The 1891 American Cup was the seventh edition of the soccer tournament organized by the American Football Association. The Fall River East Ends won their first title, keeping the title in Fall River for the fourth year running. Fall River Olympic won the title in 1890 and Fall River Rovers won in 1888 and 1889. The Fall River Rovers were readmitted to the AFA after having settled their dispute with the Pawtucket Free Wanderers, before which any associations teams were barred from playing them.

1891 American Cup
Tournament details
CountryUnited States
Teams15
Final positions
ChampionsFall River East Ends (1st title)
Runner-upLongfellows
Tournament statistics
Matches played14
Goals scored109 (7.79 per match)
← 1890
1892 →

Participants

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Joining this season were British Hosiery, Cumberland Rangers, Holyoke Rangers, Lowell Thistle, New Rochelle, and Nonpareils. Not returning from last season were Lonsdale, Paterson FC, Providence Athletic, and Trenton FC.

State City Team
Massachusetts Holyoke Holyoke Rangers
Lowell Lowell Thistle
Fall River Fall River East Ends
Fall River Olympics
Fall River Rovers
New Jersey Newark Clark O.N.T.
Newark Caledonian
Kearny Kearny Rangers
New York Brooklyn Longfellows
Nonpareils
New Rochelle New Rochelle FC
New York Thistle
Rhode Island Cumberland Cumberland Rangers
Pawtucket Pawtucket Free Wanderers
Thornton British Hosiery

Round 1

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The drawing for round one took place on Saturday September 20. Caledonian drew a bye to Round 2. Matches to be played on or before October 18.[1][2]

Eastern District

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October 12, 1890 (1890-10-12) Fall River East Ends 11-1 Cumberland Rangers Fall River, Massachusetts
3:45PM Farrell   1H', 2H'
Cornell   1H', 1H'
P.Stanton   1H'
Tobin   1H', 2H'
Sunderland   1H', 2H'
Scofield   2H'
[3][4] Bennett   2H' Stadium: County Street grounds
Attendance: 800
Referee: William Bell (Olympics)
October 18, 1890 (1890-10-18) Fall River Rovers 10-1 British Hosiery Fall River, Massachusetts
4:00PM Thomas Kenney   5', 1H', 1H'
Robert Bell   9', 13'
Patrick Gavin   1H'
George Adams   1H'
  2H'
  2H'
  2H'
[3][5] Guy   60' Stadium: Rovers’ grounds
Attendance: 1000
Referee: William Taylor
Note: One source gave the final score as 7–0.[6] Another gave the half-time score as 7-0 and the final as 10–1.[5]
October 18, 1890 (1890-10-18) Holyoke Rangers 6-2 Lowell Thistle Holyoke, Massachusetts
3:00PM   10'
McDonald  ,  ,  
Matthew  
[3][7]   1H'
  2H'
October 18, 1890 (1890-10-18) Pawtucket Free Wanderers 3-1 Fall River Olympic Pawtucket, Rhode Island
3:30PM Mullarkey   1H'
Dalton   42'
Slater   87'
[3][5][6][dead link][8][9] Randall   50' Attendance: 3000
Referee: E.Walker (Kearny Rovers)
Note: A protest was entered by Fall River Olympic over an unregistered player (John Stuart). The match was ordered to be played again on the Pawtucket grounds by November 15.[10]

Western District

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October 18, 1890 (1890-10-18) Kearney Rovers w/o New York Thistle Kearney, New Jersey
[3][4][5][8] Stadium: Cosmopolitan Park
Attendance: 300
Note: Thistles failed to show up. Match was given to Kearney Rovers.[4][5][8]
October 18, 1890 (1890-10-18) Longfellows 13-0 New Rochelle FC Ridgewood, Queens, New York
J. McConnell  ,  
J. Green  ,  ,  
W. Paul  ,  ,  
J. Connoly  ,  
J. Lennon  
J. McCalligan  
R. Mave  
[3][5][8][11][12][dead link][13] Stadium: Ridgewood Grounds
Referee: T. Osborn (Caledonian)
Note: Two sources gave a final score of 13–0.[5][6] Two others gave a final score of 14–0.[8][13]
October 18, 1890 (1890-10-18) Nonpareils w/o ONT
[3]
Note: ONT withdrew.[4]

