The Father of Soccer

A WWI soccer tour, a brand new name for the sport, and the Irish-American at the center of it all. This week – in honor of St. Paddy’s – we look back at the remarkable story of the Irishman who founded US Soccer. Plus, we visit the original soccer colony in America, a million-dollar tryout, and touch on our upcoming road trip plans.

This week’s stories:

• 🗺️ The Original Soccer Colony

• 💸 Million-Dollar Tryout

• 👨🏻 The Father of Soccer

• 🗽 A Night in NYC

• 🗳️ Last Week’s Poll Answers

• ➡️ And More

OUR HISTORY
The Original Soccer Colony

Rhode Island was the last of the 13 original colonies to become a state, but it was the first in something far more important. 

Over a century ago, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, held the first-ever US Open Cup Final in history. And this past weekend, soccer made its triumphant return to The Ocean State just 15 minutes away from where this seminal game took place. 

Rhode Island FC completed its USL Championship debut on Saturday, and it was a cathartic experience for everyone in attendance. We were lucky to be there to dive into this historic moment for soccer and capture the gorgeous scenes. 

TST
Million-Dollar Tryout

Ever dreamed of playing with Beckham? Cruz Beckham that is. Now is your chance, and you can also have a shot at a cool million dollars. 

Both Socceroof and Saturday’s Football recently announced that they’ll be entering this year’s TST, and they’re assembling their squads as we speak. 

The latter one will be dropping info this week for a mass open tryout to fill out their roster, and Socceroof has hinted at another big announcement this week which might be in that same vein. Maybe you have what it takes to lift the tournament’s million-dollar prize.

COVER STORY
The Father of Soccer

Thomas Cahill gave us the name ‘soccer,’ he founded our federation, and never shied away from using creative tactics to push the sport where it’d never gone before. A true American hero. 

Aside from all his accolades as a coach and leading administrative force, one of his biggest accomplishments was taking the US team on its first international tour – in the middle of World War I. 

Under his tutelage, the American team impressed crowds of up to 20,000 people, and they even played in front of King Gustaf V in Sweden. The King and the rest of the European audiences left these matches dejected as the US team only lost one game in the whole tour. 

Years later, Cahill left his post as USFA General Secretary to start the first-ever significant pro soccer league in our country, and he spearheaded countless other ventures to popularize the sport in the US. The story of this Irish-American railroad worker turned soccer pioneer, reminds us that we all have agency in how far we elevate our beautiful game.

SOCCER POLITICS
The Greater Good

Commissioner Don Garber went on a roundtable last week to talk about everything going on with MLS. He dropped some real gems regarding heated topics like the Open Cup and youth development. It was quite controversial. 

First, he predictably mentioned that the “Open Cup move is for the greater good of U.S. soccer.” Then, he added that the best youth players in the US are “kids that, if not for MLS Next Pro, I don't know what they would be doing … they might not be playing soccer.” 🤔 

He definitely sparked some discussion with those comments. 

CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates

All-American Rejects: Days after being left out of the USMNT Nations League squad, Brenden Aaronson, Cade Cowell, Brandon Vazquez, and Alejandro Zendejas all scored in their subsequent games. Not bad.

The West Files: Back in 2008, renowned commentator Aaron West was writing a weekly column for $50 a week. A few days ago he released his Google Doc notes on players he was watching at the time, featuring throwbacks like Freddy Adu, Oguchi Onyewu, and more. Talk about a time capsule.

WPSL Internships: This women’s soccer league is opening up its internship program, giving college students across the country a chance to get some experience in design, photography, and journalism. Apps are open through April 5th.

Dimelo Pod: Soccer host/reporter Claudia Pagan launched her new podcast last week, delving into conversations with people in the sports industry about their careers, passions, and challenges. It’s been a great listen.

Copa America Threads: The most important part ahead of any tournament. The kit reveals. Last week, Adidas unveiled the home and away jerseys for its six countries at Copa America. Nike fired back yesterday with the full drop of the USMNT kits.

CLUBELEVEN
A Night In NYC

It was an honor to be invited to speak at opening night of Kicking + Screening Film Festival last week alongside Mundial’s Owen Blackhurst and Able Made’s Suzanne McKenzie. Part of the CLUBELEVEN family came out to support too, and we saw some great films & art that have stuck with us. 

One of them was the Joga Feio mural by Geoff Gouveia atop Football Cafe. The mural depicted some of soccer’s ugliest moments in the style of Picasso’s ‘Guernica,’ and ironically, it’s a beautiful piece of art.

The films on opening night were also quite powerful. The doc on the 1967 LA Wolves was a great dive into the greatest soccer game of all time in America, and ‘Captains of Ukraine’ was a brilliantly told story by NY-based creator Matt Danzico.

PIONEERS
Live Forever

It was the most historic weekend in NWSL in well over a decade. KC Current opened up the first-ever stadium built specifically for a women’s sports team, and they did it in style by beating the Thorns in a 5-4 thriller. But that wasn’t all.

While Pat and Brittany Mahomes took in the game in Kansas City on Saturday, Bay FC made its league debut on the other side of the country the following day. 

Alex Pfieffer also broke the record for the youngest player to ever score in the league. Safe to say it was a weekend full of firsts. One that only reassures us the sky is the limit. 

CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️ 

Last week, we asked you to pick your favorite women’s soccer player of all time. Here are some of your best answers:

• “Marta. But Kelly Smith should be on this list too.” - Lisa 

• “Wendy Renard!” - Pierre

• “Alex Morgan” - Nicky

• “CANADA MENTIONED RAAAAAAAAAH 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 TRUE NORTH STRONG BABYYYYYYYYYY🍁🫎🦫🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁” - Keveren

In the poll, Mia Hamm took the #1 spot with 40% of the vote, while Marta and Sinclair tied for second with 17% of the vote each. 

It was great hearing those underrated GOAT choices, so thank you for submitting your takes.

UP NEXT
Club Road Trip

The Open Cup kicks off this week, and we’ve got big plans. A few of us will be heading on a road trip across the Mid-Atlantic to hit three games in three days, while our good friends Kyros, Gabriel, and Luke will be heading to Jersey, Virginia, and Vermont respectively to cover even more matches.

It should be a fun one, and we’ll give you a window into all these exciting communities this coming week. You can follow along on the trip here.

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Have a great Tuesday!

Pablo