History
In 1893, Esther W. Kelly transformed a northern Philadelphia house into a community center. The center moved to a large, three story building in 1895 which came to be known as The Lighthouse. Over the decades, The Lighthouse has expanded to areas in and around Philadelphia, providing charitable and community services to the Philadelphia population.
In 1897, the Church Club of Philadelphia helped Miss Kelly establish The Lighthouse Boys' Club and it began creating athletic teams the following year. The Lighthouse has sponsored numerous leagues and teams in multiple sports, but became renowned for its Lighthouse Soccer Club. This club produced some of the greatest U.S. players of the early twentieth century and won five James P. McGuire Cups (U-19 national championship).
The Lighthouse began to decline in the 1980s but the soccer team continues to play today.
Marcelo Balboa is an American retired soccer defender who played in the 1990s for the U.S. national team, becoming its captain. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Holy Ghost Preparatory School is a private Catholic college preparatory school for young men in Cornwells Heights, Bensalem, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1897 by the Spiritan missionaries.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been home to many teams and events in professional, semi-professional, amateur, college, and high-school sports. Sports are a huge part of the culture of the city and the Greater Philadelphia area. Philadelphia sports fans are considered to be some of the most knowledgeable fans in sports, and are known for their extreme passion for all of their teams. Philadelphia fans, particularly Eagles fans, are also known for their reputation of being the "Meanest Fans in America".
Sports in Pennsylvania includes numerous professional sporting teams, events, and venues located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Bartholomew "Bertie" or "Bart" McGhee was an American soccer forward who typically played left wing forward. He played for the United States men's national soccer team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, and scored the second goal in World Cup history against Belgium. He was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986.
Breakers FC is an American semi-professional soccer club based in Santa Cruz, California, United States founded in 1992. The club is a founding member of the Elite Youth Development Platform with partner Major League Soccer in 2020. The club signed Niša Saveljić to be their director of coaching in June 2020 to ensure the club remained focused on its mission to provide the best platform possible for aspiring student-athletes. In 2018 the club began fielding a team in the Premier Development League, now known as USL League Two, playing its home games at Carl Conelly Stadium on the campus of Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. The team's colors are dark blue, sky blue, gold and white.
Bernard "Benny" McLaughlin, Jr. was an American soccer forward who starred in the American Soccer League in the 1940s and 1950s. He earned twelve caps with the U.S. national team, was a member of the 1948 U.S. Olympic soccer team and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1977.
Francis J. “Hun” Ryan was an American soccer midfielder. He earned three caps, scoring one goal, with the U.S. national team between 1928 and 1936. He was also a member of the U.S. teams at the 1928 Summer Olympics, 1936 Summer Olympics and the 1934 FIFA World Cup. Ryan was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1958.
Robert “Bob” Gormley was an American soccer forward who spent seventeen years in the American Soccer League. He also earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1954. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1989.
Alexandre "Alex" Ely is a former U.S.-Brazilian soccer midfielder. Ely played extensively in the U.S., Canada and Brazil winning multiple league and cup titles. He also earned four caps with the U.S. national team between 1960 and 1965. In addition to his extensive professional resume, Ely coached at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Nicholas DiOrio was a member of the U.S. national team at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Len Oliver was a U.S. soccer half back who played in the American Soccer League. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Philadelphia Hibernian, also known as Hibernian F.C., was an early twentieth century U.S. soccer team which played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jimmy Mills was a Scottish-American soccer wing-half and coach. He gained his greatest fame as a coach, taking his teams to five league, three league cup titles and two McGuire Cup titles In 1956, he coached the US Olympic soccer team at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Jack Dunn was a U.S. soccer inside right who was a four-time All-American, a member of the U.S. soccer team at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was a four-time All-American and coached at the collegiate level.
United German-Hungarians is an American social club, founded in 1910, as the Banater Männerchor. Although the club has been home to various auxiliary groups, the primary activities of the club remain soccer and cultural dancing. The first team was started in 1922, playing exhibition games only. The current German Hungarian Cultural Group was founded in 1965.
Philadelphia Lone Star Football Club is an American professional development soccer club based in Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that competes in USL League Two and the National Premier Soccer League, both leagues which sit in the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. Nicknamed "the Stars", the club was founded as Junior Lone Star Football Club in 2001, but changed its name to Philadelphia Lone Star F.C. in 2018.
The Jefferson Cup is a youth soccer tournament held annually since 1981 in Richmond, Va. hosted by the Richmond Strikers soccer club. The girls side is the No. 1 ranked youth soccer tournament in the United States, according to GotSoccer.com, while the boys side ranks 31st.
Philadelphia Union II is an American professional soccer team based in Chester, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2015, the team plays in the USL Championship as the official affiliate of the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. Its colors are navy blue, gold, and red. The club was formerly based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and known as Bethlehem Steel FC.
Jake McGuire is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Swedish club Örebro SK.
