Fall River United
Encyclopedia
Fall River United was a name used by two United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 clubs, based in Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...

. Both teams played in the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

, one during the 1921-22 season and other during the 1933-34 season.

Fall River United I

In 1921 the Southern New England Soccer League
Southern New England Soccer League
The Southern New England Soccer League was a semi-professional soccer league based in New England which was established in 1914 and collapsed in 1921. During its short existence, it featured some of the top teams in the northeast United States...

 and the National Association Football League effectively merged to form the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

. As a result of this merger Fall River Rovers
Fall River Rovers
Fall River Rovers were a United States soccer club, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. They won the 1888 and 1889 American Cups as well as the 1917 National Challenge Cup. In 1921 Rovers were disbanded and a new team, Fall River United were formed to enter the newly established American Soccer...

 of the SNESL were disbanded and a new team Fall River United were formed to enter the ASL. In a pre-season game on July 21, 1921 a team that included Chick Albion
Chick Albion
John “Chick” or “Jack” Albion is a former U.S. soccer goalkeeper who played in the Southern New England Soccer League and the American Soccer League...

, Tommy McFarlane
Tommy McFarlane
Tommy McFarlane was a Scottish-American soccer center half who began his career in Scotland before moving to the United States. He earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1925.-Club career:...

 and Harry Ratican
Harry Ratican
Harry Jay Ratican was a U.S. soccer forward, coach and team owner. He began and ended his career in the St. Louis Soccer League with several years in both the National Association Football League and American Soccer League...

, held Third Lanark
Third Lanark A.C.
Third Lanark Athletic Club was a football club that originally existed between 1872 and 1967, 95 years in existence, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Third Lanark were known as Thirds, the Warriors, the Redcoats and the Hi Hi's...

 to a 2-2 draw. Ratican scored United’s opening goal. Third Lanark featured many guest players from other Scottish teams and was virtually a Scottish League XI
Scottish League XI
The Scottish League XI is a representative side of the Scottish Football League. The team regularly played against the Football League and other national league select teams between 1892 and 1980. For a long period the annual fixture between the English and Scottish leagues was only second in...

. They played 25 games during their North American tour, winning them all until they played United in the final game. However during the subsequent 1921-22 season United struggled, finishing sixth out of eight during the inaugural ASL season. They were on the verge of folding when they were taken over by Sam Mark
Sam Mark
Sam Mark is a former United States soccer club owner. During the 1920s and early 1930s he was the owner of Fall River Marksmen, one of the era’s most successful teams. Mark’s continued to own the team after it relocated and became the New York Yankees and then New Bedford Whalers. He also briefly...

 who then relaunched them as Fall River Marksmen
Fall River Marksmen
Fall River Marksmen was a United States soccer club, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. They originally played as Fall River United before becoming known as the Marksmen after their owner, Sam Mark. During the 1920s and early 1930s they were one of the most successful soccer clubs in the United...

.

Fall River United II

The name was revived during the 1933-34 season by a team that played in the New England Division of the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

. Other teams in the division included another Fall River Rovers
Fall River Rovers
Fall River Rovers were a United States soccer club, based in Fall River, Massachusetts. They won the 1888 and 1889 American Cups as well as the 1917 National Challenge Cup. In 1921 Rovers were disbanded and a new team, Fall River United were formed to enter the newly established American Soccer...

.

Year-by-year

Year Division League Reg. Season National Challenge Cup
1921-22
1921-22 American Soccer League
-History:By 1921, professionalism among American soccer teams was on the rise. This created a disparity between fully professional, semi-professional and amateur teams competing in the same league. As a result, several fully professional teams in both the National Association Football League and...

1 ASL 6th Third Round
1933-34
1933-34 American Soccer League
1933-34 American Soccer League was the first season of the second American Soccer League. The league included two teams, New York Americans and New York Brookhattan that had also played in the original ASL. The USFA awarded the new ASL exclusive rights to organize professional soccer on the...

1 ASL ? First Round

Notable players

Fall River United I
Ralph Caraffi
Ralph Caraffi
Ralph Caraffi was a U.S. soccer midfielder. He played on season in the professional American Soccer League. The remainder of his nineteen year career was with semi-professional and amateur leagues...

   Tommy McFarlane
Tommy McFarlane
Tommy McFarlane was a Scottish-American soccer center half who began his career in Scotland before moving to the United States. He earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1925.-Club career:...

  Harry Ratican
Harry Ratican
Harry Jay Ratican was a U.S. soccer forward, coach and team owner. He began and ended his career in the St. Louis Soccer League with several years in both the National Association Football League and American Soccer League...

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