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Posts by Brian D. Bunk

Graphic from the university of Illinois Press. Text reads Organization of American Historians. Philadelphia, PA April 16-19, 2026. Get 50% off our books! Use Promo code: OAH. Offer expires April 26, 2025

Graphic from the university of Illinois Press. Text reads Organization of American Historians. Philadelphia, PA April 16-19, 2026. Get 50% off our books! Use Promo code: OAH. Offer expires April 26, 2025

This is basically a two for one deal on US soccer history books.

From Football to Soccer: www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0...

Beyond the Field: www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p0...

Use code OAH at checkout!

6 days ago 1 0 0 0
The front cover a typewritten newsletter called SFC Soccer News. The paper is yellowed with age. The date is February 13, 1938.

The front cover a typewritten newsletter called SFC Soccer News. The paper is yellowed with age. The date is February 13, 1938.

In the late 1930s the club produced a newsletter that they distributed at matches. It contained match reports, advertisements for local businesses and gossip about club members. ☕

1 week ago 1 0 0 0
A blue paper membership card for the National Soccer League 1940-41. The name typed in the center is Folke Bjorling and it is signed by the president and secretary of the league.

A blue paper membership card for the National Soccer League 1940-41. The name typed in the center is Folke Bjorling and it is signed by the president and secretary of the league.

The team played in the National Soccer League, as this membership card indicates. Other squads in the competition included Danish, Norwegian, Jewish, Spanish and Czech sides. 🇺🇳

1 week ago 1 0 1 0
A black and white photo of a soccer team standing in front of bleachers. The front row of players is kneeling while th back row is standing. Other people can be seen on the bleachers in the background. Typed at the bottom in red ink is Swedish F.C. A-Team, 1943-1944.

A black and white photo of a soccer team standing in front of bleachers. The front row of players is kneeling while th back row is standing. Other people can be seen on the bleachers in the background. Typed at the bottom in red ink is Swedish F.C. A-Team, 1943-1944.

Swedish Football Club from Brooklyn, New York, 1943-44. The team formed in 1924 and its clubhouse still exists today at 725 65th St. In addition to the A team, they had a B squad and a junior side. 🇸🇪

1 week ago 5 2 2 0
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Hampshire College Will Close Amid Student Enrollment Declines

"I think there’s an inability for those people who have wealth in the country to understand and value something like Hampshire. It was dedicated to a transformational education, in an era when higher education has been hijacked by the transactional" - Ken Burns '75 www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/u...

1 week ago 35 16 0 2
Home | Soccer Almanac

We've made a ton of updates to the Soccer Almanac site. A new search box is available on every page to help find specific information you'll be looking for. In addition, we've done a complete refresh of the look and feel of the site.

socceralmanac.com

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1 week ago 6 1 1 0
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A Long Overdue Ode to Billy McGrath - The Frank MacDonald Blog I’d like to introduce you to someone exceptional, also someone gone too soon. You’re going to meet a man who, in retrospect, might have been Washington’s first to be enshrined in the National Soccer…

#OTD 1927 – Billy McGrath, player/manager of Seattle Electro Dentists, dies at 41, moments after playing at Longview Timber Barons.

1 week ago 3 2 0 0
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Black and white photo of a soccer player in uniform taken in a studio. He wears a light and dark vertical striped shirt, white shorts and dark socks. H & B logo is on the chest. Likely for Howard and Bullough company from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the team's sponsor.

Black and white photo of a soccer player in uniform taken in a studio. He wears a light and dark vertical striped shirt, white shorts and dark socks. H & B logo is on the chest. Likely for Howard and Bullough company from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the team's sponsor.

Studio portrait of an unidentified player from the Howard & Bullough team of Pawtucket, RI. They played in New England leagues with clubs from MA and that might explain why the photo studio was in Lawrence. They won the American Cup in 1911, but based on the uniform the photo is from c. 1916. 🌊

2 weeks ago 2 3 0 0
The Beautiful Game Open April 2, 2026: Journey through the story of football's impact on WWI and explore the poignant influence of “the beautiful game” on people living during wartime.

The Beautiful Game Exhibition has now opened at The National WW1 Museum and Memorial in Kansas City.
The Beautiful Game is an extraordinary exhibition revealing the profound connections between the world's most beloved sport and the Great War.
More information @ www.theworldwar.org/exhibitions/...

1 week ago 4 2 0 0
Black and white photo of a soccer player in uniform taken in a studio. He wears a light and dark vertical striped shirt, white shorts and dark socks. H & B logo is on the chest. Likely for Howard and Bullough company from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the team's sponsor.

