SASH Sessions

On Friday, April 10, 2026, women's soccer historian and NWSL stats manager Jen Cooper discussed the lead-up to the Women's United Soccer Association's inaugural league game on April 14, 2001 — the world's first fully-professional women's league game — and the precedent is set for all the women's pro leagues that followed. 1999 Women's World Cup champions Mia Hamm (Washington Freedom) and Brandi Chastain (Bay Area CyberRays) faced off in the match in front of 34,148 fans at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, a number that was not surpassed in the USA until 2024. The link for the the ESPN 30-for-30 podcast mentioned in the session about the WUSA featuring Julie Foudy is: https://30for30podcasts.com/episodes/back-pass/ –0– Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at httpshttps://youtu.be/RDV0Ba-At9g Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/ Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/ Donate to SASH at https://gofund.me/89e657f93   Twitter: https://x.com/USSoccerHistory Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ussoccerhistory.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/103886903 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SocietyforAmericanSoccerHistory Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ussoccerhistory/  

On Friday, February 20, 2026, Jermaine Scott, professor of history at Florida Atlantic University, Maxwell Murray of Detroit City FC and the Urban Football League, and SASH board member Chuck Carlson presented a SASH Session about two Black soccer players who broke racial barriers in US during the 1940’s and 1950’s. Murray and Carlson discuss the Jamaica-born Gil Heron. In addition to playing for Ontario, Detroit, and Chicago sides, Heron was the first Black player signed by Glasgow Celtic. Scott discusses the American Soccer League’s first Black player, Jesus “Pito” Villalon, who was born in Cuba before playing in the US. You can see footage of Villalon in action playing for the Kearny All Stars against Scotland on June 5, 1949 on the SASH YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/QdXXEYZ9dy8. The session includes discussion of Villalon and Heron’s lives on and off the field, and also explored broader issues of race in soccer in the US, including the team selection of the US Men’s National Team for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6cCsZCxPAo Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/ Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

On January 16, 2026 at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia, SASH hosted a discussion ranking the US World Cup coaches. Eighteen members and friends gathered to discuss and debate “Ranking the USMNT World Cup Coaches.” Board member, Michael Lewis, providing opening remarks, followed by Dr. David Kilpatrick, who explained the game and its rules for the session: ranking the ten USMNT head coaches of the eleven teams to appear in FIFA World Cup Finals, based entirely on matches played in World Cup Finals (not qualification, other competitions, friendly matches, or any other achievements in their coaching careers). A brief summary of the USMNT performances in World Cup Finals was provided as everyone in attendance was encouraged to make their own list from best to worst. Lewis gave his rankings, emphasizing his personal take from covering forty years of World Cups as a journalist, followed Dr. Joe Machnik, who declined to provide a list, explaining that because he was Bob Gansler’s assistant coach at the 1990 World Cup he had a bias and sense of loyalty, while providing unique insight to the issues faced coaching. Cosmos legends Boris Bandov, Fred Grgurev, Erhardt Kapp, and Ferdinando De Matthaeis were in attendance, offering invaluable perspective as players. Jack Huckel emphasized the role of trust in coaching, followed by Kilpatrick, who stressed style of play and aesthetic judgement. The floor was then opened for attendees to share their opinions, with Roger Allaway, Charles Cuttone, and Remy Lupica sharing valuations before Lewis and Kilpatrick provided closing comments. Of the eighteen in attendance, nine cast their ballots for best coach with Bruce Arena coming out on top. You can view a breakdown of the results of the vote at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/sash-session-at-the-united-soccer-coaches-convention-votes-bruce-the-best/ Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6cCsZCxPAo Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/ Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

On Friday, January 9, 2026, Alex Popovich discussed his time with the first Junior US Men’s National team. The team was assembled to participate in the second CONCACAF Youth Tournament, which was staged in Guatemala City in April 1964. Alex’s essay, “Memories of the first US Junior National Team: Guatemala, 1964,” was recently published on the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/memories-of-the-first-us-junior-national-team-guatemala-1964/. The session was hosted by David Kilpatrick and several of Alex's teammates joined the discussion. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6cCsZCxPAo Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/ Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

