American soccer writing, history & data.
Following the 1914-15 Milwaukee and District Association Football League, the Racine City club was replaced by two teams: Belle City; and Horlick's Racine. The former was a completely new organization while the latter was made up a group of veteran Racine players that had played together for a number of seasons. The seven-team MDAFL would play a double round-robin entirely within the fall seaso...
Six teams returned for the 1914-15 season: Caledonians of Milwaukee; MacWhytes of Kenosha; Racine City; St. George's of Milwaukee; Vikings of Milwaukee; and Jeffery from Kenosha. The latter team was the new name of the Kenosha Ramblers as the Thomas B. Jeffery Company changed the branding of their automobiles from Rambler to Jeffery. The Lake Forest, Kenosha Rangers, and Waukegan teams did not ret...
In September of 1913, the Milwaukee and District Association Football League admitted three new members: Lake Forest and Waukegan from Illinois; and the MacWhytes. The latter club was sponsored by the Macomber and Whyte Rope Company which had moved to Kenosha in 1912 from Coal City, Ill. The South Milwaukee team did not return from the spring season leaving the league with nine teams. Prior to the...
On March 1, 1913, 50 members of the Kenosha Rangers and Ramblers soccer teams and friends of soccer traveled to the Blatz Hotel in Milwaukee to attend a banquet given by the Sons of St. George team. Following the banquet. That afternoon the Milwaukee and District Association Football League was organized. Teams included the Sons of St. George, Caledonians, Pilgrims, and Vikings, all from Milwaukee...
During the offseason before the 1920-21 California Football League season, it was thought that four shipyard teams would break away from the California Football Association and play as professionals. Edgar Pomeroy and other soccer officials came out against the suggestion partially because the availability of grounds would provide a handicap for those teams that remained amateur. Pomeroy had infor...
The California Football League met on September 2, 1919 to decide which eight teams would take part in the league for the 1919-20 season. Ten teams applied: Olympic Club; Burns Club; Barbarians; Celtics; Alameda Union Iron Works; Union Iron Works of San Francisco; Moore Shipyards; Rangers of Alameda; Thistles; and Allandale. Following a vote, the Alameda UIW and Allandale teams were left out of th...
Due to the number of soccer players in the military, during the offseason before the 1918-19 California Football League season, it was thought that several of the CFL clubs would not field teams and their places would be taken by teams from the various shipbuilding companies in the Bay Area. During the season, over 50 members of the Barbarians were fighting in France and 90% of the Olympic players...
The California Football Association initially thought the soccer season would not be seriously affected by the United States' entry into the Great War. The majority of club managers thought they would not lose many players to the draft or enlistments because a majority of active players were over draft age and a very large percentage were married with children. But the affect was larger than that....
During the annual meeting of the California Football Association held at the end of July of 1916, the association's old guard was completely swept out of office with the exception of secretary Bill Crawford. E. H. Sinclair of the Olympic Club was elected president. Harry Maloney, the coach at Stanford University, was elected to chairman of the executive committee, a position that Donald Morrison h...
The California Football Association held their annual meeting on July 31, 1915 in the Pacific building. Charles Wright was elected president. Applications for membership from a number of teams, including the Union Iron Works team of San Francisco, were held up by a ruling of the executive committee that no proxy votes would be allowed. The Union Iron Works team was eventually admitted to the CFA. ...
The California Football Association held its annual meeting on August 8, 1914. Three new clubs were admitted: Clan Fraser; Caledonian Club; and Union Iron Works. All three clubs planned to apply to join the California Football League. Frederick Birdsell was elected president. The CFL held its annual meeting in the Pacific building on August 15. The three new clubs plus the Olympic Club of San F...
The California Football Association held its annual meeting on August 16, 1913. Fifteen clubs and leagues were represented. The Coalinga District Football Association, consisting of three clubs was admitted. James P. Booth was re-elected president - a post he had occupied for the prior four years. That same week the California Association Football League held its annual meeting. The Argonaut cl...
The Independents disbanded during the offseason before the 1912-13 California Association Football League season. During the league's annual meeting two teams from the Bay Counties Soccer League, the Rangers of Alameda and Alameda F.C., were admitted to the CAFL bringing the total number of teams to 10. The old Croll's grounds in Alameda, which had been used for soccer and cricket the past 15 y...
On August 15, 1911, a meeting was held at Lily Hall, 133 Gough Street in San Francisco, jointly by the officers of the California Football Association, the California Association Football League, and the Bay Counties Soccer League to try to bring peace among the organization. Nearly 50 attendees took part in the discussion. No concrete actions were taken but there was discussion to merge the bodie...
On August 15, 1911, a meeting was held at Lily Hall, 133 Gough Street in San Francisco, jointly by the officers of the California Football Association, the California Association Football League, and the Bay Counties Soccer League to try to bring peace among the organization. Nearly 50 attendees took part in the discussion. No concrete actions were taken but there was discussion to merge the bodie...
In March of 1910, the Albion Rovers were expelled from the California Football Association for refusing to play a CFA cup match. The Rovers immediately began organizing the Bay Counties Soccer League. The organization adopted by-laws and a constitution. Officers were elected including Captain Stopford of the U.S. Army as president. The BCSL played a handful of matched during the spring of 1910 but...
During the early months of 1910, Professor H.W. Maloney, instructor of physical training, formed a soccer team at Stanford University. That team, the newly organized Pastime Club of San Francisco, a team of U.S. Soldiers from the Presidio, along with Oakland F.C., another new club, were admitted as new members of the California Association Football League for the 1910-11 season. That meant the lea...
During the offseason before the 1909-10 California Association Football League season the Building Trades A.A. and Scotia F.C. clubs disbanded. A majority of the defunct Scotia club moved to a new club, United Caledonians, which was an offshoot of the Caledonian Club. The United Caledonians replaced the Scotia club in the CAFL. A bigger shakeup in the league involved the Oakland Hornets. The Ba...
The annual meeting of the California Football Association was held on September 1, 1908. The organization voted in favor of re-joining the Pacific Amateur Athletic Association. That body had reorganized and interested soccer people had become involved. Dr. F. W. D'Evelyn was elected the new president. Soon after the California Association Football League met and added the Building Trades Athlet...
