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Frank Dell'Apa

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American Soccer League

May 12, 1935 – St. Louis Central Breweries 1:3 (7:6) Pawtucket Rangers, U.S. Open Cup final at Newark School Stadium (Att. 2,000)

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According to The Boston Globe, the National Challenge Cup (U.S. Open Cup) final had been set as a best-of-three series, the title going to the first team to win twice. The Centrals had taken a 5-2 home victory and the teams had played to a 1-1 tie in Pawtucket. But on May 11, 1935, the day before the match, the U.S. Football Association decreed total goals would decide the winner. [Read more…] about May 12, 1935 – St. Louis Central Breweries 1:3 (7:6) Pawtucket Rangers, U.S. Open Cup final at Newark School Stadium (Att. 2,000)

May 8, 1964 – Liverpool FC draws a (15,000) crowd in Boston

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The Boston Globe listed attendance at 10,000, “the biggest crowd of people to ever watch a soccer game in the Boston area.” Several sources who were at the game as players or spectators are convinced the crowd was greater than 10,000. My primary source is Frank Mirisola, a South Boston businessman and former Boston SC player/long-time supervisor of referees for the Boston Public Schools league. Mirisola said he “saw the ticket receipts and it was 15,000 … it wasn’t quite full.” Everett Memorial Stadium held 18,000 on bleacher seats, according to Sal LoGrasso, a long-time Everett resident and former Boston SC and Boston Minutemen defender. [Read more…] about May 8, 1964 – Liverpool FC draws a (15,000) crowd in Boston

April 30, 1939 – Long before Cristiano Ronaldo, there was Billy Gonsalves

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Long before Cristiano Ronaldo, Adelino (Billy) Gonsalves was considered among the most proficient players of Madeira Island descent. Gonsalves, born in Portsmouth, R.I., in 1908, holds the record by winning eight U.S. Open Cup championships, six in succession (1930-35) with three clubs. Gonsalves won his first title with Fall River Marksmen at the age of 22 and his last with Brooklyn Hispano at 35 in 1944.

Gonsalves competed for teams in several cities, but he might not have had to leave St. Louis to play for Chicago-based Manhattan Beer. Gonsalves left Fall River after the demise of the ASL and the Marksmen, performing for St. Louis Central Breweries, Beltmar Drug and South Side Radio in the “Mound City” from 1933-38. The St. Louis Soccer League invited Chicago teams to participate in the league, and Gonsalves joined Manhattan Beer for the 1938 and ’39 seasons. Gonsalves teamed with Spain-born Fabri Salcedo to lead the attack for the Brewers, and they continued to combine with Brooklyn Hispano in the ‘40s.

April 30, 1939 – Chicago Manhattan Beer 0:1 St. Mary’s Celtic (Brooklyn)

Gonsalves scored Manhattan Beer’s only goal in the two-game series on a penalty kick. Duke Nanoski converted in the away leg and added two goals in St. Mary’s Celtic’s 4-1 win in the return leg at Starlight Park in the Bronx May 7, 1939. Rudolf Kuntner, a U.S. Men’s National Team member who became stage manager at the Metropolitan Opera, added a penalty kick goal in the second leg. According to a Dec. 19, 1971 New York Times review of Tristan und Isolde, Kuntner “… was responsible for the lighting effects. Bravo.” The Met used the stage lighting setup for productions in the ‘80s, also.

TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY

April 29, 1989 – Boston Bolts 0:0 Washington Diplomats at Nickerson Field (Att. 2,151)

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Rain contributed to keeping the crowd numbers down for the Boston Bolts in the home-opener of their second season. The Bolts went on to reach the ASL final, falling to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in a mini-game Aug. 26, 1989. [Read more…] about April 29, 1989 – Boston Bolts 0:0 Washington Diplomats at Nickerson Field (Att. 2,151)

April 18, 1921 – Abbot Worsteds manager Kelly one-year suspension for using ineligible player v Hendee Indians

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Jimmy Kelly drew the suspension after using Greensdale in a State Cup semifinal game. The State Cup committee also voted to withhold the runner-up cup and medal, Fore River winning the title. The Hendee Indians were accused of using an ineligible player in a previous game, manager James Shepard suspended for a year.