On Friday, December 5, 2025, Conor Curran discussed Irish male and female soccer players’ experiences of US soccer scholarships in the twentieth century and how valuable these scholarships were in terms of playing, education and post-university careers. Curran’s Blue Chippers from the Emerald Isle: A history of Irish footballers and scholarships in the USA in the twentieth century was recently published by Peter Lang (https://www.peterlang.com/document/1493258). Curran was previously a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Education at Trinity College Dublin and has taught sports history at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University, Leicester and at the University of Giessen and University of Marburg. He has published extensively on the history of sport and society in Ireland. The session was hosted by SASH president Kevin Tallec Marston. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6cCsZCxPAo Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/ Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

November 2025 is full of anniversaries which have shaped sporting memory and scripted a national history of all codes of “foot ball”. The Oneida Football Club of Boston celebrates three such events including the 100th anniversary of the monument in their honor. Replete with twists and turns, Kevin Tallec Marston and Mike Cronin explain how the surprising story of a handful of old Boston boys has become a foundational origin point for soccer in the USA. Kevin Tallec Marston is Research Fellow at CIES (Centre International d'Etude du Sport / International Center for Sports Studies) and Visiting Researcher and Lecturer at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University. His writings on sports have appeared in edited collections and journals such as Contemporary European History and the International Sports Law Journal. Mike Cronin is Academic Director, Centre for Irish Programmes at Boston College, Dublin. His publications include Sport: A Very Short Introduction. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://youtu.be/YZFZuMHpkgQ Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/ Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/ Hosted by Tom McCabe

On Friday, October 3, 2025, Rachel Allison, Jen Cooper, and Tom McCabe discussed the first US Women’s National Team, otherwise known as the 1985ers.  Tom began the session with a discussion of the “Little Earthquakes” episode from the new soccer history podcast series, AN AMERICAN GAME. The subject of the episode is the Mundialito, the “little World Cup” women’s tournament played in Jesolo, Italy in 1985. Give the episode a listen here: https://anamericangame.buzzsprout.com/2519329/episodes/17739961-little-earthquakes-the-first-women-s-national-team Then Rachel and Jen reflected on the legacy of the 1985 US Women’s National Team and its players. The team just celebrated part of that legacy in Seattle last month, on the 40th anniversary of the first official games ever played by a US Women’s National Team. Rachel is an associate professor of sociology at Mississippi State; Jen is a women’s soccer historian and NWSL stats manager; and Tom teaches history at the University of Notre Dame (London). All are current or former SASH board members. SASH president Kevin Tallec Marston hosted the session. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6cCsZCxPAo Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/ Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

On Friday, September 5 at 12 pm ET,  Dave Lange was joined by Ernesto Milani for a SASH Session discussing the creation of a mural in Cuggiono, Italy commemorating five St. Louis players of Italian descent on the US team that competed in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. Lange, author of book Made in St. Louis: A History of the Game in America's First Soccer Capital and member of the SASH Board of Directors, discussed the 1950 World Cup team while Milani discussed the work to commemorate the players from The Hill. "Sport had an important role in the acculturation to the American way of life of the children of the Italian immigrants who resided in the enclave of St. Louis known as The Hill," Milani told SASH before the session. "It kept them out of trouble and helped iron out the differences between Northern and Southern Italians. It was a complex accomplishment that was achieved by YMCA people like Joe Causino and St. Ambrose’s parish. Memorable players like Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola emerged in baseball. However, it was soccer that involved most youths who had the chance to exit their close-knit neighborhood. In the end the end, the Italians became better Americans by playing soccer and baseball and observing the rules of the games and applying teamwork." SASH vice president James Brown hosted the session. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5XdfSfCYFk Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/ Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/  