On September 7, 1907, the California Association Football League held its annual general meeting at Croll's Gardens in Alameda. Three teams from San Francisco, Burns Club, Scotia F.C. and Thistles, joined the five returning clubs. All three teams were made up of Scottish players made possible by the influx of foreign worker into the Bay Area as the region continued to rebuild. The eight clubs w...
The annual meeting of the California Association Football League was held on October 26, 1906 at Croll's Hall in Alameda. Retiring president, Taliesin Evans, presided as chairman and Alexander G. Rhodes, donor of the league pennant, was elected the new president. The sport saw a tremendous influx of players from the Eastern U.S. as well as Europe due to the amount of labor needed to rebuild the re...
The annual meeting of the California Association Football Union was held on September 23, 1905 in Foresters' Hall at 102 O'Farrell Street in San Francisco. Membership grew from seven to thirteen teams as the reach of soccer grew throughout northern California. The attendees agreed that amateurism was a priority and no club would attempt to evade amateur rules in order to gain players. It was agree...
During the offseason before the 1904-05 season, the California Association Football League champions, Scottish Thistle, disbanded. The team had been run in connection with the San Francisco Scottish Thistle Club but many players were not members of the club. The management insisted all players be members of the club and that requirement caused the team to fold. In September 1904, the combined annu...
The annual meeting of the California Association Football League was held on September 4, 1903 in the British American Union rooms in San Francisco's Emma Spreckels Building (now the Central Tower). Taliesin Evans was re-elected president, Henry Roberts was re-elected secretary, and Edgar Pomeroy was elected treasurer. The San Francisco club had disbanded soon after the 1903 season ended. The four...
The game of association football was adopted in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1890s. The Pacific Coast Association Football League organized in 1892 with five clubs but disbanded in 1893-94. The game of soccer was played on and off by a few independent clubs until around 1900 then went somewhat dormant. This changed when Edgar Pomeroy organized the American-British Rifles team of San ...
The St. Louis Major Soccer League returned for its 1952-53 again as the only professional league in the city. The American Soccer League of St. Louis had folded in September after its home venue was no longer available for use. The SLMSL returned to the North Side Sports Arena but the league did away with night games unless they became necessary due to postponements. In the prior season, most of t...
The American Soccer League of St. Louis was organized by Walter Giesler, secretary of the Missouri Soccer Commission and former head of the U.S. Soccer Football Association during 1948 and 1949. The league joined the four-year-old St. Louis Major Soccer League as the only professional soccer leagues in St. Louis during the 1951-52 season. While the leagues competed for soccer fans, there was littl...
After three successful seasons, the St. Louis Major Soccer League failed to make a profit for the 1950-51 season. In the offseason, Syl Raftery returned to the organization as the franchise owners elected him president. Ed Murphy was named commissioner. Neither had any connection with any club in the league at that point. In the 1950-51 season, Gene Thumm, co-owner of the Zenthoefer Furs, was pres...
Gene Thumm, co-owner of the Raiders franchise, was elected the new league president In the offseason before the 1950-51 St. Louis Major Soccer League to replace Ed Murphy who had held that position since the beginning of the league. Another founder, Syl Raftery, was not retained as commissioner; a position that was left open for the season. Also during the offseason, Joe Spica, longtime soccer pla...
Stability continued for the St. Louis Major Soccer League heading into the 1949-50 season. Two teams gained new sponsors. The Paul Schultes (former Raiders) became McMahon Pontiac and the El Reys became the Mike Breheny Furniture team. The Ray Dohles and Simpkins teams rounded out the league's membership. The SLMSL retained the split-season schedule of nine games each half and also continued th...
Following a successful inaugural season, the St. Louis Major Soccer League returned for the 1948-49 season with the same lineup of four teams. Two teams changed names after gaining new sponsors. The De Andreis Council team, regular season champions of the prior season, became the El Reys (named for a local brand of chili and sliced beef and gravy) and the Raiders became the Paul Schulte Motors. Fa...
During the offseason before the 1947-48 season a number of soccer figures, including Ed Murphy, owner of a North Grand Avenue cafe, and Syl Raftery, a retired painting contractor and former sponsor of a soccer team, made plans to organize the first professional soccer league in St. Louis since the St. Louis Soccer League folded in 1939. Four clubs were originally slated to join: Joe Simpkins (form...
In December of 1993, USISL commissioner Francisco Marcos recommended that the organization begin a women's soccer program on an informal and voluntary basis in 1994 with plans for an official league to be launched starting in 1995. Around 17 women's teams played a pilot program of exhibition matches under the USISL umbrella which was called the United States Women's Interregional Soccer League. Mo...
In September of 1993, the United States Interregional Soccer League gained sanctioning as an Division III professional outdoor league by the U.S. Soccer Federation. The league grew from 43 teams in 1993 to 70 in 1994. While the league itself was granted official professional status, individual teams had the option to go professional and forego college-eligible players or retain amateur status a...
After years of delays, the U.S. Soccer Federation scheduled their decision to choose an organization to launch a Division I professional league for December of 1993. In early October, the USSF gave the American Professional Soccer League outgoing commissioner, Bill Sage, a deadline of December 15 to submit a business play for the new major league. When the 1994 World Cup organizing committee misse...
The 1993-94 U.S. Interregional Soccer League season was a 14-team league split into three divisions. It also included a Challenge Division of teams that played a limited schedule of away games. Those games counted in the standings for the other teams in the league but the Challenge Division teams were not eligible for the playoffs. The Tyler Lightning moved to Arlington, Texas and became the Te...
An expansion boom led the United State Interregional Soccer League to nearly double in size for the 1993 outdoor season. The league added 24 expansion franchises bringing the total to 43 teams. The USISL made its way up the East Coast adding a nine-team Atlantic Division that included teams from South Carolina all the way up to Connecticut. The USISL also awarded a number of new franchises in 1993...
