Fall River

 Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, associated with the textile industry. In 1880 the population was 48,961. The American Soccer History Archives list no fewer than 30 Association  football teams being formed in Fall River during the period 1882-87. Many of these appear to be 'works' teams.

1882-83
Fall River East Ends Fall River Old Roads Fall River North Ends
1883-84
Fall River Bowenville Globes Fall River County St. Rovers Fall River Flint Mills Fall River Rovers
1884-85
Fall River Barnaby Mills Fall River Canonicuts Fall River King Phillips Fall River Lindsay St. Rovers Fall River Main Streets  Fall River Mechanics Fall River Merry Boys Fall River Osbornes Fall River Parks Fall River St Patricks
1885-86
Fall River Chace St. Rovers Fall River Rangers
1886-87
Fall River Allarounds Fall River Chelseas Fall River Harrisons Fall River McLaughlins Fall River Pilgrims Fall River Pleasant St. Rovers Fall River Pleasant Views Fall River Shrove Wanderers Fall River Tower St. Rangers Fall River Tremonts Fall River Wamsuttas Fall River Weetamoes

Between 1888 and 1892 teams from Fall River won the American Cup five times in succession.

American Cup Winners:

1888
Fall River Rovers
1889
Fall River Rovers
1890
Fall River Olympics
1891
Fall River East Ends
1892
Fall River East Ends

Rovers 

1896
Fall River Olympics - American Cup Finalists
1909
Fall River Rovers - New England League Winners Rovers played 2 matches against the Pilgrims (England) tourists- drawing 1-1 and winning 2-1.
1910
Fall River Rovers - Eastern Soccer League I Winners
1916
Fall River Rovers- National Challenge Cup Finalists Rovers’ Tommy Swords captained the USA in their first ever international.

Swords

1917
Fall River Rovers- National Challenge Cup Winners, Times Cup Winners
1918
Fall River Rovers - National Challenge Cup Finalists
1921
Fall River Rovers dissolved
Fall River United founded Fall River United draw 2-2 with Third Lanark (Scotland)
1922
United become Marksmen

Marksmen

Sam Mark took over the ownership of Fall River United in 1922 and named them the Marksmen. He was also behind the construction of the Mark's Stadium, one of the first 'Soccer specific' stadiums in the USA. This venue was in North Tiverton, Rhode Island, as Massachusetts law prohibited the playing of  commercial sports on Sundays.
The Marksmen featured former Chelsea player Harold Brittan; Scottish born goalkeeper Lindy Kerr; James White, Tommy Martin ( both ex Motherwell), Bill McPherson (Beith) and Charlie McGill (Third Lanark).

Brittan

1924
Fall River Marksmen - American Soccer League I Winners, National Challenge Cup Winners
1925
Fall River Marksmen - American Soccer League I Winners
1926
Fall River Marksmen - American Soccer League I Winners Marksmen beat the touring Sparta Prague 3-2.
1927
Fall River Marksmen - National Challenge Cup Winners
1928
Marksmen played 2 touring sides. They defeated Brazil’s Palestra Italia 4-2 but lost 3-0 to Glasgow Rangers. Fall River Powers Hudson Essex shared the National Amateur Cup following a drawn final.
1929
Fall River Marksmen - American Soccer League I Winners

1930

Fall River Marksmen - Atlantic Coast League Winners, American Soccer League Winners, National Challenge Cup Winners. Fall River Rafferty - National Amateur Challenge Cup Winners

 Billy Gonsalves and Bert Patenaude  of the Marksmen were leading figures in the USA World Cup Squad in 1930,

The Marksmen played 2 Scottish touring teams in 1930: Kilmarnock were beaten 3-0 whilst Glasgow Rangers enjoyed 3-2 and 6-1 wins. 


The club also undertook a tour of Central Europe:

20.08.30	Slavia Prague	2	2	Fall River Marksmen	Prague
23.08.30	Wiener A.C.	6	0	Fall River Marksmen	Vienna
24.08.30	Austria Vienna	1	3	Fall River Marksmen	Vienna
28.08.30	Slavia Prague	4	0	Fall River Marksmen	Prague
30.08.30	SK Bratislava	0	3	Fall River Marksmen	Bratislava
31.08.30	Ferencvaros	6	2	Fall River Marksmen	Budapest

In 1931 The Marksmen relocated to New York City, merged with New York Football Club and became New York Yankees (although they still played Cup matches as Fall River Marksmen).