Whether it’s a club, a college, a supporter’s group or a professional team, history is an essential element for building strong, long-term soccer communities. On January 9, 2025, at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Chicago, David Kilpatrick and Chuck Carson led a discussion titled, “Implementing an Historical Initiative for Your Club, League, or Community.” David Kilpatrick, a former SASH board member, is professor of English and program director of Sport Management at Mercy University and club historian for the New York Cosmos. Chuck Carlson is Chicago House AC club historian and a current SASH board member. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at: https://youtu.be/P3LBfRWR3e8 Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/ Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

On December 6, 2024, SASH hosted an Oral History Workshop with Carly Adams, a Board of Governors Research Chair (Tier I), Director of the Centre for Oral History and Tradition and Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Arrow Salkeld moderated the discussion. The Oral History Workshop presented an overview of the basics of conducting oral histories while also delving deeper into how to make an oral history interview more conversational, how to bring out more analysis, and how to improvise rather than simply sticking to a script to only ask the participant predetermined questions. Carly Adams is a Board of Governors Research Chair (Tier I), Director of the Centre for Oral History and Tradition and Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. As a social historian and an advocate for oral history, her research explores community, resiliency, and gender with a focus on sport, recreation, and leisure experiences. She co-leads the Nikkei Memory Capture Project, a community-based oral history project focusing on Japanese Canadian histories in southern Alberta (with Dr. Darren Aoki at the University of Plymouth, UK). She is the author of Queens of the Ice (Lorimer), editor of Sport and Recreation in Canadian History (Human Kinetics), co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of Sport History (Routledge), and the editor of Sport History Review. Her work has appeared in, among others, Journal of Sport History, Journal of Canadian Studies, Memory Studies, The International Journal of the History of Sport, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, and many edited collections. Adams was the recipient of the 2023 NASSH Sue and Ron Smith Service Award and the NASSH 2022 Guy Lewis Award for Contributions to the Field of Sport History. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIjpg0QDVko Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/ Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

Gabe Logan discusses the origins of the National Amateur Cup tournament with an emphasis on the aborted 1923 tournament and completed 1924 tournament. Gabe looks at how the 1924 championship resulted in the partial selection of the 1924 Olympic roster with a cursory examination of select team personnel. A professor of history at Northern Michigan University, Gabe is the author of The Early Years of Chicago Soccer,  1887–1939 (Lexington Books, 2019). Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUMGiXiZt6k Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/ Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/    

A survey of Minnesota’s soccer history from the 1890s to the 1970s. Brian D. Bunk discusses the McKendrick brothers, who starred on one of the state’s earliest championship teams in the 1890s. Brian Quarstad tells the story of Win Ping Pan, a Chinese student who helped build soccer at the University of Minnesota in the 1910s. Chris Bolsmann investigates the career of Minnesota Kicks standout Patrick “Ace” Ntsoelengoe. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN7BJLJXCk4&t=3s Visit the Society for American Soccer History website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/  

On Friday, June 7, 2024, Tom McCabe presented a SASH Session titled, “Tom ‘Bullets’ Cahill: A Reappraisal of a Founding Father of American Soccer.” There is quite a bit of mythology surrounding Thomas W. Cahill. The driving force behind the formation of the United States Soccer Football Association (now U.S. Soccer) in 1913, and the manager of the USA’s first official international matches in 1916, Cahill was called “The Father of Soccer in the United States” by 1920. His scrapbooks at Southern Illinois University’s Lovejoy Library attest to that role, but they also appear to have left out an important life event. Tom “Bullets” Cahill almost died from gunshot wounds in 1900, a previously unknown fact. It’s as if it had been erased from history. While bedridden in a St. Louis hospital, Cahill reflected on the direction of his life: he had lost his job, his marriage was in shambles, and he had just been saved by a tricky operation. Within a few years, he turned his life around and was on his way to becoming a key figure in the American soccerscape. A better understanding of that pivotal moment at the turn of a new century can lead to a reappraisal of Cahill’s role as a founding father, and for that matter, a more complex and complete understanding of early American soccer. Tom McCabe teaches at Notre Dame’s London Global Gateway, but has also taught at Rutgers University and St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, New Jersey. He is working on a history of the American Football Association and has also produced two documentaries. He is past president of the Society for American Soccer History. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFEN30S9SKA

