 | ||
| Full name | Clark ONT F.B.C. | |
|---|---|---|
| Manager-Captain | Harry Holden | |
| League | AFA | |
Clark O.N.T., was a U.S. soccer team sponsored by the Clark Thread Company. The team competed in the annual American Cup, winning the first three championships. Beside Fall River Rovers, they are considered the most successful clubs in the late 1880s in American soccer. [1]
Established November 15, 1883 at a meeting of 150 employees, the first president and vice-president elected were Campbell Clark and William Clark Jr. respectively. The Clark Thread Company originally named its soccer team Clark Our New Thread (Clark O.N.T.) as part of a marketing campaign introducing a new product. As the product became established, the company renamed its athletic team to the simpler Clark A.A. While the Clark Thread Company factory was originally located in Newark, on the west bank of the Passaic River, the team played at Clark Field located on the east side of the river, an area known as East Newark.
The team began play in February 1884 and later won the first American Cup which kicked off in late October of that year. It went on to win the next two cup championships, giving it the right to call itself the first U.S. soccer dynasty. Their second title followed a successful baseball campaign in which they won the Essex League championship. The cricket season was much less successful however, finishing with a record of 2 wins and 9 losses with 2 draws.
Besides its league and cup records, Clark O.N.T. had a part in the first two, now unofficial, U.S. international games. The American Football Association sponsored two games with the Canada national team in 1885. On November 28, 1885, Clark contributed both its field and five of its players to the game, won by Canada. The referee was also provided by O.N.T. [2]
| Year | League | Reg. Season | American Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | ? | ? | Champion |
| 1886 | ? | ? | Champion |
| 1887 | ? | ? | Champion |
| 1888 | ? | ? | Second round |
| 1889 | ? | ? | Semifinal |
| 1890 | ? | ? | First round |
| 1891 | ? | ? | First round |
| 1892 | ? | ? | Second Round |
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Statistics of American Soccer League in season 1930.
The 1885 American Cup was the inaugural edition of this tournament staged by the American Football Association. Six teams contended for the first edition played in the 1884–85 season. Five of the teams were from New Jersey and one from New York. The Association and the tournament itself were the result of the success the game had in the previous winter and fall and despite all the teams coming from a relatively limited area it was anticipated that the game would undoubtedly grow. The draw for the first round was reported in newspapers on October 1, 1884, after being conducted by the clubs' secretaries at Paterson. The completion of the trophy was announced several days later. The trophy was exhibited in several places around Newark, Paterson and New York. The trophy, originally valued at $200, was described as having "a neat design in silver and gold appropriate figures of foot ballists being engraved on it". Clark ONT became the first winners of the trophy along with the purse of $150.
The 1886 American Cup was the second installment of the soccer tournament directed by the American Football Association. Clark ONT, as holders of the trophy, had successfully defended their title and receiving along with the trophy a pair of leg guards donated by the Alma Cricket and Football club.
The 1887 American Cup was the third edition of the soccer tournament organized by the American Football Association. For the third time since its inception the Clark ONT's were the champions.
The 1888 American Cup was the fourth edition of the soccer tournament organized by the American Football Association. Having expanded into the New England district the first new champions came from Fall River, Massachusetts after Clark ONT of Newark had won the previous three editions. The Rovers defeated the Newark Almas in the final.
Soccer in the United States has a varied history. Research indicates that the modern game entered the country during the 1850s with New Orleans' Scottish, Irish, German and Italian immigrants. Some of the first organized games, using modern English rules, were played in that city.
The American Soccer League, established in 1921, was the first of four different professional soccer sports leagues in the United States to use the ASL name. It was formed by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For several years the ASL's popularity rivaled the popularity of the National Football League. Disputes with the United States Football Association and FIFA, as well as the onset of the Great Depression, led to the league's collapse in spring 1933.