The 1993 American Professional Soccer League was the second for the organization as a member of the USSF's Professional Division. The league lost two franchises following the 1992 season. The Miami Freedom's franchise was involuntarily terminated in January of 1993 after failing to find a new owner to take it over. Dan Van Voorhis pulled the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks out of the league becaus...
The 1992-93 US Interregional Soccer League indoor season launched with 16 teams. The expansion of the outdoor season did not lead to a similar expansion of the indoor season as most of the 1992 outdoor expansion franchises decided to focus solely on the outdoor game. A number of the older franchises, such as the Austin Soccadillos, also began to drop their indoor teams. The Arkansas Diamonds and G...
The United States Interregional Soccer League expanded to the west coast for the 1992 outdoor season adding four clubs in the Bay Area plus two provisional teams in San Diego. A number of long-serving teams dropped out after the 1991-92 outdoor season: Amarillo Challengers; Colorado Comets; Tulsa Renegades; Permian Basin Mirage; and Phoenix Hearts. The Lubbock franchise sat out the 1992 season - i...
In the fall of 1991, the American Professional Soccer League activated its entry into the USSF's Professional Division by paying a $100,000 fee. Requirements for entry into the Professional Division meant more stringent standards for the league's member teams including a fully staffed, year-round front office, eight to twelve players under full-time contracts, and a stadium that can accommodate 60...
After five years in existence, the former Southwest Indoor/Outdoor/Independent and Sunbelt Independent Soccer League shed its SISL acronym and renamed itself the United States Interregional Soccer League prior to its 1991-92 indoor season. The league was eyeing expansion for its coming outdoor season and positioning itself as the outdoor development feeder league for the USSF's planned three-tier ...
The Sunbelt Indoor Soccer League was relatively stable between its 1990-91 indoor and 1991 outdoor seasons. Both competitions had 18 teams with only a few changes in the lineups. After the New Mexico Chiles of the American Professional Soccer League folded following that league's 1990 outdoor season, nine members of that defunct club formed their own company and, with the permission of the orig...
The offseason prior to the 1991 American Professional Soccer League season was one of massive change. The biggest may have been the league's contraction from 22 teams for the 1990 season down to nine active for the 1991 season. A number of factors were part of this issue including individual team finances to the general unsettled nature of the professional game in the U.S. In October of 1990, m...
After the 1990 outdoor season the Southwest Independent Soccer League expanded to 18 teams before the 1990-91 indoor soccer season. With additions in the southern U.S., the organization again renamed itself becoming the Sunbelt Independent Soccer League. A number of franchise changes happened between the outdoor and indoor seasons. North Texas United of Duncanville dropped out. The Albuquerque ...
In April of 1989, the American Soccer League and the Western Soccer League formally agreed to negotiate toward a merger of the two organizations. A joint resolution adopted by the WSL and ASL boards stated that the leagues would immediately begin to finalized details of the merger and set the criteria required for their teams to join the U.S. Soccer Federation's new "Professional Division". The...
After the 1989-90 Southwest Independent Soccer League season, the organization signed an affiliation agreement with the indoor National Professional Soccer League. Under the agreement, the SISL would operate as a farm league for the NPSL. The NPSL could assign players to the SISL and sign players from the SISL to professional contracts. Most teams which played in the 1989-90 indoor season playe...
We've added a ton of leagues and clubs to the site since our relaunch in October of 2020. We've also added a blog which we've been using to give short summaries of each of the league seasons as we've uploaded them. The most recent additions were the St. Louis professional leagues starting at the turn of the 20th century and running through the final season of the St. Louis Soccer League which e...
After the summer outdoor season, the Southwest Indoor/Outdoor Soccer League renamed itself as the Southwest Independent Soccer League. The organization almost doubled in size prior to the SISL 1989-90 indoor season. While the San Antonio Heat did not return, the other seven teams that took part in the outdoor season did along with the Amarillo Challengers and Houston Express which did not take par...
By the time of the 1989-90 indoor season the Southwest Indoor Soccer League was affiliated with the U.S. Soccer Federation as a regional indoor league for Region III. During that indoor season, the SISL also acquired affiliation with the USSF as a Division III regional amateur/semi-pro outdoor league for its inaugural Southwest Outdoor Soccer League 1989 season. Prior to the season, the Albuque...
The Southwest Indoor Soccer League added three teams prior to the 1988-89 season: Houston Express; San Antonio Heat; and Wichita Tornado. In addition, the Arlington Arrows moved to Addison, Texas and become the Addison Arrows. By this time, the SISL was affiliated with the U.S. Soccer Federation as a regional indoor league for Region III. During the indoor season, the SISL also acquired affilia...
Soon after the 1986-87 Southwest Indoor Soccer League season, the F.C. Outlaws of Albuquerque were expelled from the league. Al Valentine, the franchise's owner and co-owner of the defunct Albuquerque Indoor Soccer Arena where the team played its games, hadn't paid league dues and various other fees. F.C. Albuquerque, a newly-formed corporation headed by three local businessmen, bought the rights ...
Francisco Marcos, owner and operator of Soccer Management International, an agency representing a few Major Indoor Soccer League players, formed the Southwest Indoor Soccer League. Marcos formed the SISL to eventually serve as a developmental league for the MISL and to help local indoor soccer area owners-operators drum up interest in indoor soccer for their cities. To get the league rolling, a $2...
Stability reigned in the American Soccer League as the same 10 teams returned for the 1989 season. In late April of 1989 David F. Prouty was named commissioner of the league replacing Chuck Blazer who resigned in January to become president of the Miami Sharks' franchise. In the first week of May, just two weeks into the season, Miami Sharks' owner, Dirceu Caria, fired Chuck Blazer. Caria criti...
The idea for a new American Soccer League was born in the summer of 1986 when the USSF passed legislation calling for the formation of regional leagues. The Western Soccer Alliance formed on the West Coast and the ASL was created in the northeast. The ASL's founding commissioner was Chuck Blazer, the executive director of the USSF. Originally planned to start play in 1987, with only five franchise...
