Silver Age Soccer

TIL: The Detroit Express hold the record for the largest margin of victory, ever, in a modern, top-flight American soccer league.

They destroyed the San Jose Earthquakes 10-0 in 1978, with British phenom Trevor Francis scoring five goals.

Haven’t seen very many pictures of Packard Park

On August 4, 1951, Gil Heron signed for #CelticFC 🍀💚

#Celtic : 04/08/1951 ➡️ 17/05/1952
👕 5
⚽️ 2

#COYBIG 🍀🇮🇪☘️

I played soccer for Sparta and if I ever find a club like this from there, it would be the greatest thing ever.

March 10, 1940 Cleveland Shamrocks behind a stout defense stymie Jim Goodfellow & his Detroit Chyrslers and knock them out of the Western Final of the National Amateur Cup 2-1 at Keyworth Stadium, breaking Chyrslers' 15 game win streak.
[Detroit Free Press, March 11, 1940

Chrysler vs Manhattans of Chicago in National Challenge Cup action at Keyworth Stadium, January 8, 1939

[Detroit Free Press, January 9, 1939

In honor of the 85th anniversary of the opening of Keyworth Stadium, some grainy newspaper photos of soccer at the venerable old ground.
Chrysler with a big 6-0 win over Chicago Nickeloid in the National Amateur Cup.
[Detroit News 26 Feb 1940

Morgan Strasser buries the National Challenge Cup title hopes of the Detroit All-Stars (along with keeper Joe Carelli) in the mud at Keyworth Stadium with a 2-1 victory.
[Detroit Evening Times 13 Mar 1944

Chrysler follows manager Johnny McInnes ins to "Shoot often and keep them off balance" to overcome a stout Cleveland Delardas side 2-0 at Keyworth Stadium to advance to the 3rd round of the National Challenge Cup.
[Detroit News 9 Dec 1940

Another case of controversial Open Cup finishes. Chyslers (Detroit) wins in a 2nd leg forfeit over Sparta (Chicago) when the visitors walked off with the game 2-2 prior to a second overtime at Keyworth Stadium.
[Detroit Free Press, March 16, 1942

Detroit All-Stars down the epically named Cleveland Boondoglers 5-1 in front of "select clientele" at Keyworth Stadium, moving on to the National Challenge Cup semifinals.
[Detroit Evening Times 28 Feb 1944

Trevor Francis and Johan Cruyff catch up at a match between the Detroit Express and the Los Angeles Aztecs at the Rose Bowl

Trevor Francis and Johan Cruyff at the Rose Bowl, 1979

William Clay Ford, right, grandson of Henry Ford, takes the ball after a pass from Lawrence Beecher, left, during a soccer game at the St. Mary's Navy Pre-Flight School, where they are aviation cadets, in Oakland, Calif., April 23,1945

Long-time Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford with the ball during a soccer match at St. Mary's Navy Pre-Flight School, Oakland, California
[AP Photo 23 Apr 1945]

View of men from the Detroit Football Club, some wearing shirts with old English "D", posing on bleachers. Printed on ball: "Detroit F.C. 1911."

Detroit Football Club, 1911
[Detroit Public Library Digital Collections, Burton Historical Collection, Clarence Faber Collection]

Illustration of the Detroit Association Foot Ball Team, 3 rows of players with "Detroit" written on their shirts and 5 club officials in suits, front row seated and last two rows standing. Two trophies are placed in front of the players seated in the first row with the middle player with a football in his lap. Caption: "The Detroit Association Foot Ball Team, [Back] J.D. King, Wm Kay, M'Pherson, Fleming, John M'Kendrick, J.S. M'Kay, A.P. Young, [Middle] Corbett, Collie, Mascot, M'Millan, Stewart, Jas. M'Kendrick [Front] Ramsey, Henderson, W. M'Kendrick

Illustration of the Detroit Association Foot Ball team
[Detroit Free Press, 22 Nov 1891]
(with an assist from @brianbunk.bsky.social 's book "From Football to Soccer: The Early History of the Beautiful Game in the United States")

They were built different back then, apparently

Transferred almost all the posts from Twitter, we are so back.

Detroit Express great Trevor Francis

Sport Club 1924's 100th anniversary is coming up & I'm doing a deep dive into the history of Detroit's oldest club. If anyone has interesting info about SC 1924, aka German Sport (German-Americans/Germania SC) aka German United aka Detroit Pioneers (incl. NASFL), get in touch

Early US sports, notable for lack of politics.
Detroit Young Workers League Soccer team would go on to be one of the top teams in the state by the end of the decade. Red sweaters with Hammer and Sickle.
[Young Worker 4 Apr 1925

1941 Chrysler Soccer Club of Detroit - Tony Barra, Aldo Patria, Bob Williamson, Doug Nelson, Tom Ferrans, Jeff Combs, Mark Molly, Tom Syme, John Leonard, Neil Campbell, John McInnes, George Hay, & George Borg.
[Wayne State University Libraries Digital Collections

A picked team of Michigan soccer players heads to Cleveland for the first leg of the Dewar Cup. 300 soccer supporters intend to make the trip "with a band to furnish music and noise."
[Detroit News Tribune 19 Oct 1913

At the Michigan State Soccer League end-of-season awards dinner, @detroitnews reporter Joe S. Jackson pledges press coverage for the sport of soccer.
[Detroit New Tribune 27 Jul 1913

1913 Wolverine Soccer Football Club of Detroit
[Detroit News Tribune 25 May 1913

1913 Caledonia Football Club
[Detroit News Tribune 4 May 1913

1911 Detroit Celtic Soccer Football Club ☘️
[Detroit News Tribune 23 Mar 1913

Labor History Today History Podcast · 101 Episodes · Updated Weekly

This is a great high-level overview of the golden age of Detroit soccer in the 1920s & 1930s from
@gabe65330234
The rise and fall of the Holley Carburetor Soccer Club

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lab…

1912 the club was rescued from oblivion with renewed interest in the local sports community. Old member Henry B. Joy, President of Packard Motor Company, became the first member of the New Detroit Athletic Club.
[Detroit News Tribune 1 Dec 1912

The DAC was in decline after the turn of the century. Many members served in the Spanish-American war.

Bringing in a great trainer Mike Murphy is credited for the great success of the club in track and field. Meanwhile, the DAC baseball team brought home an increasing number of local and regional trophies and became the "amateur champion of the world" in 1893.