Women's Soccer in 1800s America

The first recorded women's soccer game on the East Coast took place over 130 years ago. It was a chaotic affair near the Baltimore harbor. This week, we look back at that very first game in 1894 and a notable women’s soccer player that emerged in early 20th-century Maryland. Plus, we remember a historic moment in the MISL, unpack a controversial apology, and much more.

This week’s stories:

• ☝️ The First Woman to Play in the MISL

• 🐢 The Maryland Terrapin Conquering Germany

• 🇺🇸 Women's Soccer in 1800s America

• 🙏 All Apologies

• 🗳️ Poll + Last Week’s Answers

• ➡️ And More

OUR HISTORY
The First Woman to Play in the MISL

Twenty years ago, right around this time of year, Lindsay Kennedy-Eversmeyer became the first woman to play in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL).

The story goes that she attended a St. Louis Steamers game to watch some friends play, and after the match was over, she headed over to a restaurant for a post-game gathering with members of the team.

There, she struck up a conversation with team owner Michael Hetelson, who asked her what they could do to get more fans in seats.

"I think you need to put a woman on your team,” she said.

Hetelson asked her if she knew anyone who might be a good fit, and of course, she said:

“Yeah, me.”

Eventually, Lindsay tried out, completely dazzled the coach, and earned a contract with the Steamers.

She played in five matches during the end of the MISL regular season in February and March of 2005, and her historic feat is still celebrated to this day. 

Oh, and she was inducted into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame a couple of years ago for everything she accomplished on and off the field. Absolute legend.

WORLD
The Maryland Terrapin Conquering Germany

I just have to show some love to a fellow University of Maryland alum. He’s doing the impossible over in Germany.

Mael Corboz, a former UMD soccer player, has captained 3rd-division side Arminia Bielefeld to an incredible semifinal run in the domestic German Cup competition. In the process, he’s helped eliminate two Bundesliga sides: Union Berlin and Werder Bremen.

Up next, they’ll face Bundesliga defending champs Bayer Leverkusen for a chance to qualify for the final. Simply unreal.

COVER STORY
Women's Soccer in 1800s America

The late 1800s were crucial for soccer in America. Major port towns along the East Coast became flowerbeds for the sport to blossom, and Baltimore was no exception.

In fact, Baltimore may very well have been the site of one of the first recorded women’s soccer games in America, all the way back in 1894.

According to research by Professor Brian Bunk from UMass Amherst, students at Miss Carter’s School for Young Ladies in Catonsville, Maryland, played a game of “football” that year that was pretty much a combination of both soccer and rugby.

The students were divided into two sides: the Unquenchables and the Invisibles. Both teams were outfitted in white sweaters with the letters either “U” or “I” on the front, and they wore red and blue skirts for even greater differentiation.

The game was a chaotic affair, but it’s remembered as one of the earliest documented instances of women’s football/soccer in America. 

Women’s soccer in the U.S.—and Maryland, specifically—would only grow from there.

By the early 1920s, a few women’s soccer teams had formed in the area, most notably, the Women’s Olympic Association of Maryland (WOAM). They easily fended off any competitors in soccer, and one of their star young players was forward Audrey Matthews.

She was also a huge advocate for equal opportunity for women in sports. At the time, a ruling by the Baltimore Playground Athletic League—which oversaw high school sports—attempted to ban young players like Audrey from playing for their schools if they also joined independent clubs (like WOAM).

Audrey took this ruling as a way to stop women from competing in physically demanding sports, so she wrote to her local paper to put the head of the Playground Athletic League (PAL) on blast.

She wrote, “Is he promoting athletics or is he just holding us back from the thing that will make better women of us all?” She asserted that joining independent clubs was necessary since school gym classes weren’t challenging enough and that the PAL was simply trying to ban independent clubs because they would no longer be able to compete with these outside organizations down the road.

Audrey closed her remarks by saying, “Girls will come to their senses. They will realize that they are handicapped by those bunglesome bloomers” and push for greater opportunities in sports.

Then, she asked the readers, “Are you in favor of major sports for women? Is it immoral for the players to wear [shorts] and long-sleeve jerseys on the field of play? Come give us your answer through these columns.”