At the end of the 1988 season, the Western Soccer Alliance began to work seriously towards becoming a fully professional league. In late July of 1988, the league granted an expansion franchise to the Phoenix-area, Arizona Condors, which would begin play in the 1989 season. Its owner, Tony Koleski, planned to initially fill the team's roster with junior college players but hoped to turn the team pr...
The same six teams returned for the 1988 Western Soccer Alliance season. The teams would play home-and-home series against each other plus two games against Canadian Soccer League clubs. The games against the Calgary Kickers and Vancouver 86ers would count in the league standings. In a slight change from the prior season, matches tied at regulation would go to two mandatory, not sudden death, 10-m...
The Western Soccer Alliance returned for the 1987 season with a number of changes from the prior year. The Edmonton Brick Men did to return as the team joined the newly-formed Canadian Soccer League. For the first time the league implemented a playoffs. The second and third place teams would face off in a semifinal with the winner playing the first-place team for the league championship. The regul...
After a successful opening season as an relatively informal alliance, the Western Soccer Association returned for the 1986 season as a true league. The purposed of the league was to give American players the chance to play outdoors as each team was required to start at least nine Americans in their starting lineups. Peter Bridgewater of the San Jose Earthquakes was named the first president of the...
Following the collapse of the NASL the Pacific Western Soccer Alliance was proposed as a fully professional league. The Vancouver Nationals, Edmonton and Calgary teams each posted the necessary $50,000 financial guarantees with the Canadian Soccer Association but the fourth entity, the Seattle Americans, merged in late February 1985 with the F.C. Seattle United club and were not prepared to join a...
A meeting was held on July 29, 1938 at the Marquette Hotel under the direction of newly-elected U.S.F.A. president, Harold S. Callowhill, in an effort to revive soccer interest in St. Louis. Marion F. Parker, a retired sports writer and delegate to the Central Council of the Municipal Athletic Association, Walter Giesler, Chairman of the Ozark A.A.U. Soccer Committee, John Scully of the Municipal ...
In the offseason after another problematic season, Johnny Marre took the initiative to keep the league going and associated with Charles DeWitt to re-establish the St. Louis Professional Soccer League for the 1937-38 season. The duo hoped to return to Sportsman's Park but were turned down because workers were putting up lights. Three teams were admitted to membership - Marre's team, formerly kn...
After the prior season had ended in disarray, the St. Louis Professional Soccer League held a reorganization meeting on September 3, 1935. Eleven friends and backers of teams in the league agreed to purchase stock in the circuit to assure a complete season and to cover any deficit which might occur. The group appointed Al Kaufman temporary chairman. They made plans to play week nights at West Side...
Prior to the 1935-36 St. Louis Professional Soccer League season, Phil A. Riley was elected president for the second straight year. A major shakeup in the traditional format was enacted as the league grew from eight to four teams. The first two teams to join were clubs from the Municipal League - the German Sport Club and the Spanish Sport Club. The latter team was located in East St. Louis, Ill. ...
During the offseason before the 1934-35 St. Louis Soccer League season, rumors began to circulate that the stockholders of the Soccer and Exhibition Co. of St. Louis which operated the league were considering quitting soccer. The stockholders reported those rumors were without foundation but the league looked to make changes in hopes of reversing the continued lack of interest in the professional ...
A number of changes occurred before the 1933-34 St. Louis Professional Soccer League season. Phil Kavanaugh's team, formerly Coca-Coal, found a new sponsor and played as the Minit-Rub Stars. Joe Hand, an outstanding fullback, replaced Johnny Marre as manager of the Anderson team. Willie Foley resigned as manager of the Ben Miller team and owner, George Miller, hired Eddie Croak to replace him. ...
Prior to the 1932-33 St. Louis Soccer League season, Winton E. Barker resigned as president of the league. Barker sold his stock in the Soccer and Exhibition Co. of St. Louis to Otto Schultz who was connected to the Stix, Baer & Fuller team. Don Anderson, sponsor of the Anderson team and president of the Missouri Amateur Golfers' Association, was elected to the post. Anderson was the first person ...
In the summer annual meeting prior to the 1931-32 season, Winton E. Barker was re-elected president of the St. Louis Soccer League after having resigned the previous December. Phil Riley was re-elected treasurer and elected as vice president. A.J. "Tate" Brady was also elected as secretary during that meeting but didn't stay in the office long. Soon after, John J. "Jack" Dwyer bought Tate Brad...
In April 1930, less than a month after the close of the St. Louis Professional Soccer League season, Phil Kavanaugh, manager of the Madison Kennel Club team, purchased that franchise from William and Frank Clark. The team, which Kavanaugh would continue to manager, would gain a new sponsor and be renamed as Coca-Cola. Along with the usual league schedule and National Challenge Cup matches, the SLS...
Two big changes occurred in the offseason before the 1929-30 St. Louis Professional Soccer League season. First, Tate Brady, owner and manager of the Wellston team, took $1500 from a new sponsor and renamed his team Hellrung & Grimm after a local furniture store. And, also, Phil Kavanaugh took over as manager of Madison Kennel Club replacing Jimmy Burke. Cold winter weather suspended the league...
During May of the offseason, Harry P. McCarthy, owner and manager of the Morgan Haulers team, sold his franchise to Dr. John J. Kehoe, reportedly the league's official physician. The transfer was not approved by the stockholders of the Soccer and Exhibition Co. of St. Louis reportedly because the league officers did not wish to have Harry J. Ratican in the organization as a manager. Ratican was re...
Prior to the 1927-28 St. Louis Soccer League season, J. G. Barrett, the long-time vice president of the Soccer and Exhibition Co. of St. Louis, sold his interests in the company to Willie Foley, manager of Ben Miller. Foley continued to lead the Hatters as well as being a director of the circuit. The season again played Sunday doubleheaders at Sportsman's Park. The league began being referred to a...
Following the failure of the Western Soccer Cup Association in mid-November 1926, the officials of the Soccer and Exhibition Co. of St. Louis reorganized the St. Louis Soccer League. Sunday doubleheaders were to continue the next Sunday after WSCA play ended but the matches at Sportsman's Park on November 21 were postponed due to snow. The league schedule for the 1926-27 season began on November 2...