Replay

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November 15, 1890 (1890-11-15) Pawtucket Free Wanderers 3-1 Fall River Olympic Pawtucket, Rhode Island
3:00PM Barr   30', 63'
Slater   2H'
[14]   1H' Attendance: 3000
Referee: T. Hood (AFA secretary)

Round 2

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The drawing for round two took place on Saturday October 25, matches to be played within the next six weeks.[10]

Eastern District

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November 29, 1890 (1890-11-29) Fall River Rovers 6-1 Holyoke Rangers Fall River, Massachusetts
3:30PM   12'
Colligan   27'
George Adams   60'
Bell   2H', 2H'
Kenney   80'
[15] Fisher   40' Stadium: Rovers’ grounds
Attendance: 1500
Referee: Hood (Newark, NJ)
December 6, 1890 (1890-12-06) Fall River East Ends 6-2 Pawtucket Free Wanderers Fall River, Massachusetts
3:00PM   23'
Schofield   38'
Sunderland   41', 58'
Farrell   87'
[16][dead link][17] Stewart   20' (o.g.)
Jeffreys   33', 43'
Stadium: County Street grounds
Attendance: 2500-3000
Referee: E. Walker(Kearney Rovers)
Note: Match was protested by East Ends, but the protest was dismissed.[18][19][dead link]

Western District

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December 6, 1890 (1890-12-06) Longfellows 8-0 Caledonian Ridgewood, Queens, New York
15:00 J. McConnell  ,  ,  ,  
O. Connell  ,  
C. McGovern  
W. Paul  
[22]
[14][16][dead link][20][21][22][23] Stadium: Ridgewood Grounds
November 29, 1890 (1890-11-29) Nonpareils 5-5 Kearney Rovers Brooklyn, NY
North  ,   1H'
  1H'
Young   2H', 2H'
Hood   10', 2H'
  2H'
  2H'
  2H'
Stadium: Ridgewood Baseball grounds
Note: AFA decided in favor of Nonpareils after failure to arrange dates with Kearny Rovers.[18][19][24][dead link]

Round 3

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Round 3 matches were arranged at a meeting on Saturday December 20. Nonpareil to play Longfellows and Fall River East Ends to play Fall River Rovers, on or before the First Saturday in March.[18][19][25]

Eastern District

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February 28, 1891 (1891-02-28) Fall River East Ends 4-3 Fall River Rovers Fall River, Massachusetts
3:30PM Sunderland  ,   75'
  35'
Stanton   42'
[26] Kenney  
Bell   55', 2H'
Stadium: County Street grounds
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Abraham L. Pilling
Note: Fall River Rovers entered a protest. A meeting was held on Saturday March 14 to consider the protest but a quorum was not present.[27]

Western District

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March 15, 1891 (1891-03-15) Nonpareil 5-5 Longfellows Newark, New Jersey
[28][29] Stadium: Kearney Athletic Grounds
Attendance: 2,000

Replay

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April 4, 1891 (1891-04-04) Longfellows 2-1 Nonpareils Ridgewood, Queens, New York
15:00 [29][30] Stadium: Ridgewood Grounds

Final

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April 25, 1891 (1891-04-25) Fall River East Ends 3-1 Longfellows Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Tobin  
Sunderland  ,  
[31] Neave   11' Stadium: Dexter Street Grounds
Attendance: 2500
Referee: Turner (AFA president)

American Cup bracket

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First Round Second Round Semifinals Final
            
  Fall River East Ends 11
  Cumberland Rangers 1
  Fall River East Ends 6
  Pawtucket Free Wanders 2
  Pawtucket Free Wanderers 3–3
  Fall River Olympic[a] 1–1
  Fall River East Ends 4
Eastern District
  Fall River Rovers 3
  Fall River Rovers 10
  British Hosiery 1
  Fall River Rovers 6
  Holyoke Rangers 1
  Holyoke Rangers 6
  Lowell Thistle 2
  Fall River East Ends 3
  Longfellows 1
  Nonpareils w/o
  Clark ONT[b]
  Nonpareils[d] 5
  Kearny Rangers 5
  Kearny Rovers w/o
  New York Thistle[c]
  Nonpareils 5–1
  Longfellows 5–2
  Longfellows 13
  New Rochelle FC 0
  Longfellows 8
  Caledonian 0
  Caledonian
bye

Notes;

