Pito Villanon

Pito Villanon
Personal information
Place of birth Cuba
Playing position Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948-1958 Brookhattan

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Pito Villanon was a Cuban football (soccer) player who spent eleven seasons with Brookhattan in the American Soccer League. At the time, he was one of a handful of black professional athletes, playing in an integrated American sports league.[1] He is reputedly the first black player in the American Soccer League.[2]

During his eleven seasons in the ASL, Villanon led the league in scoring twice (1948-49, 1952-53).[3] He was also the 1952-53 ASL MVP. In 1948, Villanon and his teammates finished runner-up in the 1948 National Challenge Cup. They also finished runner-up in league play in 1954.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Heron the forgotten pioneer of U.S. soccer
  2. ↑ Soccer in a Football World
  3. ↑ ASL II Leading Scorere
  4. ↑ The Year in American Soccer - 1954
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