Black and white photo of a soccer player in uniform taken in a studio. He wears a light and dark vertical striped shirt, white shorts and dark socks. H & B logo is on the chest. Likely for Howard and Bullough company from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the team's sponsor.

Studio portrait of an unidentified player from the Howard & Bullough team of Pawtucket, RI. They played in New England leagues with clubs from MA and that might explain why the photo studio was in Lawrence. They won the American Cup in 1911, but based on the uniform the photo is from c. 1916. 🌊

2 weeks ago 2 3 0 0
Postcard with a studio portrait of a man wearing a soccer kit and boots. His shirt has vertical stripes and his shorts and socks are a dark color. Photo is sepia colored.

Postcard with a studio portrait of a man wearing a soccer kit and boots. His shirt has vertical stripes and his shorts and socks are a dark color. Photo is sepia colored.

Portrait of a soccer player presumed to be Bob, c. 1904-18. Writing on the back reads "with best wishes from Bob." 📸

2 weeks ago 3 1 1 0
Video

Yeah, yeah, it’s another NJ soccer story… but it’s also a gateway to a larger U.S. story, etc.

What other soccer podcast is giving you Tab Ramos, US civil rights history, and the Pilgrims FC tour of 1905?
pod.link/1826903443/e...

3 weeks ago 2 2 1 0
A postcard printed with 10 oval photos of soccer players and a man in a suit. It reads Tacony, finalists American Cup 1913-14.

A postcard printed with 10 oval photos of soccer players and a man in a suit. It reads Tacony, finalists American Cup 1913-14.

Tacony is a neighborhood in Northeastern Philadelphia. The side won the American Cup in 1910 and reached the final twice between 1912-14. Unfortunately for the Tacks, both turned out to be heartbreaking losses. Still, they made this postcard celebrating reaching the final.💔

3 weeks ago 2 1 0 0

Geeked to see Tarnished Promises go "live" on websites like Barnes & Noble - www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tarnished-...

3 weeks ago 2 1 0 0

That is a good question, I don't have an answer for you

3 weeks ago 2 0 1 0
Five men playing soccer, three of them are wearing baseball hats. One has a shirt with Ben Miller on the chest another shirts reads Claxton. Fans stand in the background. The photo is torn on the bottom.

Five men playing soccer, three of them are wearing baseball hats. One has a shirt with Ben Miller on the chest another shirts reads Claxton. Fans stand in the background. The photo is torn on the bottom.

The Ben W. Miller Hat Co. of St. Louis had a slogan that read “Ben Miller wants your head.” One way to get those noggins was to sponsor soccer teams. In 1913-14 they had an amateur and a professional team. The photo is likely from an amateur match between the Hatters and Claxton. 🎩

3 weeks ago 6 0 1 0
Front cover of FIFA's official report from the 1930 World Cup

Text reads, top to bottom, in French (and Spanish?):

La organizacion de la COUPE DU MONDE
(Montevideo, Julio 1930)

La Inntervención del Football Uruguayano
En Las Olimpiadas de Paris 1934
Y AMSTERDAM 1928

Negociaciones
Internacionales

Bruselas,
Marzo de 1932

Front cover of FIFA's official report from the 1930 World Cup Text reads, top to bottom, in French (and Spanish?): La organizacion de la COUPE DU MONDE (Montevideo, Julio 1930) La Inntervención del Football Uruguayano En Las Olimpiadas de Paris 1934 Y AMSTERDAM 1928 Negociaciones Internacionales Bruselas, Marzo de 1932

It's a long shot, but what the hell... as Michael Scott quoted Wayne Gretzky, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

I'm scrambling to find a copy of FIFA's official report from the 1930 World Cup.

Anyone know where to find a PDF of this document and/or have a PDF they could send my way?

3 weeks ago 3 6 0 0
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“The daddy and guardian angel of soccer football here”: Thomas Corden Powell and soccer in Topeka, Kansas, 1910-1917 Owner of Topeka’s Scotch Woolen Mills and an impersonator of Scottish singer Harry Lauder, Thomas Corden Powell was also a soccer organizer.

Now on the SASH site from @arrowsalkeld.bsky.social: “‘The daddy and guardian angel of soccer football here’: Thomas Corden Powell and soccer in Topeka, Kansas, 1910-1917” www.ussoccerhistory.org/the-daddy-an...

3 weeks ago 3 4 0 0
Cover of Journal of Sport History, Volume 53, Number 1, Spring 2026
Background image of yellow metal stadium seats

Cover of Journal of Sport History, Volume 53, Number 1, Spring 2026 Background image of yellow metal stadium seats

Beyond the Field
How Soccer Built Community in the United States
Author: Brian D. Bunk
Black and white photo on a chalkboard green background with yellow and white text.