  1. ^ Fall River Olympic entered protest over unregistered player, replay was ordered
  2. ^ Clark ONT withdrew
  3. ^ Thistle failed to show up for game
  4. ^ AFA decided in favor of Nonpareils after Kearny Rangers failed to arrange dates

References

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  1. ^ "Sunday Football Games". Newark Sunday Call. Vol. XIX, no. 956. September 21, 1890. p.6 col.4. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  2. ^ "Sports and Pastimes" (PDF). The Evening Telegram. Vol. XXIII, no. 7, 686. New York. October 4, 1890. p.3 col.4. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Football in Kearny". Newark Sunday Call. Vol. XIX, no. 959. October 12, 1890. p.6 col.3. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d "Football in Kearny". Newark Sunday Call. Vol. XIX, no. 960. October 17, 1890. p.6 col.4. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Games on Other Fields" (PDF). The Sun. Vol. LVIII, no. 49. New York. October 19, 1889. p.5 vol.3. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Among the Leather Kickers". New York Clipper. XXXVIII (33): 520. October 25, 1890. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  7. ^ "Association Game At Holyoke". The Springfield Daily Republican. October 19, 1890. p.1 col.6. Retrieved August 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Games on Other Fields Yesterday" (PDF). New York Herald. Vol. XIX, no. 781. October 19, 1890. p.22 col.5. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  9. ^ "Lacrosse". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 50, no. 290. October 18, 1890. p.8 col.2. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Football Notes" (PDF). The Sun. Vol. LVIII, no. 57. New York. October 27, 1890. p.4 col.5. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  11. ^ "Football Notes" (PDF). The Sun. Vol. LVIII, no. 47. New York. October 17, 1890. p.4 col.7. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  12. ^ "General Sporting Notes" (PDF). The Press. New York. October 18, 1890. p. 5. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  13. ^ a b "The Longfellow's Defeat the New Rochelle's at Ridgewood Park". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 50, no. 290. October 18, 1890. p.8 col.2. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  14. ^ a b "Football Yesterday". Newark Sunday Call. Vol. XIX, no. 965. November 23, 1890. p.6 col.4. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  15. ^ "Rovers Again". Daily Evening News. Fall River, MA. December 1, 1890. p.8 col.4. Retrieved August 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b "Kicking the Football". New York Clipper. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 40. December 13, 1890. p.633. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  17. ^ "Association Cup Foot Ball". (December 7, 1890). The Sunday Herald, p.4 col.3
  18. ^ a b c "American Football Association" (PDF). New York Herald. No. 19, 845. December 22, 1890. p.8 col.3. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  19. ^ a b c "Foot Ball Men in Session" (PDF). The Press. Vol. IV, no. 1, 118. New York. December 22, 1890. p.5. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  20. ^ "On Football Fields" (PDF). New York Herald. No. 19, 824. December 1, 1890. p.8 col.6. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  21. ^ "Football" (PDF). The Evening Telegram. Vol. XXIII, no. 7, 739. New York. December 6, 1890. p.6 col.3. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  22. ^ a b "The Longfellows of Brooklyn Defeat the Caledonians of Newark" (PDF). Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 50, no. 338. December 7, 1890. p.8 col.2. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  23. ^ The New York Clipper Annual for 1893. New York: The Frank Queen Publishing Company. 1893. p. 46. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  24. ^ "Association Football" (PDF). New York Herald. No. 19, 900. February 15, 1891. p.19. Retrieved May 3, 2017.}
  25. ^ "American Football Association". New York Clipper. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 42. December 13, 1890. p.633. Retrieved April 26, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  26. ^ "Football Championship". Newark Sunday Call. Vol. XIX, no. 979. March 1, 1891. p.1 col.8. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  27. ^ "American Football Association". Newark Sunday Call. Vol. XIX, no. 981. March 15, 1891. p.1 col.8. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  28. ^ "What Athletes are Doing" (PDF). New York Tribune. Vol. L, no. 16, 189. March 13, 1891. p.10 col.1. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  29. ^ a b "For the American Cup" (PDF). Paterson Daily Guardian. Vol. LVIII, no. 215. April 3, 1891. p.4 col.3. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  30. ^ "The Longfellows Won" (PDF). The Sun. Vol. LVIII, no. 217. New York. April 5, 1891. p.5 col.3. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  31. ^ "Association Foot Ball". (April 25, 1891). The Sunday Herald, p.6 col.3