On Friday, April 5 at 12 pm ET, Zach Bigalke presented work from his dissertation in a session titled, “How the United States is Represented in Women’s Soccer Beyond the USWNT.” Since the first FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991, 109 American-born women have played for the U.S. Women’s National Team in the tournament. In that same time period, 110 American-born women played for other national teams at the World Cup. Zach discusses the phenomenon of the United States as a global exporter of women’s soccer talent and the impact that has on both national narratives and the individuals who make these choices. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxWxnyBuxM8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEEWnZ1k-5g&list=PLF9oL3yRaMyyYqsS1Qqj6XxUV8RU6p4tC&index=14&pp=iAQB For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Host Tom McCabe is joined by Donald Wine for a presentation titled, "Black American Soccer History IS American Soccer History." A Michigan native, Donald has lived in Washington, DC for over 16 years. He is on the national board of the American Outlaws, the largest supporters group for the U.S. national teams. You can find him organizing stadium support at matches all around the world. Donald is also is the manager of Stars & Stripes FC and has produced podcasts on soccer and college basketball. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9VpnapyDRk&list=PLF9oL3yRaMyyYqsS1Qqj6XxUV8RU6p4tC&index=27&pp=iAQB For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

As the 1924-25 reached the halfway point Fall River remained in first place. Brian Bunk recounts all the details and tells the stories of Tewfik Abdullah and Andrew Straden. Also, a scandal hits the ASL. Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered October 2017 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Could 1924-25 be the American Soccer League’s most successful season yet? Brian Bunk traces all the changes as the ASL continued to expand. Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered September 2017 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

