The Windy City versus the Mound City

Compiled and written by Chuck Carlson

Since the sport of soccer began serious competition in the United States during the last part of the 19th century, the cities of Chicago and St. Louis have been competing fiercely for the title of “Best in the Midwest.” That competitive tradition continues this weekend, as Chicago House AC take on BOFHS in a final qualifying round match that will decide who represents the Midwest Premier League in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup proper. Since this intercity rivalry has such a long history, it would take an entire book to cover every important match, but here is a list of 10 of those great matches (which could be completely different on another day!):

10) April 4, 2009, Chicago Red Stars 1 v St. Louis Athletica 0 at Ralph Korte Stadium, Edwardsville, Illinois

This was the first-ever official Chicago Red Stars match in the now-defunct Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league. US International Lyndsay Tarpley scored in the 79th minute to give the Red Stars their first-ever win, with House CEO Peter Wilt and House Media Director Nicole Hack both in attendance to witness this historic day. While House v BOFHS is an Open Cup game, this Red Stars match is vital as it highlights the fact that equity in the US soccer landscape is absolutely lacking. Men have been competing for a National Championship since 1913. Despite having one of the world’s top national teams and a history of competitive women’s soccer dating back well over a century, the fact that there is NOT a Women’s national competition is a travesty.

9) November 25, 1886, Chicago Association Football-Club 5 St. Louis Thistles 1 at Douglass Baseball Park, Chicago, Illinois

Amidst the social upheavals of 1886 (the Haymarket affair having occurred on May 4), Thanksgiving Day was a respite to focus on sport. The Thistles, who were considered the top team in St. Louis, met the Chicago Football-Club, an undefeated aggregation. The Chicago Tribune highlighted the importance of the match, noting on November 25, “it is expected the accounts of the baseball match for the championship will be squared.” The men from Chicago did not disappoint, continuing their undefeated streak with a 5-1 victory.

8) March 24, 31, April 6, 14, 21, 1935 Wieboldt Wonderbolts (1 win) v Central Brewers (2 wins) at various venues in Chicago and St. Louis including DePaul Stadium and Sparta Stadium Chicago, Illinois

One of the wildest Open Cup (then called the US Challenge Cup) semi-finals in US Soccer history lasted almost a month, from March to April 1935. It was the height of the depression, but this did not stop US Soccer from playing out a best-of-3 series in 5 games. Wieboldt Wonderbolts, previously known as the Chicago Bricklayers, faced Central Brewers, which had been recruiting the best US-born players, including 1930 World Cup stars Billy Gonsalves and Bert Patenuade. While every game in this series had its drama, the final match, played in St. Louis on April 21 and ending in a 1-0 Central Breweries victory, became known as the “slingshot match.” According to Wonderbolts management, fans at St. Louis’ Walsh Stadium fired ball bearing projectiles at Wonderbolts players during the match, resulting in a claim that Chicago soccer was “through with St. Louis.” (1 May 1935 Mason City Globe-Gazette p. 40)

7) January 2, 1905, Chicago “All-Stars” 4 St. Louis “All-Stars” 5 (AET) at Sportsman’s Park, St. Louis, Missouri

As 1904 turned to 1905, and “socker” (as it was being called at the time in newspapers) had “taken a hold on the American people” (Chicago Tribune 1 January 1905 p. 12), a number of Chicago teams traveled south to take on Mound City competition. Unfortunately for Chicago teams, St. Louis was well prepared and won all the matches in this New Year’s series. The culmination of this group of games was a match between Chicago All-Stars and St. Louis All-Stars which was decided in Extra Time. Ben Govier, a member of the US Soccer Hall of Fame, and a player for both St. Louis and Chicago teams, could've put the game away for Chicago in regular time, but caught his foot in the turf as he lined up a “sure goal” shot. Meanwhile his brother Sheldon, who would go on to become 9th ward alderman in Chicago, was an excellent half-back, but apparently a disaster in goal as he gave up 3 howlers before being replaced. 

6) April 22, 1956, Chicago Eagles 1 Kutis 3 at Winnemac Park, Chicago, Illinois

The men’s US Open Cup has been played since 1913, but the US Amateur Cup (for men) also has more than a century of history. While not professional players, the intensity and quality of these knockout matches are often just as high. In 1956, the St. Louis area had a star player in Rueben Mendoza who helped St. Louis Kutis team thrash Chicago’s Eagles over the course of two games, a 3-1 win in Chicago and a 9-1 victory in the St. Louis match. Whether it was this specific match, or another St. Louis-Chicago matchup from the 1956 Amateur Cup, Chicago fans may have taken their revenge off the field, however, as, according to Dave Lange, St. Louis soccer historian (and writer of the book Soccer Made in St. Louis) when fans with Missouri car plates tried to return to St. Louis, sugar had been put into their gas tanks.

5) April 3, 1977, Chicago Sting v St. Louis Stars in a neutral ground friendly at Rockhurst High School, Kansas City, Missouri

In 1977, the North American Soccer League (NASL) seemed to be ascending to truly major sports league status. Though down to 18 teams from the previous year’s 20, the average attendance was over 13,000 per game and the league final, the Soccer Bowl drew over 77,000 fans. Pele, Beckenbauer and Chinaglia were in the Cosmos lineup and players from all over the world were attracted to the league. NASL was confident enough in its place that pre-season games were played at “neutral” venues to expose even more fans to the league, and thus the Sting of Chicago and Stars of St. Louis met in Kansas City. Interestingly, in the lineup for St. Louis, and, in another example of St. Louis and Chicago sharing players, Willie Roy, who would go on to lead the Chicago Sting to NASL championships was in the lineup for St. Louis. And in a sign of just how unstable the NASL business model was, at the end of the 1977 season, the Stars left St. Louis for the “Greener pastures” of the West Coast where they became the California Surf in 1978 before folding just three years later.

4) March 18, 1928, Chicago Bricklayers 2 Ben Millers 0 at Sportsman’s Park, St. Louis, Missouri

While the 1935 Open Cup Semi-final was a marathon series resulting in a St. Louis' victory, 1928 was a single game Chicago triumph. The Bricklayers (who became the Wonderbolts in 1933), had been building an international reputation since their founding in 1912 under the auspices of the Chicago Bricklayers union. Their soccer specific home ground of Bricklayer Field had hosted local and national matches, and the Mortar Slingers had defeated a Uruguayan aggregation in 1927 which had a number of future World Cup champions, including Jose Leandro Andrade, in their lineup. The Hatters, as the Ben Millers were known, had won the national title in 1920 and were finalists in 1926, so they were confident of a home city victory. The Trowel Wielders, with the active support of Bricklayer Union 21, however were not to be denied, as Joe Phillips, and 1934 World Cup player, “Wee Willie” McClean tallied to send the Hatters packing.  

3) April 13, 1947, Chicago Maroons 4 v St. Louis Raiders 0 at Public Schools Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri

Professional soccer officially returned to St. Louis after almost a decade absence on April 13, 1947, when the National American Professional Soccer League’s (NAPSL) Chicago Maroons met the St. Louis Raiders. The Maroons had been founded by Fred Weitzman and were to be the premier franchise in a league attempting to challenge the American Soccer League (ASL) for soccer supremacy. In the lineup for the Maroons were future Celtic FC player, and father of Rock n Roll Hall of Fame member Gil Scott-Heron, Gil Heron as well as 1950 US World Cup player Adam Wolanin. While neither scored in the match, WW II Royal Air Force and Polish immigrant Tadeusz “Ted” Cieplinski got two goals for the Maroons as they spoiled professional soccer’s return to the Mound City.

2) January 1, 1918, Joliet Steel FC 4 Innisfails 3 at Cardinal Field, St. Louis, Missouri

Not all matches were specifically Chicago teams in this Illinois/Missouri rivalry. Joliet teams often competed in Chicago leagues, and in the mid-teens of the 20th century, Joliet Steel Company invested heavily in soccer. In 1917, the team had reached the Open Cup semifinals, and in 1918, they were even considered a contender for the national title by St. Louis soccer officials. Over the New Year holiday, Joliet FC arrived in St. Louis for a pair of matches against top Mound City clubs, and with a lineup including a combination of American and immigrant players, the Steelman held off Innisfails 4-3 at the home of baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals. Carbon Hill, Illinois, product Dick Vidano got a goal for the winners, and fellow coalfield player Ed “Circus” Smith bagged a brace.

1) April 12, 1953, Chicago Falcons 2 Kutis 1 at North Side Park, St. Louis, Missouri

As this list demonstrates, Chicago-St. Louis US Open Cup matches are often not as simple as a single game on the field, and this 1953 US Open Cup series between Kutis and Chicago Falcons was no exception. After beating Falcons 3-0 in St. Louis on March 22, Kutis expected to progress to the Open Cup final by simply keeping things close in the April 5 Chicago leg. However, events off the field put things in a confused state, 2 Kustis players were not properly registered in that first game, thus Kutis’ 3-0 win was wiped out. The return leg in Chicago ended 0-0, so a third match was needed to determine the “representative of the West.” Falcon’s US National Team representative Adam Wolanin proved his quality as he set up 2 goals for fellow Polish immigrant Kas Iwinicki to give Chicago the win. Falcons went on to defeat Hamarville Hurricanes in the final and earn Chicago’s 4th Open Cup title.

There have been so many high-quality soccer games between Chicago and St. Louis, it is truly impossible to highlight them all, though this list hopefully gives a taste of the breadth and intensity of this essential American soccer rivalry. On November 23, Chicago House will be hoping to repeat the success of the most recent Open Cup match between the Windy City and the Mound City: a 2-1 Chicago Fire victory over St. Louis City in 2023.