1931

Fall River Football Club ( #1) - National Challenge Cup Winners Fall River F.C.( #1) 5- Verez Sarsfield (Argentina) 2

The Yankees in turn moved to New Bedford where they merged with Fall River F.C (#1) to become the New Bedford Whalers. 

New Fall River based clubs emerged in the 1930s. In 1932 Fall River Football Club  (#2) won the 'fall' edition of the American Soccer League.
In the following seasons the New England Division of the American Soccer League featured Fall River Rovers and Fall River United.
The Fall River All-Americans reached the National Amateur Challenge Cup Final in 1935.
In 1937 Fall River Americans played in  the New England Division of the American Soccer League

The 1930s  also saw the development of another Fall River club that would go on to great success (but outside our chosen era)- the amateur Ponta Delgada Soccer Club, based in the city's Portuguese community. 

The American Cup

Association Football in the United States developed in industrialised areas in the East. The blue collar sector of East Coast society included a significant percentage of European workers.The influence of the textile industry in New Jersey was particularly important, as were the connections that a number of the leading manufacturers (Clark Thread Company of Paisley, Michael Nairn & Company of Kirkcaldy) had with Scotland. Paterson was noted for silk production, which also attracted a great deal of experienced Scottish labour.

As we have seen in previous posts one of the biggest problems that American soccer has faced during its history has been the power struggles between rival governing bodies and  associations. The American Football Association, founded in 1884, was the United States' first Association Football Governing body, and it was under the auspices of this Association that the first 'cross league' competition was played.
The tournament is usually referred to simply as The American Cup. Here is a list of the finals, up until the 8 year hiatus that saw the tournament lose it's prestige.

1885	Clark O.N.T.	1	0	New York
1886	Clark O.N.T.	3	1	Kearny Rangers
1887	Clark O.N.T.	3	2	Kearny Rangers
1888	Fall River Rovers	5	1	Newark Almas
1889	Fall River Rovers	4	0	Newark Caledonian
1890	Fall River Olympics	4	3	Kearny Rovers
1891	Fall River East Ends	3	1	Brooklyn Longfellows
1892	Fall River East Ends	5	2	New York Thistle
1893	Pawtucket Free Wanderers	3	1	New York Thistle
1894	Pawtucket Olympics	4	1	Paterson True Blues
1895	Newark Caledonian	4	0	Pawtucket Free Wanderers
1896	Paterson True Blues	7	2	Fall River Olympics
1897	Philadelphia Mainz	5	2	Paterson True Blues
	Replay following a 2-2 draw.
1898	Kearny Arlington	4	2	Paterson True Blues

The first edition attracted 6 entrants (some sources state 13 but this appears to confuse the event with later editions).

The entrants were:
Caledonian Thistle Club (Paterson)- whose name leaves no doubt about their Scottish origins.
Clark O.N.T. (Kearney) -sponsored by the Clark Thread Company ONT was short for Our New Thread, Clark’s latest product.
Domestic (Newark)- backed by a well known sewing machine manufacturer.
Kearny Rangers
New York F.B.C.
Paterson F.B.C.

First Round
25.10.84	Clark O.N.T.	2	0	Domestic	ONT AA Grounds Kearney
01.11.84	Kearny Rangers	3	2	Caledonian Thistle	Domestic Baseball Grounds Newark
01.11.84	New York	5	0	Paterson	Hoboken
Semi Final
A draw was made that gave Clark O.N.T a bye into the final.
27.11.84	Kearny Rangers	0	4	New York	Domestic Baseball Grounds Newark
FINAL
14.02.85	Clark O.N.T.	2	1	New York	Emmet Street Grounds Newark
The match was played in snow. New York protested that not all the ONT players were genuine members of the club and that the goal posts were not regulation size. The AFA ordered a replay.
25.04.85	Clark O.N.T.	1	0	New York	Olympic Grounds Paterson

As well as a handsome trophy the winners received prize money of $150.