Claims for the earliest 'soccer' team in the United States actually pre date Association Football, and seem to refer to a rather ramshackle game combining collision style tackling, handling and certain elements of kicking based football.
1884- The first governing body in US football, the American Football Association (AFA) , formed.
1885 - The American Cup (also known as the American Football Association Cup and the American Federation Cup) first held. Clark O.N.T. (Newark, NJ) were the winners of the first 3 editions.
Harry Holden, Clark O.N.T
1885-1886 - The AFA holds representative matches against the Canadian league.1904- Two American High School teams compete in the three team Olympic tournament, retrospectively recorded by the IOC as silver and bronze medal wins for the USA.
1911-The American Amateur Football Association (AAFA) was created in direct opposition to the AFA. The AAFA spread beyond the traditional Northeastern football heartlands and created its own cup in 1912, the American Amateur Football Association Cup.
There followed a period of competition between these governing bodies, both of which applied to FIFA for membership.
1913- A number of clubs shift alliegance from the AFA to the AAFA.
1913- The AAFA becomes the United States Football Association, presently known as the United States Soccer Federation. This led to the establishment of the National Challenge Cup which overshadowed the American Cup. (both cups were played simultaneously for the next ten years).
1921- The American Soccer League founded .
1924 -The National Amateur Cup founded by the USFA ( the American Cup was finally killed off by this rival competition).
1924- In the Olympics USA lost to Uruguay in round 2.
The latter portion of the 1920s saw a period of political infighting between the sports' governing bodies known as the American Soccer Wars.
In 1927, the issue intensified as ASL clubs were accused by FIFA for signing European players who were already under contract to European clubs.
1928 - In the Olympics USA are knocked out in the first round, blitzed 11-2 by Argentina.
1930 - In the first World Cup, the U.S. finish third, losing to Argentina in the semi-final.
Incredible amount of info on the game in the USA here:
http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/index.html
