Fall River

Philadelphia Inquirer, October 7, 1894

Who scored the first professional goals in US soccer history?

November 23, 2022

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AAPF, ALPF, ASL, Boston, Brooklyn, Fall River, Massachusetts, Newark, Philadelphia:

Who scored the first goals in the earliest US professional leagues? Brian Bunk looks at the available evidence.

The Marksmen with the Dewar Trophy. Photo courtesy of thecup.us.

Marksmen Celebrate a Century: the History of a Storied American Club

July 21, 2022

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ASL, Fall River, Rhode Island, US Open Cup:

Derek Gonsalves reviews the history of the Fall River Marksmen, arguably the preeminent US club of its day, to mark the 100th anniversary of its founding.

Sailor lads, jolly tars, and rovers of the briny deep: International ship-crew soccer matches in the US, 1890-1905, part 2

Sailor lads, jolly tars, and rovers of the briny deep: International ship-crew soccer matches in the US, 1890-1905, part 2

June 17, 2022

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Fall River, International matches, Massachusetts, Pawtucket, Rhode Island:

Ed Farnsworth’s review of matches between US clubs and British ship crew teams between 1890 and 1905 continues with a look at games played in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The rise and fall: Fall River and Pawtucket soccer, 1883-1896

The rise and fall: Fall River and Pawtucket soccer, 1883-1896

February 1, 2022

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Boston, Fall River, Massachusetts, Pawtucket, Rhode Island:

In the decade after the founding of the Fall River’s East End team, Fall River and Pawtucket rose to be perhaps the preeminent center of soccer in the United States. Then, over the course of three seasons, organized soccer in the cities collapsed. Ed Farnsworth looks at the rise and fall.

Image via The Arsenal History

“Talented but Tainted”: Henry “Harry” Boyd in the US, 1891-92

July 27, 2021

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Chicago, Fall River:

Ed Farnsworth and Kurt Rausch look at the season Scottish-born Henry “Harry” Boyd spent in the US in 1891-92 during which he played for Chicago Thistle, Fall River Olympics, and also Fall River East End, the latter with whom he won the American Cup. Boyd’s playing career in England and Scotland included stints at Sunderland Albion, Burnley, West Bromwich Albion, Third Lanark, Woolwich Arsenal, and Newton Heath.

Pawtucket Evening Times, April 19, 1895.

Gentlemen of Color: Oliver and Fred Watson, the earliest known African American soccer players in the United States

December 8, 2020

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AFA, Black Soccer, Fall River, Pawtucket:

Ed Farnsworth and Brian Bunk on Oliver “Allie” Watson and Fred Watson, two brothers from Rhode Island who between them from 1894 to 1901 were the first African Americans to play in a senior soccer league, to play and score in an American Cup match, win a league championship, and play for a professional team.

Footage from the Fall River Marksmen’s 1930 Central European tour

Footage from the Fall River Marksmen’s 1930 Central European tour

September 9, 2020

3 comments

Fall River, International Tours:

Derek Goncalves recounts the Marksmen’s 1930 Central European tour. Includes footage of the final match of the tour from the National Film Institute of Hungary.

What Happened to Mark’s Stadium?

What Happened to Mark’s Stadium?

April 21, 2020

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ASL, Fall River, Massachusetts, Rhode Island:

The original Mark’s Stadium was built in 1921. What happened to it?