In the season three finale, Brian Bunk describes Fall River’s run to the ASL title and gives out the season’s awards. Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered June 2017 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk recounts the National Challenge Cup tournament and describes the action as the American Soccer League’s 1923-24 winds down.  Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered November 2016 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk details the first quarter of the ASL’s third season including two New York derbies, a title decider between Fall River and Bethlehem Steel and the story of the “Gay Cavalier,” Alex Jackson. Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered September 2016 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk chronicles the off-season moves and the first month of the 1923-24 American Soccer League Season. Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered August 2016 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk describes the exciting conclusion to the ASL’s second season and names the team of the year and player of the year. Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered February 2016 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk outlines the second half of the 1922-23 American Soccer League season and discusses the National Challenge Cup final. Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered January 2016 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Bian Bunk describes the first two months of the American Soccer League’s second season and tells the story of two players: Philadelphia’s Percy Andrews and Bethlehem Steel forward James Currie. Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered December 2015 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk details the offseason changes in the American Soccer League as the players and teams prepare for the 1922-23 season. Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered September 2015 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk recounts the business relationship between Pelé and sports agent Mark H. McCormack. Pelé signed as a client of McCormack’s company IMG in 1972, a full two years before he joined the New York Cosmos. Sound Clips in this episode from www.freesound.org: Pouring a Drink by ahjteam shave.aif by nextmaking Ueno Shamisen by RTB45 Dodgy_C_FunkSoul_BuildABeat_Pt1_95bpm.wav by Dodgy C Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered May 2014 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk reviews the American Soccer League’s first season and names the player and team of the year. Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Additional Music: Abe Lyman ,”A Jazz Holiday” Whispering Jack Smith, “Feelin’ Kind O’Blue” Bix Beiderbecke and the Wolverines, “Big Boy” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered July 2015 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk examines the American Soccer League at the halfway point in the first season. He also recounts the performance of ASL clubs in the 1921-22 National Challenge Cup and other state and regional competitions. Music in the episode from archive.org Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Additional Music: Paul Whiteman , “That American Boy of Mine” Lena Wilson and the Jazz Masters, “The Wicked Five Blues” Zez Confrey, “Stumbling” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered June 2015 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk details the first quarter of the 1921-22 American Soccer League season. Music in the episode from archive.org Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Additional Music: Dick de Pauw and his Royal Dance Orchestra , “Somebody and Me” Leo Mathisen Orchestra, “Little Girl” DeFord Bailey, “John Henry” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered May 2015 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk details the origins and first days of the American Soccer League. Launched in 1921 it was the nation’s first major professional league. Music in the episode from archive.org  Theme song: Bix Beiderbecke, “Clarinet Marmalade” Headlines: Waring’s Pennsylvanians, “Bolshevik” Sponsor: Frank Teschemacher’s Chicagoans, “Jazz Me Blues” Additional Music: John McCormack, “A Little Bit of Heaven” Amparito Farrar, “Madelon” Hoagey Carmichael, “Bessie Couldn’t Help It” Sounds from www.freesound.org: football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered September 2015 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk recounts the history Vampire Association Football Club, a team from San Francisco, California, that first appeared in 1897. Sound Clips in this episode from www.freesound.org: Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 AK47 shot by pepv Monster Short Roar.wav by ecfike Necksnap_build.wav by danielrutterfilms 01290 wolf howl 4.wav by Robinhood76 Wobbly Ghost by RICHERlandTV Halloween – Organ Music.mp3 Monster Mash by Peter Pan records and GOD available at www.archive.org Episode premiered October 2014 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk looks at the history of the first documented women's soccer game played in the United States, which took place on December 3, 1893, in San Francisco between the Colleen Brawns and Bonnie Lassies. Sound Clips in this episode from www.freesound.org: Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered October 2014 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk tells the story of the soccer tournament held at the Inter-Allied Games in Paris from June 22 to July 6, 1919. Sound Clips in this episode from www.freesound.org: Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered October 2014 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk talks to soccer historian Steven Apostolov. Episode premiered December 2014 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk looks at Major Indoor Soccer League franchise the Hartford Hellions and tries to explain why it lasted only two seasons. Sound Clips in this episode from www.freesound.org: Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered April 2014 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk looks at some of the earliest soccer games played in the US. It recounts the history of kicking-style games at a number of colleges, especially Princeton. Sound Clips in this episode from www.freesound.org: Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered January 2014 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk tells the story of Jamaican born Gil Heron, one of the earliest known Black soccer players in the US. Sound Clips in this episode from www.freesound.org: bowling alley ambience.wav by Tomlija Chicago is Next.wav by fonogeno yells.mp3 by jasinski Mexican National Anthem on Guitar by bone666138 retro airplane.wav by Inplano jamaican street musician.wav by rein samba Warsaw-street-musicians.wav by xserra Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered December 2013 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk looks at the question of who was the first Black soccer player in the United States. Sound Clips in this episode from www.freesound.org: oud.wav by xserra crickets Isolated songs 130322_00.wav by http://www.freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/
