Yale and Eton competed in possibly the first 11-a-side game conducted using Football Association rules in the U.S. FA rules were established in London in 1863, then adopted by the Scottish FA in 1873. [Read more…] about Dec. 6, 1873 – Yale 2:1 Eton College Alumni, Hamilton Park, New Haven, Conn.
Boston SC’s Jimmy Cairney scored the winning goal with a “back heeler” that deflected off Caldwell past New Bedford Whalrs goalkeeper Johnny Reder (who would go on to play first base for the Red Sox in 1932). New Bedford was in first place in the ASL before the match. [Read more…] about Dec. 5, 1931 – Boston SC 2:1 New Bedford Whalers at Lincoln Park
The Noddle Islanders won the Boston High School Soccer Football League with an 8-0-0 (22-1 goal differential) record, the only goal surrendered in a 2-1 win over Charlestown in the season-opener.
Nov. 12, 1917 – Charlestown 3:1 East Boston, Boston High School Suburban League final at Sullivan Sq. Playground
Charlestown won its second successive title, surrendering only one goal — to East Boston — along the way.
TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY
Shalrie Joseph planned to pass up MLS, as he set up tryouts in Europe after playing for St. John’s University. The New England Revolution selected Joseph with their second-round pick in the 2002 draft, coach Fernando Clavijo following assistant John Murphy’s recommendation, realizing Joseph would be unavailable for at least one season. A year later, Joseph was playing for the New York Freedom when Kraft Soccer’s Sunil Gulati convinced him to take his chances with the Revolution and the move worked out as he became the team’s best-ever all-around performer. [Read more…] about Dec. 3, 2002 – New England Revolution sign Shalrie Joseph
The New England Revolution broke with team policy when they claimed Lee Nguyen off waivers on March 2, 2012, and the move paid off. Nguyen, who earned $55,000 in his first season, has gone on to become one of the Revolution’s top attacking players. Former Revolution coach Jay Heaps built the team’s tactics around Nguyen’s playmaking and knack for timing late finishing runs. In 2014, Nguyen expanded his repertoire, totaling 20 goals in all competitions, the No. 2 total (behind Taylor Twellman’s 25 in 2002) in team history. Nguyen has scored 51 goals in MLS regular-season games, second to Twellman (101) on the all-time Revolution list.
[Read more…] about Dec. 2, 2014 – Revolution’s Lee Nguyen named to MLS Best XI
From The Boston Globe: “Osborne, Harvard’s sturdy left tackle in the game with Yale a week ago, was the pivot around which swung the impregnable formation of the Crimson forward line in the intercollegiate championship soccer match with Columbia … Osborne proved himself a versatile football player, seeming quite as much at home on the soccer gridiron as in the American college game.” [Read more…] about Dec. 1, 1906 – Columbia 0:1 Harvard at Cosmopolitan Park, Newark
Michelle Akers-Stahl (20’, 78’) made the difference for the U.S. Linda Medalen (29’) equalized for Norway. There was increased drama in the deciding goal as Akers-Stahl scored two minutes before the final whistle – the length of games was shortened to 80 minutes, 10 minutes less than normal. [Read more…] about Nov. 30, 1991 – U.S. 2×1 Norway. First Women’s World Championship final, Guangzhou, China (Att.: 63,000)
Thierry Henry avoided Gillette Stadium’s synthetic surface until the final game of his five-year MLS stay. Henry, who scored three goals in six games against the Revolution at Red Bull Arena, nearly provided what could have been a deciding assist, Tim Cahill volleying high off his cross. After the game, Henry limited his media remarks to a one-liner congratulating the Revolution. [Read more…] about Nov. 29, 2014 – Thierry Henry’s final game. Revolution 2:2 (4:3) NYRB, MLS playoffs (Att.: 32,698)
Jack Dueker scored three goals for the Bob Guelker-coached Saint Louis Billikens in the first NCAA-sanctioned soccer championship final, the game played in a strong downpour. [Read more…] about Nov. 28, 1959 – First NCAA Final (St. Louis 5:2 Bridgeport) at Memorial Stadium, Storrs, Conn. (Att.: 400)
Archie Stark scored one of his 49 goals (in 43 matches) of the 1927-28 ASL season as Bethlehem Steel blanked the Fall River Marksmen. Stark set a record with 67 regular-season goals for Bethlehem Steel in the 1924-25 season. [Read more…] about Nov. 27, 1927 – Fall River Marksmen 0:1 Bethlehem Steel, Mark’s Stadium (Att.: 5,149)