After abstaining from the first six tournaments, 1920 was the first year teams from St. Louis participated in the National Challenge Cup (now Lamar Hunt US Open Cup). Previously clubs from the city were leery of entering the competition due to the prospect of making long trips to the East, since most of the clubs in the tournament were East of Philadelphia.
In 1920, the USFA (United States Football Association) officially divided the field into East and West, with the winners of each half meeting in the Final. This ensured a team from St. Louis would only have to travel as far as Pittsburgh, The site of the Final was also set to alternate between East and West each year.
On paper, the size of the cities represented would indicate a mismatch. According to the 1920 United States census, St. Louis had a population of 772,897, the sixth largest in the country at the time. Quincy, Mass., home of Fore River FC, was home to just 47,876. Despite the small size of Quincy, Fore River FC developed into a strong team due to the backing of the Fore River Shipbuilding Company.
With the onset of World War I, several shipbuilding companies saw a boom in business, and many sponsored soccer teams. Robins Dry Dock (Brooklyn, NY), Morse Dry Dock (New York City), Newburgh Shipyards (Newburgh, NY), New York Ship, Merchants Ship (Bristol, PA) among others had teams in the 1920 National Challenge Cup. Robins Dry Dock would go on to win the 1921 National Challenge Cup.
Another stark contrast between the teams were the players that made up their rosters. Fore River’s roster was entirely British, with 10 players hailing from Scotland and the other three from England. The roster for Ben Miller, on the other hand, was entirely American, something that was unique in an era where the top clubs were peppered with British players.
In front of 12,000 fans at Handlan’s Park in St. Louis, Ben Miller FC became the first team from the west to win the National Challenge Cup, defeating Fore River 2-1.
Both teams had good chances early. Future National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Dunn missed the post by inches for the Westerners, followed by Joe Black forcing Ben Miller goalkeeper Charles McGarry into a diving save for Fore River. Johnny Redden came close to scoring for Ben Miller as his shot dropped an inch in front of the goalmouth but bounded over the crossbar.
In the 22nd minute, Hap Marre broke through for the St. Louis club with a shot to the lower left corner, giving Fore River goalkeeper Jimmy Lambie no chance at a save. It was a special moment for Marre, who had returned to the club after serving in the Navy during World War I.
Fore River returned the favor with eight minutes remaining in the half, when Page sent a cross to Jack Kershaw, who sent his shot past McGarry to tie the game.
Ben Miller carried the run of play early in the second half and was rewarded with what proved to be the winning goal when Jimmy Dunn put the home club in front for good in the 63rd minute. For the rest of the game both teams pressed the other for scoring chances, but each defense stood up. Ben Miller held on to claim the crown of United States soccer champion for St. Louis for the first time.
Ben Miller would never lift the trophy again. However, their best chance came in 1926 when they reached the Final only to run into a buzzsaw in the form of Bethlehem Steel FC. Bethlehem Steel won its record fifth US Open Cup title 7-2 led by future Hall of Famer Archie Stark’s hat trick.
106 years later St. Louis CITY will try and become the seventh team from St. Louis to lift the U.S. Open Cup, joining Stix, Baer and Fuller, Kutis SC, Ben Miller, Simpkins Ford, and Busch SC and Scullin Steel on the list of teams to represent the historic soccer city of St. Louis as Open Cup Champions.
Ben Miller FC (St. Louis, MO)
2:1
Fore River Rovers (Quincy, MA)
May 8, 1920
Handlan’s Park – St. Louis, Missouri
Scoring Summary
Ben Miller: Hap Marre (Rube Potee) – 22nd min.
Fore River: Jack Kershaw (David Page) – 35th min.
Ben Miller: Jimmy Dunn (Rube Potee) – 63rd min
Lineups
Ben Miller: Charles McGarry, Joe Lancaster, Jimmy Johnston, Johnny Redden, Billy Quinn, Tommy O’Hanlon, Al McHenry, Lawrence Riley, Jimmy Dunn, Hap Marre, Rube Potee | Head Coach: Pete Ratican
Fore River: Jimmy Lambie, William Parkinson, Tommy Littlejohn, William Daly, George Green, Joe Black, Jimmy Farquhar, David Page, Jack Kershaw, Tommy Underwood, James Daly | Head Coach: Robert Lewis
Game Stats
Shots: Ben Miller 11, Fore River 8
Saves: Ben Miller 3, Fore River 8
Fouls: Ben Miller 13, Fore River 12
Corners: Ben Miller 2, Fore River 4
Offside: Ben Miller 1, Fore River 0
Free Kicks: Ben Miller 17, Fore River 16
Goal Kicks: Ben Miller 22, Fore River 22
Thrown Ins: Ben Miller 37, Fore River 34
Attendance: 12,000 | Referee: Alex McKenzie | Linesmen: Phil Kavanaugh, Paul McSweeney