Beyond the Field How Soccer Built Community in the United States Author: Brian D. Bunk Black and white photo on a chalkboard green background with yellow and white text.

"A masterful addition to the historiography of early American soccer."

Garrett Lewis reviews BEYOND THE FIELD by @brianbunk.bsky.social in Journal of Sport History (@journsporthist.bsky.social) Vol. 53, No. 1 on @projectmuse.bsky.social: muse.jhu.edu/pub/34/artic...

cc: @nassh1972.bsky.social

3 weeks ago 6 2 0 0

Thanks! Hope you enjoy the book. I put in a lot of US soccer history (but not too much) 😉

3 weeks ago 1 0 0 0

Thanks to everyone who came out to my talk last night at @ghiwashington.bsky.social. It was an honor to be invited to participate in the 2026 Spring Lecture Series: Soccer: The Beautiful Game. 🇩🇪🇺🇸

3 weeks ago 2 0 0 1
Cover of a book called The Shortest History of Soccer. From Ancient Kicking Games to the World's Most Popular Sport by Brian D. Bunk. Cover has a green base with black and white lettering and a soccer ball

Cover of a book called The Shortest History of Soccer. From Ancient Kicking Games to the World's Most Popular Sport by Brian D. Bunk. Cover has a green base with black and white lettering and a soccer ball

My new book is available for pre-order! Best price is here: bookshop.org/p/books/the-.... Many people who follow me already know a lot about soccer. Still, maybe you have a friend or loved one who might be interested in sharing your interests. ⚽ #soccer #football #sports #history

3 weeks ago 2 1 1 0
Preview
Soccer Gets Started in Atlanta Exploring the City's Early Soccer Landscape, 1890s - 1968

A StoryMap about the people, places, and events associated with early soccer history in Metro Atlanta from late 19th century until the arrival of the Chiefs.

storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c271...

3 weeks ago 12 4 1 1
Title page for the book The Shortest History of Soccer by Brian D. Bunk

Title page for the book The Shortest History of Soccer by Brian D. Bunk

My new book, The Shortest History of Soccer, publishes in June. Preorders are 25% off for Barnes & Noble's Rewards and Premium members with code PREORDER25! Today (3/25) and Tomorrow (3/26) only, so don’t wait! #BNPreorder

4 weeks ago 5 4 1 0
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Cover of Journal of Sport History, Volume 53, Number 1, Spring 2026
Background image of yellow metal stadium seats

Cover of Journal of Sport History, Volume 53, Number 1, Spring 2026 Background image of yellow metal stadium seats

⚽ Check out "Cutting the Carbs: The Rise and Expulsion of Detroit's Holley Carburetor Soccer Club 1924–1930" by @gabegwinn.bsky.social in @journsporthist.bsky.social 53.1 on @projectmuse.bsky.social. cc: @nassh1972.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/34/artic...

4 weeks ago 7 4 1 0
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Happy St. Paddy’s Day! To celebrate, here’s a photo of my grandfather, Steve Sullivan, Sr., when he played for the Fall River Shamrocks in 1923-24 (he’s the goofy fella with the cap behind the ball)

1 month ago 7 1 0 0
Soccer player kicking a ball: Goshen College Athletics collection, Mennonite Church USA Archives

Soccer player kicking a ball: Goshen College Athletics collection, Mennonite Church USA Archives

“Soccer: The Beautiful Game,” our 2026 Spring Lecture Series, starts on Thursday, March 26! Our first event, on “Popularizing Soccer,” features Brian Bunk (@brianbunk.bsky.social) presenting “Soccer in the United States before 1950: The First Golden Age?” Signup info: www.ghi-dc.org/events/event...

1 month ago 3 1 0 0
May 11, 1947: Sparta-Hakoah 1-1 Hapoel Palestine (Source: Brian D. Bunk Collection)
May 11, 1947: Sparta-Hakoah 1-1 Hapoel Palestine (Source: Brian D. Bunk Collection) YouTube video by Society for American Soccer History

See the earliest known color film of soccer in the US. Hakoah-Sparta vs. Hapoel on May 11, 1947 at Soldier Field in Chicago. youtu.be/WSDmPF6Hdq4?...

1 month ago 0 0 0 1

Now available for viewing on the SASH YouTube channel at youtu.be/_KUhg8yrDjQ and in podcast format at www.podbean.com/eas/pb-frxc5...

1 month ago 9 6 1 0