The American Soccer League “expects to take all the coming sandlotters and make them into Big League stars” with Second Division teams. (The Boston Globe) [Read more…] about Dec. 22, 1928 – Boston Second 4:0 Fall River Second, ASL Second Division opener, Walpole St. Grounds
Manchester United, tied for first place with Clan McPherson in the Lawrence, Lowell & District Soccer League, was victim of “one of the biggest surprises of the season …” Lawrence’s Shaw scored “from the 25-yard line” and on a penalty kick. [Read more…] about Dec. 21, 1912 – Lawrence (Mass.) 5:2 Manchester United
“Boston played the one-back defense, and Newark was offside repeatedly.” (The Boston Globe)
Boston tied for first place with Fall River in ASL. Robert Blyth opened the scoring with his only goal in a two-game Boston career. Blyth, a cousin of Bill and Bob Shankly, played for Portsmouth and Southampton in England. Goals: Blyth, J. Ballantyne.
J&P Coats 3:0 Fall River, Coats’ Field (Att.: 3,500)
Goals: Drummond, Perry (PK), McGrain.
New Bedford Whalers 3:0 Philadelphia
Goals: Marshall, Jackson, Allen.
Charlestown FC 2:3 Roxbury, Sullivan Sq. Playground
“Roxbury played all the game with 10 men.” Meanwhile, Charlestown “Manager George Mooney will have M. Ring at center forward. A. Marques will also be in the forward line. Both players have played on the MIT team. They are natives of Uruguay, the home of the … Olympic champions and are the first players from South America to play in New England.”
Fore River 6:2 Lorraine Mills (Pawtucket, R.I.)
Worcester Rangers 4:0 Whitinsville, Central Mass. League
Clan Robertson 1:0 Clan Stewart, U.S. Amateur Cup, Gibson Field, Dorchester
Yale 2:1 [aet] Navy
Game length: two 20-minute halves, and two five-minute overtime periods.
Dec. 20, 1890 – Fall River Rovers 4:1 Fall River Olympics, Jarvis Field, Cambridge, Mass.
“…. The Fall River contingent … arrived home at 8 o’clock and the Rover men immediately began to paint County St., where the winning team’s clubs are situated, a bright red. The Olympics were favorites in betting … 50 to 10 … About $2,000 was wagered on the game by local sports.”
The game was “arranged by Gov.-elect Russell with Col. Spencer Borden of his prospective staff while the former was here to speak during the campaign.” There had been “a movement … to add Association foot ball to the regular list of sports at Harvard …”
The Rovers and Olympics had split two previous contests in 1890.
NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY
In the first year of the ASL, Fall River United was led by left half Frank Booth, who played for the Fall River Rovers in the National Challenge Cup (U.S. Open Cup) finals in 1916, ’17 and ’18. Harrison’s John “Rabbit” Heminsley started for the U.S. in the country’s first international, against Sweden, in 1916. Harrison’s Davie Brown, 23, would play for the U.S. in 1926 and go on to become the league’s No. 3 all-time leading scorer with 189 goals. Goals: Post, Heminsley 2, Brown, Ford; Corrigan. [Read more…] about Dec. 18, 1921 – Harrison SC 5:1 Fall River United, Harrison (N.J.) Field (Att.: 2,500)
Braintree remained in first place in the Boston & District League Division A. “Playing on a muddy field … Braintree Welfare defeated Charlestown, 4 to 1, in as lively a game as any fan could wish for.” (The Boston Globe)
J&P Coats 3:1 Falco AC (Holyoke, Mass.)
Goals: Weall 2, Sheppard; William Dowdall.
Dec. 17, 1929 – Nelson D. Rockefeller (Dartmouth fullback) wedding announced
Nelson Rockefeller was a starting right fullback for Dartmouth. The Indians concluded their season with a 4W-3L-1D record after a 5-0 victory over Northeastern at Hanover, N.H., on Nov. 24, 1929.
Other high-ranking politicians who played soccer in New England included President George H.W. Bush (Phillips Andover) and John Kerry (St. Paul’s School/Yale).
Dec. 17, 1922 – Fall River 5:0 Brooklyn Wanderers, Mark’s Stadium
“Players suffered falls on the ice, but none was injured.” Goals: Brittan 2, Drummond 2, Monroe.
Dec. 17, 2015 – Revolution defender Kevin Alston acquired by Orlando City SC in Re-Entry Draft
NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY
The Boston Wonder Workers planned to expand seating at the Walpole St. Grounds, their home from 1924-29. The stadium, built as a baseball park, occupied land owned by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, now on the campus of Northeastern University. [Read more…] about Dec. 15, 1924 – Boston Wonder Workers announce stadium expansion
Fall River regained first place in the ASL, rallying after falling behind in the first half before a crowd that included several Boston supporters. Wouterez opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, Tommy Croft equalizing “within a half minute …” Croft broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. Croft, who began his career with Glentoran, scored once in three appearances for Northern Ireland.
“The Boston Soccer Social Club intends to run a special bus to Fall River on Sunday, to enable local fans to witness the American League game between Boston and Fall River at Sam Mark’s Stadium.” (The Boston Globe) [Read more…] about Dec. 14, 1924 – Fall River 2:1 Boston Wonder Workers, Mark’s Stadium (Att.: 8,337)
The Boston Celtics hoped to acquire former Boston players Bobby Ballantyne, Billy Gonsalves, Alex McNab and Scotty Nilsen. “This quartet is regarded as worth thousands of dollars in transfer fees.” (The Boston Globe)
[Read more…] about Dec. 10, 1930 – Boston Celtics Name of Proposed Local Team
The Whalers’ Jeremiah “Jerry” Best scored five goals and Tommy Florie added a sixth. Best, who led the ASL with 35 goals in 27 games, played for Newcastle United and Leeds United before joining Providence as a 23-year-old in 1924. Best returned to England in 1931, concluding his career with Hull City. [Read more…] about Dec. 6, 1930 – New Bedford Whalers 6:3 New York Giants
The Soccer Social Club of Boston and Royal Rooters were early supporters’ groups. The Soccer Social Club became affiliated with the Boston Wonder Workers of the ASL.
[Read more…] about Dec. 5, 1922 – The Soccer Social Club of Boston holds first meeting, Hotel Essex