In August, 1926, soccer officials from Chicago and St. Louis organized an inter-city league. The four St. Louis Soccer League teams and the four Chicago Soccer League teams joined to create the Western Soccer Cup Association. The schedule called doubleheaders each Sunday in St. Louis and Chicago. The four Chicago clubs were the Bricklayers, Canadian Club, Sparta, and Thistles. The four St. Louis c...
In the summer prior to the 1925-26 season the Soccer and Exhibition Co. of St. Louis, formerly the St. Louis Soccer League, held a meeting and decided to sign player to contracts for a weekly salary with guaranteed minimums of $10 for a win, $7 for a tie, and $6 for a loss. The franchise owners were bound under a league agreement to pay players at least this fixed amount but were at liberty to pay...
During the summer of 1924, the St. Louis Soccer League began publicly referring to itself by its formal business name - the Soccer and Exhibition Co. of St. Louis. The business entity that operated the league since its inaugural season was usually made up of seven stockholders: the four team owners; president, Winton E. Barker; vice president J. G. Barrett; and treasurer, Phil Riley. This chang...
The same teams returned for the 1923-24 St. Louis Soccer League season. The only organizational change was that Harry Ratican took over as player-manager of the Ben Millers. As Ratican had again been hired as the soccer coach for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, his brother, William, directed affairs at Ben Miller for the first two months of the season. The league returned to the tradition...
The offseason prior to the 1922-23 St. Louis Soccer League again brought team name changes. While the teams and managers again stayed the same, two clubs changed their names in late September. After only one season as the De Andreis team, Willie Foley was compelled to change the team's name due to the supreme body of the Knights of Columbus having voted to prohibit the use of council names in prof...
With Cardinal Park no longer available, the St. Louis Soccer League played at High School Field, the renamed old Federal League Park, for the 1921-22 season. The four SLSL clubs drew first round National Challenge Cup byes and the inter-league NCC matches again counted in the league standings. While the same teams continued from prior seasons, the Innisfails underwent a name change. In late Sep...
In early July, 1920 a team of 12 St. Louis and six eastern players, including captain Harry Ratican, sailed from Montreal for a Scandinavian tour. The tour delayed the opening of the 1920-21 St. Louis Soccer League season. The players returned on September 30 and the league opened its schedule on Sunday, October 10 with doubleheaders at Cardinal Park. The St. Louis Cardinals baseball club had left...
The 1919-20 St. Louis Soccer League was the first full season since the end of the Great War and could arguably be seen as the greatest season of soccer in St. Louis up to that point. In early July, league president Winton Barker announced that the four SLSL clubs would enter the National Challenge Cup that season instead of one picked organization representing St. Louis in the competition. It was...
Although an estimated 65% of players from the prior season were now in some branch of service, president Winton Barker announced in early August that the St. Louis Soccer League would open its 1918-19 schedule as usual. The same teams and managers returned from the previous season but with two major changes. The first was the loss of the St. Leo's name from the ranks of professional soccer. At ...
Little changed internally for the 1917-18 St. Louis Soccer League season, but external factors had an impact on the organization. The United States' entry into the Great War put the country on a war footing and the draft meant many of the SLSL players left the league due to military service. St. Leo's player-manager "Bull" Brannigan was drafted into the army so Harry McCarthy took over the team...
The 1916-17 season of the St. Louis Soccer League was the picture of stability as all four clubs and managers returned from the prior season. The league again played Sunday doubleheaders at Robison Field and all the officers were re-elected during the offseason. That returned results at the turnstiles as 3000 attended the opening doubleheader on October 15, 1916. On Christmas Day, 6000 were on ...
The rival factions of the St. Louis Soccer League (the Robison Field league) and the Federal Park Soccer League ended their war after the 1914-15 season and, in the spring, organized a new St. Louis Soccer League made up of the best two clubs from each league. Ben Miller (managed by Pete Ratican) and St. Leo's (under new manager Billy Monahan) joined from the FPSL while Columbus Club (managed by ...
After a financially dismal 1913-14 season, both professional soccer leagues in St. Louis began moves towards peace. Each league had two strong teams and two weak teams. The common wisdom was to create a peace plan where the leagues would be reorganized into one league with the two best teams from each current league joining. To help its situation the Athletic Park league needed to acquire a lea...
During the offseason after the 1912-13 season, Bill Klosterman returned as manager of St. Leo's. In mid-September of 1913, Klosterman reorganized the St. Louis Soccer Football League, under the direction of Tim Cavanaugh, owner of Athleic Park, who allied himself with Klosterman after the disruption last winter and refused to allow the SLSFL managers from the prior season to renew their lease on t...
Internal problems during prior season continued to build during the 1912-13 St. Louis Soccer Football League season. Prior to the start of the season, the four managers could not agree on a venue for the coming season. Willie Foley of the Innisfails and Billy Klosterman of St. Leo's voted to stay at Athletic Park but "King" Finnegan of Columbus Club and Ed Houlihan of the Irish-Americans voted to ...
The Blue Bells withdrew and were replaced by the Irish-American A.C. prior to the 1911-12 St. Louis Football League season. Dr. Alexander Murray was again re-elected president of the league - a position he had held since the SLSFL's organization. The league paid its players on the cooperative plan with the winning squad receiving 60% of the gate receipts and the losers 40%. Each player received...
Prior to the St. Louis Soccer Football League 1910-11 season, Phil Riley, manager of St. Teresa's, changed the name of the team to the Grand-Athletic Soccer Football Club. But, two weeks before the start of the season, internal strife led to the league officially dropping the Grand Athletics from membership. The Columbus Club, representing a team of Knights of Columbus players and managed by John ...
The St. Louis Soccer League continued as the top professional league in St. Louis for the 1909-10 season. The four teams remained the same from the prior season with only a couple of minor changes. The Thistles were renamed the Blue Bells and the West Ends, managed by Dan Broderick, became a new Innisfails team. St. Teresa's almost withdrew from the league in late January due to manager Phil Riley...
