Courtesy: NYCFC.com
You might be aware, if you have read some of my previous posts, that I am a fan of the English soccer club Manchester City. You may also know, if you are following the MLS, that there will be an expansion team in New York. They will be known as New York City FC and are affiliated with Manchester City. Okay, so now I am hearing a bunch of voices asking, where is this going?
Back in 1894, a good 120 years plus before New York would team up with Manchester City, a City south of the big apple would be associated with soccer and the English side. Back then the Baltimore Orioles had a soccer team and four players from Manchester City would move from the then Division Two side across the Atlantic.
The 1894 National League consisted of six teams and tickets were cheap in order to get fans through the gates. The other teams in the League had very weird names indeed and included the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and the Boston Beaneaters along with the not so unusual Washington Senators, Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Giants.
Baltimore played only four games though and all were against the Washington Senators and, although they won every single game it would be the only four games they would play. There was controversy from the other clubs as to what Baltimore were doing with ‘professional British’ players. There were rumors of another Baseball League starting up around the same time and so the soccer league ended up starting and finishing in 1894.
There were things happening back then which would suggest that had they kept on with it that soccer may be bigger in the US than it is now. While the average attendance figures were not that impressive, the Orioles would attract fans in the thousands. I think this means that there was a real passion for quality soccer in the US, even back in the later 1800’s.
So who were these men:
Alec Wallace:
Born in Lancashire England this guy made his debut for Manchester City (then named Ardwick FC) against Bury on September 1st 1894. Wallace had made six appearances and scored his only goal for City as part of a 5-2 defeat at home to Grimsby before moving to Baltimore. When the League was dissolved he returned to England but wasn’t picked back up by City and he never really made an impact on English Football. He would die in Lancashire, aged 78.
Archibald Ferguson:
Yes, you also had an A.Ferguson in your grasp too, although it wasn’t the Scottish born Manager of Manchester United. Although he was too born in Scotland he didn’t play as many games for Manchester City as previous players. There is not much detail around his life including what happened to him after he finished playing for Baltimore.
Tommy Little:
This guy was the only player to be accepted back by Manchester City after the failed trip to Baltimore. Seven games and three goals before he left seemed enough for the Manchester City board to see him right the next season. Another nine games resulted in just the two goals though and his last game on record came on November 4th 1896.
Mitchell Calvey:
I am quite sad about the deterioration of this player as, certainly going by the stats, he had some promise about him. Seven games for City saw a return of five goals, although two goals each in two games meant he also went four games without a goal.
So in 2015 when there is all the fanfare of another MLS side kicking off and players head to New York remember, Baltimore did this 120 years ago!