 20061111Band.wav by daveincamas School Gym Playing Children Ambiance 1 by miksmusic Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered October 2013 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk details the rise of soccer within New York City’s Spanish community in the 1920s. Sound Clips in this episode from www.freesound.org: Fishing village environment.wav by Oscar de Ávila Memoria Sonora - Sound Memories - Song of Barceloneta by barcelonetasonora rugby club in spain.mp3 by Patricia McMillen dingding.wav by ljudman Posh dinner party.wav by 7by7 Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered September 2013 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk talks to soccer historian Roger Allaway. Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered April 2013 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Brian Bunk discusses the Holyoke Falcos and the first season of American Soccer League. Sound Clips in this episode from www.freesound.org: Bagpipes_in_Pitlochery.wav by Darkgot__inchadney file0006 Water Fall, Mill, Billerica.mp3 by smokeyvw motorcycle and car.wav by jaava73 Train upon us.wav by markedit Rain on Plastic Roof.WAV by gynation Op_Cls_1.WAV by kjackson jingle-bells.wav by justkiddink Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 The Internationale orchestral arrangement by Jerry Engelbach Episode premiered July 2013 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Host Brian Bunk discusses the Oneida Football Club of Boston. Sound Clips in this episode from www.freesound.org: 01819 snarling dogs.wav by Robinhood76 VIOLIN IMPROV-IRISH JIG.aif by hammerklavier Angry_Mob by unchaz oh_yes.wav by Corsica_S Warfare drums.wav by jobro Play Ball!.wav by CGEffex Rowing2.wav by juskiddink Metal Band Jam 5 Thrash.wav by RutgerMuller football score.wav by winsx87 Episode premiered May 2013 For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Host Zach Bigalke is joined by Jen Cooper and Declan Abernathy from the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia & New Zealand. Jen Cooper, the editor and publisher of Keeper Notes, has been involved in various areas of Houston soccer since the 1990s. She also works as a researcher and stats provider, including for Fox Sports at this summer’s Women’s World Cup and previous men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments. She’s in her second year as a member of the Society’s executive board. Declan Abernathy is a PhD student in the History and Sociology of Technology and Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology. A native of Florida and a graduate of Cornell University, Declan is working on a dissertation titled “Grass Ceiling: The United States Women’s National Team, Politics, and the Making of 21st Century Icons.” Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFe4o529hyY For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Tom McCabe hosts Jermaine Scott for a presentation titled, “Harlem’s Chief Representatives: Black Soccer Radicalism in New York City, 1928-1949.” Jermaine is an Assistant Professor of African American, African Diasporic, and Sport History at Florida Atlantic University. His research interests include the cultural politics of sport, Black politics, Black diaspora studies, Black popular culture, and postcolonial studies. His manuscript-in-progress, Black Soccer: Football and Black Politics in the African Diaspora, seeks to understand how Black athletic collectives across the African Diaspora negotiated the colonial and racial constitution of modern sports, and football/soccer in particular. His writings have been included in ESPN’s The Undefeated, the African American Intellectual History Society’s Black Perspectives, the Journal of Sports History, and the Journal of African American History. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJtKJCJQaKU&list=PLF9oL3yRaMyyYqsS1Qqj6XxUV8RU6p4tC&index=26&t=797s&pp=iAQB For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Host Chuck Carlson is joined by Kelcey Ervick to discuss her book, The Keeper: Soccer, Me and the Law That Changed Women’s Lives. In the graphic memoir, Ervick looks at the role that Title IX has played in expanding opportunities for women in soccer, and sport in general, in the United States. Ervick was a goalkeeper for nationally-ranked soccer teams in high school and college in the first decades of Title IX. The book includes her own story as well as those of pioneering women soccer players. In addition to The Keeper, she has authored three other books. A professor of English and creative writing at Indiana University South Bend, Ervick has a PhD from the University of Cincinnati. For more information, please visit her website. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auv1hWImG-I&list=PLF9oL3yRaMyyYqsS1Qqj6XxUV8RU6p4tC&index=25&pp=iAQB For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Tom McCabe is joined by SASH vice president James Brown to discuss his new book, Mud, Blood and Studs: One Family’s Legacy in Soccer and Rugby Across Three Continents. From the publisher’s description: Mud, Blood and Studs is a special story of sporting excellence passed from generation to generation. An alcoholic father abandons his family in Troon, Scotland, and sails for America, but against the odds his offspring prosper, as his four boys have natural athletic ability. Oldest son, Jim, travels to America to track down his father and finds a country in the throes of the Great Depression. However, his superb soccer skills win him selection for the 1930 US World Cup team. In 1932, he signs for Manchester United, and later for Spurs. Jim passes his skills on to his son, George, who becomes a USA All-Star and USMNT player. Jim’s brothers, John and Tom, shake up Scottish football, and John hands down his sublime hand-to-eye coordination to sons Peter and Gordon, who make their mark in international rugby. Then there are Peter and Gordon’s cousins, the Lambies, who impact South African rugby. This fascinating book brings you the inside track on a remarkable family who overcame adversity to thrive at the top level of sport. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6uBqqqvwjE&list=PLF9oL3yRaMyyYqsS1Qqj6XxUV8RU6p4tC&index=24&pp=iAQB For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Host Tom McCabe is joined for a Book Talk by author Matthew Evans to discuss his new book, USA 94: The World Cup That Changed the Game. Evans is a freelance football writer who specializes in the history of the game. He has written extensively on all eras of the beautiful game for various online outlets as well as appearing on podcasts and in print for These Football Times and Nutmeg magazine. He is a huge fan of football nostalgia, and the 1994 World Cup remains a massive part of his education, having absorbed the tournament as a teenager. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffWYQZ-jNVc&list=PLF9oL3yRaMyyYqsS1Qqj6XxUV8RU6p4tC&index=23&pp=iAQB For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