The old Association Football League of St. Louis disbanded following the 1907-08 season. City champions, St. Leo's, jumped from that league to the professional St. Louis Soccer Football League. Both of these changed made the SLSFL the top soccer league in St. Louis. In the offseason, Thomas Cahill left the SLSFL and helped organize another professional league, the St. Louis Soccer League. Innis...
St. Louis did not have a fully professional league during the 1906-07 season. The St. Louis Soccer Football League was organized for the 1907-08 to fill that void. Dr. Alexander Murray was elected president and Thomas Cahill was secretary of the new league. Cahill did not desire peace with the top league at that team, the Association Football League of St. Louis, and was no shy in inducing players...
During the offseason, Phil Kavanaugh, former St. Louis soccer star and long-time referee, took over the management of Kulage's Park. He led the organization of a new St. Louis Soccer Football Association for the 1912-13 season which played doubleheaders at the renamed Pastime Park. The venue's grand stand and bleachers were overhauled and modernized and a new dressing room was installed. Winton...
Following the demise of the St. Louis University Soccer League and the St. Louis Association Football League, a new league playing matches at Kulage's Park, the American Soccer Football League, organized to compete against the now-dominant St. Louis Soccer Football League. The teams involved were St. Teresa's (from the St. Louis University League), New Cathedral (from the Triple A League), O'Leary...
After the St. Louis University Park stadium was completed in 1910, the St. Louis University Soccer Football League was organized on September 27 to play doubleheaders every Sunday for the 1910-11 season. Teams in the league were the St. Teresa junior squad (champions of the amateur league the prior season), St. James, Immaculate Conception (from the Hibernian League), and Duwell A.C. (from the pri...
When the St. Louis Soccer Football League decided to drop the Grand Athletics (formerly the St. Teresas) after the 1909-10 season, manager Phil Riley moved to organized a new league to play at Kulage's Park along with Hibernian A.C.. The Grand Athletics disbanded before the season started but the St. Louis Association Football League was organized with the Hibernians, O'Learys (formerly the Kinloc...
When the St. Louis Soccer League ended after a single season, Henry Kulage organized a new Association Football League of St. Louis to play doubleheaders at Kulage's Park. Buck Chapman was elected president and Thomas Cahill as secretary. The four teams admitted as members were Holy Name, Knights of Father Matthew, Keen Kutters (previously in the Saturday Afternoon League), and Duwell Athletic Clu...
With the demise of the Association Football League of St. Louis, Thomas Cahill left the St. Louis Soccer Football League and organized the St. Louis Soccer League for the 1908-09 season. Cahill was elected to his traditional position of secretary and Winton E. Barker was named president. The league would play Sunday doubleheaders at Kulage's Park. Teams included the New Tariffs (virtually the SLSF...
The Association Football Soccer League of St. Louis returned for the 1907-08 season but had a new competitor for the top league in the city in the newly-organized St. Louis Soccer Football League. St. Leo's was the only team to return from the previous season. The champions were joined by Kinloch (formed from most of the Parish League champions St. Matthew's), Shamrocks (mostly the Nugent players ...
Prior to the 1906-07 season, the Amateur Association Football League was renamed as the Association Football League of St. Louis. During the prior season, unlike most St. Louis leagues, the AAFL played out its schedule and fulfilled its obligations. The only noticeable change other than the name was the league eliminated the A.A.U. from its affairs due to the difficulty in finding players that fit...
Many changes occurred for the 1905-06 Amateur Association Football League season. C.B.C. sold its lower campus which meant the school wouldn't allow the AAFL to play there any longer. C.B.C. dropped out of the league and the priests of the various parishes prohibited the names of churches to be used on the AAFL teams since the games would not be at C.B.C. As such, the league went through a reor...
The Parish League of St. Louis became the Amateur Association Football League before the 1904-05 season. St. Ann's, C.B.C. and St. Rose's returned with St. Alphonsus replacing Holy Name. Games where again played on the C.B.C. campus. The first matches where held on November 13, but league play was put on hiatus to enable C.B.C. and St. Rose to take part in the St. Louis Olympics. Galt F.C. from...
Brother Elzear, director of athletics at Christian Brothers College, headed up the organization of the Parish Association Football League for the 1903-04 season. Clubs from eight St. Louis parishes joined the strictly amateur competition. Games were played on the C.B.C. campus starting in early November. By mid-January only four teams remained in the league: St. Rose's; St. Ann's; Holy Name; a...
With the disbanding of the Association Football League of St. Louis, the St. Louis Football Association was the sole professional soccer league operating in the city for the 1905-06 season. Four clubs made up the league as the schedule opened on October 29th: North End A.C.; Shamrocks; South Ends; and West End A.C. The league split matches each Sunday at South Side Park and Sportsman's Park. Cycli...
The St. Louis Football Association was launched for the 1904-05 season as a rival professional league to the more established Association Football League of St. Louis. Four clubs made up the league: Cornets; Leacocks; Rawlings; and Sportsmans. The league played doubleheaders each Sunday at Sportsman's Park. After eight weeks, the league had a month's worth of postponed matches due to cold weath...
A new Association Football League of St. Louis was organized for the 1904-05 due to the unpleasant ending of the former professional league at the end of the 1903-04 season. The four-teams league would play doubleheaders every Sunday at Kulage's Park. The league's opening matches were on November 6, 1904 and the clubs taking part were Ben Miller, Diels, Woman's Magazine, and Thistles. The latte...
C.B.C. and Diels resigned as members of the St. Louis Association Football League prior to the 1903-04 season. Rawlings and Spaldings, managed by Thomas W. Cahill, were selected to fill the vacancies. The league season began October 18, 1903 with double-headers held every Sunday at Sportsman's Park. After the January 10th gameday, the franchise held by the Sportsmans was transferred to the R. J...
On November 16, 1902, soccer enthusiasts met late in the soccer season at Christian Brothers College to permanently organize the St. Louis Association Football League. The competition replaced the prior soccer league in hopes of cutting back on rowdy play and spreading the better players among the teams rather than being concentrated on one or two. Four teams, C.B.C., Diels, Kern's and Sportsmans,...