Hendee took a 5-1 win over the Abbots (Milne scored 4 goals) at the Fore River Shipyard field in Quincy Jan. 1 and the teams played to 2-2 draws Dec. 26 in Holyoke and in a semifinal replay March 26 at the Fore River Shipyard field in Quincy.

The Hendee team seems to have been short-lived. [Read more…] about April 18, 1921 – Abbot Worsteds manager Kelly one-year suspension for using ineligible player v Hendee Indians

April 12, 1925 – Providence 3:1 Boston at Kinsley Park (Att.: 4,000)

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U.S. national team captain Tommy Florie converted a penalty kick and Tewfik Abdallah also scored as the Providence Clamdiggers took a 2-1 halftime lead, Barney Battles countering for Boston. Abdallah, nicknamed “Toothpick,” moved from Zamalek to Derby County in 1920, becoming the second Egyptian to play professionally in England. Abdallah played for Providence from 1924-26, then moved to the Fall River Marksmen, Hartford Americans and New York Nationals before returning to Egypt to play for Al Ahly and El Mokhtalt, concluding his career with Montreal Carsteel.

The previous day, Battles had scored as Boston took a 3-1 victory over the Ben Millers of St. Louis in the American Professional Championship before a 4,000 crowd at the Walpole Street Grounds.

TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY

April 11, 1934 – U.S. Soccer Squad of 18 Selected – for World Cup

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The U.S. team for 1934 World Cup had a strong New England influence, including Eddie Czerkiewicz, Walter Dick, Tommy Florie, Joe Martinelli (Pawtucket Rangers); Billy Gonsalves and Werner “Scotty” Nilsen (Stix, Baer & Fuller); Tom Lynch (Brooklyn Celtics). Also listed was A. Donelli (Curry FC, Pittsburgh). [Read more…] about April 11, 1934 – U.S. Soccer Squad of 18 Selected – for World Cup

April 2, 1932 – New Bedford Whalers win U.S. Open Cup

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Stix, Baer & Fuller 2:5 (5:8) New Bedford, National Challenge Cup final at Sportsman’s Park. Billy Gonsalves scored twice, including the aggregate go-ahead goal on a free kick 18 minutes into the second half, according to an Associated Press report. (Other sources credit Gonsalves with one goal in the game – and a record 14 goals in U.S. Open Cup finals; Gonsalves could actually have totaled 15 goals). The New Bedford team was essentially the Fall River Marksmen, who had won the 1930 and ’31 Challenge Cup titles, owner Sam Mark moving the franchise for the 1932 season (difficult to understand why Mark moved to New Bedford, as he controlled Mark’s Stadium near Fall River).

The record for U.S. Open Cup titles is five (Bethlehem Steel and Los Angeles Maccabi), but Gonsalves holds the individual title with eight victories (playing for five teams). This was the third of six successive U.S. Open Cup championships for Gonsalves, who was 23 years old at the time. [Read more…] about April 2, 1932 – New Bedford Whalers win U.S. Open Cup

March 30, 1924 – Snowing on their parade; Fall River Marksmen win 1st of 4 US Open Cup titles

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Fall River knew how to celebrate a championship in the 1920s. The Fall River Marksmen won the double (American Soccer League and U.S. Open Cup), taking the first of their four Open Cup titles with a 4-2 win over Vesper Buick in St. Louis on March 30, 1924, then returning by train to a “raging snowstorm” and a “rousing reception” two days later.

“Despite the raging snowstorm … was accorded a rousing reception when it arrived home tonight, thousands of fans besieging the local railroad station and lining the streets. … [Read more…] about March 30, 1924 – Snowing on their parade; Fall River Marksmen win 1st of 4 US Open Cup titles

March 29, 1925 – Fall River Marksmen 1:2 Boston Wonder Workers (Att. 17,000)

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Lewis Cup final at Mark’s Stadium, N. Tiverton, R.I. According to the Boston Globe: “Boston’s professional soccer team smashed all kinds of records … in the final game in the American League Cup Series, trimming Fall River’s crack eleven, 2 to 1, before the largest crowd that ever watched a soccer game in this country. There were 17,000 fans in Marks’ Stadium … every seat was occupied and every resting place on the fences was filled … ‘’ [Read more…] about March 29, 1925 – Fall River Marksmen 1:2 Boston Wonder Workers (Att. 17,000)