On the eve of the 2022 U-17 Women’s World Cup, host Tom McCabe is joined by women’s soccer historian Jen Cooper for a look back at the first FIFA women’s youth championship held in Canada in 2002 and the growth of FIFA women’s youth tournaments since then. That inaugural event — known as the FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship — featured several young players who are now household names, including Marta, Cristiane, Christine Sinclair, Heather O’Reilly, and Alex Scott. The 12-team tournament boasted an average attendance of more than 11,000 fans per game, including more than 47,000 for the final between host Canada and Concacaf rival USA — one of the last FIFA finals played under the golden goal rule. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liv0pht1eUE&list=PLF9oL3yRaMyyYqsS1Qqj6XxUV8RU6p4tC&index=22&pp=iAQB For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Host Tom McCabe is joined by Craig Tower for a discussion of soccer in the Great Lakes region, 1880s-1930. While the Great Lakes is now seen as a cradle of traditionally “American” sports — gridiron football, baseball, and basketball — the history of intercity soccer and efforts to form a Midwest intercity league go back to the 19th century. The roots of the sport predate the modern rules of association football, and the game was played throughout the region, well beyond St. Louis and Chicago which have long been recognized for their soccer communities. From urban centers like Cincinnati to relatively obscure locales like East Liverpool, Ohio and Muncie, Indiana, soccer found a home in the Great Lakes States of the Midwest. After years of efforts to launch competitive intercity play, in 1929, a six-team USFA-sanctioned professional league was formed in three U.S. cities with long-standing multi-tiered amateur and semi-pro leagues and soccer histories, each dating back to at least 1890. The cities in the league were the economic powerhouses of Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland – the 2nd, 4th, and 6th largest cities in the nation by population. The teams were competitive, challenging Eastern professional sides for the US Open Cup; stealing stars from the ASL, Europe, Canada, and each other; going toe-to-toe with teams from Europe and Latin America; and placing players on the 1930 US National team which reached the semifinals of the World Cup. The league and the teams innovated, playing a mixed schedule with both a regular season and a tournament structure, experimenting with indoor games and under lights, and expanded existing soccer networks in the Midwest, Middle Europe, Canada, and Latin America. Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjBhCvlSsvs&list=PLF9oL3yRaMyyYqsS1Qqj6XxUV8RU6p4tC&index=21&pp=iAQB For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

New York Cosmos historian and SASH director Dr. David Kilpatrick hosts a roundtable discussion with New York Cosmos alumni Randy Horton, Josef Jelinek, Werner Roth, and John O’Reilly on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the team’s first North American Soccer league (NASL) championship.  Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad. Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay. View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmvRJoZrK4w&list=PLF9oL3yRaMyyYqsS1Qqj6XxUV8RU6p4tC&index=19&pp=iAQB For more US soccer history, visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/