Maccabee Los Angeles Soccer Club was formed by a group of
Israeli expatriates to serve as a recreational Sunday soccer team. The team began playing competitively in 1971 as part of the
Greater Los Angeles Soccer League, with the addition of former Israeli national team players who had recently immigrated to the
Los Angeles area. While the club used the
Star of David and other Jewish symbols, the players came from various countries and many of them were not Jewish. They won the Triple Crown twice in 1977 and 1978 by winning the
Greater Los Angeles Soccer League,
California State Cup and the
US Open Cup. They qualified for the
CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1974 and 1978 but withdrew before competing both times. Maccabee Los Angeles played
Bridgeport Vasco da Gama from Connecticut in the 1978
US Open Cup winning the final at
Giants Stadium in
East Rutherford, New Jersey. The match was part of a double header with the
New York Cosmos and the
Tampa Bay Rowdies of the
North American Soccer League in front of 30,000 fans. Maccabee Los Angeles ceased operations after the 1982 season but Maccabee Athletic Club is still in existence for youth players. ==Honors==