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The 1916 American Cup was the annual open cup held by the American Football Association. The 1916 edition included 37 of the top eastern teams. The title was won by Bethlehem Steel with a 3-0 win over the Scottish Americans courtesy of a hat trick by Neil Clarke making Bethlehem the first team to win the American and National cups in the same season.
| Second round | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| Falls F.C. | ||||||||||||||
| Pan-American F.C. | w/o | |||||||||||||
| Pan-American F.C. | 0 | |||||||||||||
| April 24 - Philadelphia | ||||||||||||||
| Fall River Rovers | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Henry Disston F.C. | 0 | |||||||||||||
| May 20 - Fall River | ||||||||||||||
| Fall River Rovers | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Fall River Rovers | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Bethlehem Steel | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Jersey A.C. | 1-1 | |||||||||||||
| April 30 - Newark | ||||||||||||||
| General Electric F.C. | 1-0 | |||||||||||||
| Jersey A.C. | 0 | |||||||||||||
| January 29 - Bethlehem | ||||||||||||||
| Bethlehem Steel | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Bethlehem Steel | 2 | |||||||||||||
| June 10 - Bethlehem | ||||||||||||||
| Clan MacDonald | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Bethlehem Steel | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Scottish-Americans | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Bridgeport City | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Brooklyn F.C. | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Bridgeport City | 1 | |||||||||||||
| November 27/December 26 - Quincy | ||||||||||||||
| Babcock & Wilcox | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Fore River Rovers | 2-0 | |||||||||||||
| May 21 - Newark | ||||||||||||||
| Babcock & Wilcox | 2-3 | |||||||||||||
| Babcock & Wilcox | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Scottish-Americans | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Kearny Athletics | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Scottish-Americans | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Scottish-Americans | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Brooklyn Celtic | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Continental F.C. | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Brooklyn Celtic | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Kearny Scottish-Americans (NJ) | 0–3 | Bethlehem Steel (PA) |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Neil Clarke (3) |
Bethlehem Steel Football Club (1907–1930) was one of the most successful early American soccer clubs. Known as the Bethlehem Football Club from 1907 until 1915 when it became the Bethlehem Steel Football Club, the team was sponsored by the Bethlehem Steel corporation. Bethlehem Steel FC played their home games first at East End Field in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley, then later on the grounds Bethlehem Steel built on Elizabeth Ave named Bethlehem Steel Athletic Field.
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 League.
The 1915–16 National Challenge Cup was the third tournament of the modern-day Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Bethlehem Steel won its second consecutive championship. The entries for the competition were to be made by midnight September 30, 1915. The draw for the qualifying and first rounds was made on October 2, 1915. The tournament schedule was originally set for the qualifying round to take place on or before October 24; first round, November 14; second round, December 12; third round, January 16, 1916; fourth round, March 5; semis, April 2, and final on April 30.
Robert Millar was a soccer player who played as a forward and the coach of the United States national team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup. During his at times tumultuous Hall of Fame career, he played with over a dozen teams in at least five U.S. leagues as well as two seasons in the Scottish Football League. He finished his career as a successful professional and national team coach.
Archibald McPherson Stark was a soccer player who became the dominant player in U.S. leagues during the 1920s and early 1930s. He spent nine seasons in the National Association Football League and another twelve in the American Soccer League. He also earned two caps, scoring five goals, as a member of the U.S. national team. He holds the U.S. single-season scoring record with 67 goals scored during the 1924–25 season which is the current World Record. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950.
Thomas Swords was an American soccer forward, who served as captain of the U.S. men's national team in its first two games. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Neil G. Clarke(sometimes listed as Clark) was a Scottish American soccer player who began his career in the Scottish Football League before migrating to the United States. He played in both the National Association Football League and American Soccer League. In 1916, he played in the first two U.S. national team games.
James "Jimmy" or "Bow" Ford was an American soccer outside right who earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1916. He played professionally in the National Association Football League and the American Soccer League, scoring goals in the first two National Challenge Cup Finals.
Harry Jay Ratican was an American 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. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
James Dunn was an American soccer forward who spent nine seasons with Ben Millers in the St. Louis Soccer League and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1974.
Thomas "Tommy" or "Whitey" Fleming was a Scottish American soccer outside forward who began his career in Scotland and finished it in the United States. During his Hall of Fame career, Fleming won five American Cups, four National Challenge Cups and at least eight league titles.
Robert Morrison was a Scottish American soccer half back who played most of his career in the United States.
Johnny Jaap was a Scottish-American soccer inside right. He played seven seasons in the American Soccer League and one with Hearts. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
The 1916–17 National Challenge Cup was the fourth annual cup tournament held by the United States Football Association. On May 5, 1917, Fall River Rovers defeated Bethlehem Steel to take the title. Thomas Swords scored the game-winning goal thirty seconds into the game. The second round match on January 28 between Bay Ridge of Brooklyn and the Newark Scottish-Americans was originally awarded to Bay Ridge for non-appearance of the Scots. Despite Bay Ridge having played and won their third-round game 2–0 over New York, the Bay Ridge/Scots game was ordered replayed by the cup committee. The Scots won the replay and went on to face New York in the third round.
Frederick "Chiddy" Pepper was an English footballer who played as an inside forward. Born in Netherfield, Nottinghamshire, Pepper received a basic education before finding vocation as a fireman on the local railway. Joining Notts County F.C. in 1908 aged 21, he found little success playing in the English Football League and subsequently emigrated to Canada in 1913. Settling in Hamilton, Ontario, Pepper was scouted by industrialist Charles M. Schwab from local team Hamilton Lancashire and joined his Bethlehem Steel F.C. in 1914, an important club in the infancy of organized association football in the United States.
Victor F.C. is a name used by at least two, and possibly three, U.S. soccer teams in the early twentieth century.
William Duncan was a Scottish football goalkeeper who played professionally in Scotland and the United States.
Patrick Butler was an early twentieth-century Irish soccer player who appears to have spent his entire career in the U.S. leagues. He was a member of the Bethlehem Steel teams which won the 1916 National Challenge Cup and the 1917 and 1919 American Cup Butler began his career on the front line, playing both inside and outside forward on both sides of the field. He ended his career at the right half back position.
Olivier Mbaissidara Mbaizo is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a defender for the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer and the Cameroon national team.