitan Conference championship, the EPSL league championship, the Region 1 US Amateur Cup, the Region 1 US Werner Fricker cup, the Fleming Cup, and the NISA Independent Cup New England Region title.
Lansdowne's current squad is gunning for an encore.
“I think the chances that Lansdowne get all [the] trophies this season are really high,” said talismanic striker Danú Kinsella Bishop, a fall signing with tons of League of Ireland [LOI] experience. “We train twice a week and the philosophy in which we try to play our football, to me looks like it's a level above everyone else in the league.”
Bishop, whose last minute goal against the Greek Americans last December snatched a 2-1 victory and put the Bhoys in Manning Cup final, had props for head coach Matt Kane and the professionalism at the club.
“Matt’s been excellent,” he noted. “We do a lot of pre-game preparation and the lads work really, really hard in training. And I think when you add that all together, it gives us a great chance of winning all [the trophies] and we're quite confident that we'll do that.
“We prepare like we're a professional team and we've got a lot of guys who, you know, have great experience like myself in professional leagues.”
The 23-year-old out of South Dublin, whose former LOI clubs include University College Dublin and Bray Wanderers, has established himself as Lansdowne’s top scorer with 11 goals in his brief period with the Bhoys. That includes a hat-trick in 10-man Lansdowne’s 5-2 rout of New York Athletic Club in a league match on March 8.
Midfielder Seamus Keogh, who’s 24 and a former Irish youth international, also fancies Lansdowne’s odds in its multi-front assault for silverware.
“I think we have a great chance. We built on the squad we already had. Obviously we have a strong team as is and we've added a few players over January and December so I think we've got a hell of a chance,” he said. “I mean, every game’s a Champions League final to us in our heads, you know, so that will be the objective going forward.”
He pointed out another Lansdowne strong point: it’s a community-based club.
“There’s a real family feel to the club, that's the way it's always been since I've joined. Everyone looks out for each other, which I think then comes out on the pitch. You know you're playing for other people as well as yourself, so it's just a great club to be a part of,” he said.
Now in his third year with the Bhoys – and with five goals to his credit this season -- Keogh played for his hometown club, Sligo Rovers, growing up. He moved to England at age 15 and spent several years there on the books of Southampton, where he featured for the Saints’ U-18 and U-23 teams. Along the way, the young talent was capped for Ireland from U-15 level to U-19.
Center back Sean Doran, at 33, is one Lansdowne’s senior citizens. A vastly experienced campaigner, the Dubliner began his soccer odyssey States-side as a teenager turning out for Concordia University in Nebraska. He also played for Manhattan Celtic in the CSL and APSL for six years.
“I believe we have a great chance of winning all [the] trophies this season. We are the only team still in with a chance of doing so,” Doran told the Echo. “There is fantastic quality within the squad. That, plus we have very strong squad depth, gives us every chance of doing so.”
He said Lansdowne being one of, if not the biggest, amateur team in the country naturally attracts quality. “Players want to play for Lansdowne. Not every team at this level can say the same. The high standard of the squad depth breeds a competitive nature within the squad, which in turn brings out the best in everyone.”
Putting Lansdowne’s quality in context, Doran said: “I believe the APSL is the highest amateur/semi-pro league in the country. It attracts the best [Division I] college athletes and former professional players.
“You only need to look at the resumes of current players that are playing in the league. The standard is extremely high and the league can be very unforgiving and unpredictable. There’s no such thing as an easy game. No team should be taken for granted.”
Backing his players, Kane applauded their desire and commitment to maintain the club’s reputation as cup winners.
“We have an extremely hungry group of players and over the winter we came together as a group and identified what the opportunities were this spring, [and] the amount of trophies that we are able to compete in,” he said. “We know that Lansdowne is a club historically built on major trophies. and it's been a while since there’s been such a collection of trophies.”
The Belfast native said his players were eager to write their names in history, “in the sense that they want to be part of a squad that lifted many trophies again for the club. So yeah, we started well so far this spring.”
“We know we have to get even better in order to compete on so many fronts. We had a small taste of it this past week. We played three games in six days and we were able to get three wins, and really we know that's what the schedule is going to look like over the spring. And we have a big squad, a hungry squad and a squad that’s determined to be a part of something that can really be great in terms of the amount of trophies that can be won in a single season, and it hasn’t happened for quite a few years here at Lansdowne.”
In addition to crushing 5-2 with that Bishop hat-trick on March 8, the Bhoys thrashed Vistula Garfield 5-0 on March 11, before holding off Richmond County FC 2-1 last weekend. Earlier, Zum Schneider were blanked 3-0 on January 11.