At the time, Audrey received mixed support, and records from the time show that the WOAM eventually ended focusing on different sports other than soccer beyond 1923. We’ll sadly never know how her story with the beautiful game unfolded.

However, those brave lines Audrey penned in her local paper are a reminder for us today that the fight for equality and opportunity in soccer is an enduring struggle—one that we must continue to champion with her same courage and conviction a hundred years later.

BUSINESS
All Apologies

It’s one of the biggest stories from the past week, and it’s frankly divided the nation.

The quick background is that Inter Miami announced that Messi wasn’t going to be playing against Houston this weekend to give him some rest. Of course, the hosts had already jacked up the prices for this specific match and sold out the stadium—which I can’t really blame them for since every team has done it by now.

Without the GOAT playing, though, Houston quickly released the statement above, promising fans who attended the match the chance to claim a complimentary ticket to a future Dynamo game this season.

Some fans said it showed good faith from the club, especially since tickets for this match were expensive (as it usually is when Messi rolls through any city). Others claimed it was absolutely embarrassing for a club to apologize for an opposition player not playing.

What do you think?

CLUBELEVEN
The Supporters Section

Can’t wait for everyone’s takes on this one. We’ll highlight your best answers next week!

CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates

Checks: Yeah, the NWSL and Nike knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s probably one of the strongest batches of kits I’ve seen in recent years.

Mangione Kit: Speaking of jerseys, it seems we might be close to getting a Mangione FC Cincinnati kit now that Peter Mangione (Luigi’s cousin) made it up to the first team.

Wavy: The great Khendrick Beausoleil from Wavy Footy and 5ASIDE media was spotlighted by NYCFC this past week. Check out the piece here.

Messi x Zane Lowe: Been watching some of these Zane Lowe Apple Music interviews for a few years now, and I had to do a double-take when I saw Messi as a guest a few days ago. I guess it makes sense since it’s all under the Apple umbrella, but still. There are some cool nuggets in this one.

Soccer Brody: Adrien Brody won the Oscar for Best Actor over the weekend, so I had to dive into his soccer past. Hope he enjoyed his time with Keira Knightley and Michael Fassbender watching this team a few years back.

TELEVISION
Hearts of Pine Doc

Now, we all finally get to see how Portland Hearts of Pine from USL came to be.

NESN just launched a documentary about the club, and they’ve uploaded the first episode on YouTube.

The doc is an inside look at the dedication of those making everything happen in Portland, the inspiration behind the team's name, and the community's latent enthusiasm for soccer.

It’ll be my dinnertime viewing for tonight. I’m a sucker for these types of docs.

EXPANSION
The Don Strikes Back

The Don and MLS weren’t going to go down without a fight after the big USL announcement a couple of weeks back. I just didn’t expect him to answer this fast.

Last week, Don Garber flew to Indianapolis—a major USL stronghold—in a move that signaled to many that this might be the latest MLS expansion city.

Plus, he spoke at the San Diego FC game over the weekend and said, “I do think that our country and Canada could support a couple more teams.”

Man, the next few years are poised to be a bloodbath. May the best league win?

CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️ 

Last week, we asked you: Who do you think will lift the MLS Cup trophy this year? Here are some of your best answers:

• “I'm an Inter Miami fan, so my pick is obvious. Messi can't choke in the playoffs twice, right? Right?” - Dario

• “SDFC.” - Jorge

• "DC United. The ultimate sleeper pick.” - J

• "Riqui Puig will come back halfway through the season and LA Galaxy will get hot in the playoffs to win back-to-back.” - Ben

In the poll, “Other” finished in first place with 45% of the vote, while “Inter Miami” earned second place with 27% of the vote.

That just tells me there is a wide net of fandoms in this group, and also that there maybe isn’t really a consensus on who the real favorite is as we start this season. Despite the Galaxy having a tough time out of the gate, I think we’ll see them in the final again. It pains me to say it as a DC United fan.

UP NEXT
Hmmm 🤔

We’ve got something in the works coming very soon. If you want to be the first to know what it’s all about, shoot us a message at editorial@clubelevenmail.com, and we’ll fill you in 📨. First come, first served.

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Have a great Tuesday!

Pablo