While the Baltimore Major Soccer League hoped to expand to eight to ten teams for the 1951-52 season the league only had four teams return when Kelly Buick dropped out in the offseason. The league extended invitations to two teams each from the Pen-Mark League and the Washington Suburban league to attend their off-season organizational meetings but none of those clubs ended up joining the BMSL. Wr...
Prior to the 1950-51 season, the Baltimore Major Soccer League was down to five teams. Antlitz Seafood and Locust Point had combined to form Wroten's Cafe, and Combined Taverns had dropped out. Sugar Radio of Washington, D.C. was supposed to be the sixth BMSL team but did not reorganize for the season. Santa Maria became Conkling P.C. prior to the season. During the offseason, the BMSL consider...
For the 1950-51 Baltimore Major Soccer League season, Combined Taverns, Kelly Buick (coached by Cal Ermer who was also the coach of University of Baltimore), and Pompei replaced Serra's Cafe, Esso, and Reisterstown which dropped out at the conclusion of the prior season. This kept the league at the desired roster of eight clubs. Pompei was the biggest addition to the BMSL. Formed in 1940 and or...
A new Baltimore Major Soccer League emerged for the 1948-49 season. Eight teams formerly associated with Baltimore's city Department of Recreation branched out in hopes of making a higher-level semi-pro league. The league included three teams from Patterson Park (Serra's Cafe, Esso & Santa Maria), two from Clifton Park (Parkville Tavern & Davis Tavern), two from Latrobe Park (Antlitz Seafood & Loc...
The Maryland State and D.C. Soccer Association again made plans to operate the War Industrial Soccer League and Baltimore Major Soccer League for the 1944-45 season. The BMSL had been dormant the prior season due to the lack of players able to fill clubs and the same again happened the 1944-45 season as only the WISL carried on as the top-level amateur league in the area. The WISL dropped down ...
The Maryland State and D.C. Soccer Association decided to operate a soccer league made up of various area defense plants along with the Catholic Soccer League, the Baltimore Major Soccer League, and several junior leagues for the 1943-44 season. But, due to the number of players working at war plants and in military service, the BMSL went dormant and was replaced by the War Industrial Soccer Leagu...
The Baltimore Major Soccer League returned for the 1942-43 season after a year's hiatus. Only Hasslinger returned from the earlier season with five new teams joining: Dundalk A.C. (also called Baltimore County A.C.); Catonsville A.C.; Fox S.C.; Rustless Iron and Steel Corp.; and Stemmers Run. The race was as tight as almost possible with both halves ending tied between the top two teams with Du...
Big changes to the roster occurred in the Baltimore Major Soccer League offseason as only Ashton and Wingfoot returned for the 1940-41 season. A Maryland Germans team returned after a hiatus and two new Baltimore clubs, John Hasslinger S.C. and Morstein S.C. (sponsored by Morstein Jewelry Co.) joined. And, for the first time, clubs outside of Baltimore took part in the competition as Victor Hosier...
While the double-round robin single table format had been used in the first two seasons, a new format was implemented for the third Baltimore Major Soccer League season. Beginning in 1939-40, a split season was implemented in all Baltimore amateur leagues including the BMSL. The winners of each half would meet in a two-game total goals series to settle the BMSL title. M. Shaivitz left the leagu...
In the offseason, the U.S.F.A. approved a request by the Maryland State Soccer Association to widen its scope to include the D.C. territory. As such, the body was renamed the Maryland State and District of Columbia Soccer Association. Another big offseason move was the German Sports Club's acquisition of a franchise in the American Soccer League. The team was named the Baltimore Germans and was pr...
The Baltimore Major Soccer League was created as a higher-level men's amateur league embracing the stronger teams from the Southeastern and Maryland leagues. Eight clubs took part in the inaugural season: Bethlehem S.C. from Dundalk; Colonial S.C.; German Sports Club; Maryland-Germans (a second team from the German Sports Club); Parkville; St. Gerard Y.M.A.; M. Shaivitz; and Wingfoot S.C. Parkvill...
After being inactive for the 1921-22 season, the Southern New England League met in the summer of 1923 to organize for the 1923-24 season. Officials decided to rename the league as the New England Soccer League in order to avoid confusion with the Southern New England Football Association. Seven clubs entered the league. Sayles returned after winning the Pawtucket and District League. Fore Rive...
The Southern New England League went down to only four clubs for the 1921-22 season. In the offseason, J. & P. Coats F.C. left to join the major league American Soccer League and Crompton F.C. left to join a local Rhode Island League. St. Michael's of Fall River returned to join Fall River Rovers, Fore River F.C. of Quincy, and Saylesville F.C. of Rhode Island. The Rovers had been considered to...
During the summer of 1920, a proposed fully professional east coast league was seriously floated. J. & P. Coats F.C, Fall River Rovers and Fore River F.C. were all in line to join. With the Rovers on the fence, Fore River and Coats declined the opportunity and the league never came to fruition. Prior to the 1920-21 Southern New England League season, the Sayles Finishing Plant F.C. of Saylesvil...
In the summer of 1919, after a season away, the Southern New England League made tentative plans to operate for the 1919-20 soccer season. Six clubs returned from the 1918-19 season: Fall River Rovers; New Bedford F.C.; New Bedford Celtics; J. & P. Coats F.C.; Fore River F.C.; and Crompton F.C. Two new clubs were added to bring the league up to eight members. The General Electric F.C. from Lynn...
The Southern New England League expected to enter the 1917-18 season with the same eight clubs from the prior season, but the Howard & Bullough club withdrew and disbanded just before the season began in September. Previously that summer, the U.S.F.A. had ruled that the Southern New England FA could not limit its clubs to only two cup competitions. A faction of the SNEFA pushed to leave the organi...
All seven clubs from the prior season returned for the 1916-17 Southern New England League season. The league originally awarded a franchise to a newly organized Providence Grays team. But, when that club was deemed unable to compete, Providence was dropped and the franchise was awarded to Crompton F.C. from Rhode Island. The Crompton club had won the championship of the Rhode Island league three ...
