May 1, 1927 – Fall River Marksmen win U.S. Open Cup – “Red fire was burned in large quantities”

Dave McEachren and Tec White scored twice as the Marksmen took a 7-0 win over Holley Carburetors for  their second National Challenge Cup (U.S. Open Cup) title “before a 10,000 crowd, including a special trainload from Fall River, led by Mayor Harry Monks,” according to The Boston Globe. Trailing, 3-0, the Detroit team had a chance to cut the deficit, but Dutch international Gerrit Visser had a late first-half penalty kick saved by Blair.

On the same day, the New York Giants and Vienna Hakoah played to a 2-2 draw before a 40,000 crowd at the Polo Grounds, and reigning Olympic champion Uruguay took a 3-0 win over an Ohio All-Star team in Cleveland.

The next day: “The members of the Fall River soccer club were welcomed like heroes upon their arrival from Detroit … by thousands of fans at the Fall River station when they arrived from Boston. The champions were applauded and cheered and then took their places in motor cars for a parade through the business section of the city. … Thousands of citizens lined the sidewalks along the downtown streets, while red fire was burned in large quantities.”

Holley Carburetors later made its name in sports – appropriately – in NASCAR and NHRA competitions.

May 1, 1927 – Holley Carburetors 0:7 Fall River Marksmen. U.S. Open Cup final at University of Detroit (Att. 10,000)

TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY