Philadelphia Merchant Ship
Encyclopedia
Philadelphia Merchant Ship F.C. was a short-lived U.S. soccer team of the early twentieth century. It spent two seasons in the National Association Football League and went to the semifinals of the 1919 American Cup
.
’s Shipbuilding Company located on the Delaware River
near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. The team exploded onto the national scene in 1918. That year it entered the National Association Football League, finishing tied for second with Paterson F.C., but defeated them in a run off game to take sole possession of second place. That summer, the company entered two teams, Merchant Ship “A” and Merchant Ship “B” in the National Challenge Cup. Both were eliminated in the second round. However, Merchant Ship “A” went to the semifinals of the American Cup
before falling to Paterson F.C. and Merchant Ship “B” won the Allied Amateur Cup. The team experienced an immediate drop off in performance the next season, finishing ninth in the NAFBL standings. The team withdrew from the league at the end of the season and disbanded.
American Cup
The American Cup was the first major U.S. soccer competition open to teams beyond a single league. It was first held in 1885. In the 1910s, it gradually declined in importance with the establishment of the National Challenge Cup...
.
History
Philadelphia Merchant Ship was the company team for the W. Averell HarrimanW. Averell Harriman
William Averell Harriman was an American Democratic Party politician, businessman, and diplomat. He was the son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman. He served as Secretary of Commerce under President Harry S. Truman and later as the 48th Governor of New York...
’s Shipbuilding Company located on the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. The team exploded onto the national scene in 1918. That year it entered the National Association Football League, finishing tied for second with Paterson F.C., but defeated them in a run off game to take sole possession of second place. That summer, the company entered two teams, Merchant Ship “A” and Merchant Ship “B” in the National Challenge Cup. Both were eliminated in the second round. However, Merchant Ship “A” went to the semifinals of the American Cup
American Cup
The American Cup was the first major U.S. soccer competition open to teams beyond a single league. It was first held in 1885. In the 1910s, it gradually declined in importance with the establishment of the National Challenge Cup...
before falling to Paterson F.C. and Merchant Ship “B” won the Allied Amateur Cup. The team experienced an immediate drop off in performance the next season, finishing ninth in the NAFBL standings. The team withdrew from the league at the end of the season and disbanded.
Year-by-year
| Year | League | Reg. Season | American Cup | National Challenge Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918/19 | NAFBL | 2nd | Semifinal | Second round |
| 1919/20 | NAFBL | 9th | ? | Second round |