Along with Taunton City F.C. (which left the league at the late May annual meeting), Pawtucket F.C. dropped out of the Southern New England League before the 1915-16 season. Those two clubs were replaced by four others: Fall River Rovers; Fore River F.C. of Quincy, Mass.; Howard & Bullough F.C. of Pawtucket, R.I.; and Pan-American F.C. of Fall River. The latter was a reorganized version of a club ...
In its second season as an organization, the Southern New England Football Association organized the Southern New England League during the summer of 1914. Seven clubs joined the league: J. & P. Coats F.C. from Pawtucket; New Bedford F.C.; Pawtucket F.C.; Taunton City F.C.; the Young Men's Catholic Total Abstinence Society F.C. of New Bedford; Fall River Rovers and Greystone from North Providence....
During the offseason, rumblings began to be heard about the possibility of a new Eastern League to be made up of the best of the Eastern clubs. This included clubs such as Bethlehem Steel, Robins Dry Dock, New York F.C., and Paterson F.C from the NAFL as well as Fall River Rovers and J. & P. Coats from New England. The Eastern League didn't materialize for the 1920-21 season, but the seeds were pl...
Babcock & Wilcox dropped out of the league in the offseason but the league doubled to 10 teams with the addition of five clubs. Disston A.A. returned after a year's hiatus. Bolstered by former Scottish-American & Bethlehem Steel player, Archie Stark, Erie A.A. of Harrison joined and made an immediate impact. Other clubs that joined were Morse Dry Dock from Brooklyn, Federal Ship from Kearny, and N...
In the offseason, Disston, West Hudson and Jersey A.C. all dropped out of the league due to lack of available players because of the war effort. The Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation's soccer club out of Harriman, Penn. joined the league to bring the number of members to six. While Merchant Ship's first team became a member of the NAFL, their B team took part in the Delaware River Shipyard Soccer ...
A new era for the NAFL began with the onset of the Great War. Dublin F.C., Ironsides A.F.C. and Splitdorf F.C. were all out of the league after only one season. But they were replaced by better and much more stable clubs. A newly organized Paterson F.C. joined and the league expanded into Eastern Pennsylvania by adding the great Bethlehem Steel F.C. and Disston A.A. from the Tacony neighborhood o...
During the summer offseason, the U.S.F.A. ruled that all soccer teams in New Jersey, including those in the NAFL, must be affiliated with the New Jersey State Football Association. There was general concern that the NAFL which had been directly affiliated with the U.S.F.A. since its absorption of the A.F.A. may try to fight the ruling. At the beginning of the 1916-17 season, four NAFL clubs, We...
The NAFL was in trouble during the 1915-16 season. Newark, Paterson Rangers, True Blues and Bronx United all were suspended then ultimately dropped due to the inability to meet the financial needs of playing in the league. Two of the strongest amateur teams in New Jersey made the jump to the pro ranks and joined the NAFL. The Alley Boys F.C. of Harrison and Bayonne's Babcock & Wilcox F.C. were for...
During the offseason the league felt 12 teams was too many and formally dropped Wilberforce FC. & St. George F.C. The Newark Caledonians also dropped out right before the season started leaving the league to carry on as a 9-team concern. The Brooklyn Celtics would have been the Caledonians replacement in the NAFL if the Newark club had given their resignation in more time. The Scottish-American...
Prior to the 1913-14 season, both the American Football Association and the American Amateur Football Association filed for sanctioning with FIFA as the country's governing body. With broader support, the AAFA had the upper hand over the AFA which was older but only centered in the US northeast. To strengthen its position, the leaders of the AAFA formally dissolved that organization and replaced i...
The league brought in two extra teams, Caledonians of Newark and a newly-organized Brooklyn Wanderers, to bring the number up to 10. Having trouble finding grounds, the Wanderers merged into Brooklyn F.C. in late December after losing all 6 games they played. The Wanderers were replaced by Newark F.C. who dropped out of the New York State Amateur Association Football League mid-season to return to...
Turmoil and change was the order for the 1911-12 soccer season. Prior to the season, the American Amateur Football Association, a new national organization controlling amateur soccer in the US, was formed. The core of the formation was the New York State Football Association but a number of associations across the country soon affiliated with it. The AAFA was a direct competitor of the American F...
Stability was the name of the game for the 1910-11 season with all eight teams returning. Prior to the season, Wilberforce F.C. formed a stock company, secured some of the best players in the area, and ran independently from the Sons of St. George Lodge....
Clark A.A. withdrew before the 1909-10 season and the league grew to eight clubs with the return of Jersey A.C. and the additions of Wilberforce F.C. and Brooklyn F.C. (aka Brooklyn Field Club). The former was the football team for the Wilberforce Lodge of the Sons of St. George in Paterson, N.J....
Only half of the eight clubs returned from the 1907-08 season. West Hudson and Clark rejoined to make a six-team league. Those two clubs were tied at the end of the schedule and were declared co-champions. Again, results haven't been fully verified....
The league dropped down to eight clubs in its second season with Robert Burns club not returning. But, a week before the season started, West Hudson and Clark A.A. dropped out after the league's refusal to drop the division of gate receipts to the visiting team from 50% down to 25%. Hollywood Inn and Jersey A.C. were admitted to take their place. As with the prior season, full results have not bee...
A new National Association Football League was formed starting with the 1906-07 season. The league would be the home to most of the best New Jersey, as well as New York metro, clubs. While we have final standings, all results of those games have not been verified. Teams were scheduled to play a 22-game series, but the Scots and West Hudson played a final "special match" at the end of the season t...
I've stripped down the database and started rebuilding it from scratch. There are currently two main areas: clubs and leagues. Clubs Clubs are "containers" for an organization's teams. Teams are individual, well, teams that played for a club. A club can field different teams at the same time. For example, the Chattanooga FC club has both women's and men's teams. A club can also field the sa...
I've been interested in the history of US soccer for as long as I can remember. When I built the original Soccer Almanac website as a place to compile soccer stats for the major US pro leagues, there were very little resources for that info. But, with the explosion of data analytics, that work is now better done by leagues and their media partners. And, while stats are an important part of the gam...
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