Fall River Marksmen History

07/03/2026

Born on this day in 1919 was a true hero and legend of Fall River soccer, Joseph Rego-Costa. He grew up playing for the Tennessee Boys Club as a youth and then would play for Ponta Delgado, an important cornerstone to their success in American soccer history. He was the captain of the United States of America at the 1948 Olympics and was a member of the 1947 NAFC Championship. He would become a key figure for youth sports in the city. Today, the soccer fields at Silvia Elementary School are named for Joe Rego. Joe was also recognized by the New England Revolution in 2002 for his accomplishments in the sport.

I'll take a bigger dive into his career after my vacation. photos are courtesy of his daughter Pat Collins.

06/24/2026

As Scotland gets ready to take on Brazil, later today. I will provide the next 5 best Scottish players to have played for the Fall River Marksmen

Johnny Reid: Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1896. Reid began his professional career in Canada with the Montreal Blue Bonnets. In 1924, he arrived in Fall River and immediately won over the fans. He was hardworking, speedy and a feisty player on the field. He spent 1924-1926 and a short stint in 1928 with Fall River. He was an important piece to the early success of the Marksmen. Reid collected 100 league appearances, scoring 39 goals; 7 US Open Cup appearances, scoring 7 goals and 1 league cup appearance. Reid contributed to 3 straight League titles (1924-1926) and 1 US Open Cup; he scored in that 4-2 vs Vesper Buick.

Frank McKenna: Born in Scotland (sources cannot pinpoint his birthplace or year). McKenna started his footballing career in Scotland with Vale of Leven FC. He moved to the American Soccer League 1920 and played with Bethlehem, Robins Dry Dock and Todd Shipyard, until 1923 when he joined Fall River. McKenna played with the Marksmen from 1923-1926 and a short stint in 1928. He was another fan favorite for his hard work, but also tough playing style on the field. McKenna collected 79 league appearances, scoring 20 goals; 10 US Open Cup appearances, scoring 4 goals and 1 league cup appearance. McKenna was part of 3 straight League titles (1924-1926) and 1 US Open Cup.

William "Bill" Harper: Born in Carnwrath, Scotland in 1897. Harper began his professional career with Hibernian from 1920-1925 (178 appearances) and Arsenal from 1925-1927 (42 appearance) before coming to America, when Sam Mark convinced him to come play in the American Soccer League. He played for the Fall River Marksmen from 1927-1929 and built a strong reputation within the league. He shared time in goal with great keepers like Jimmy Douglas and Johnny Reder during his time with the Marksmen. After being a guest keeper for the Marksmen European Tour, he would go back to England and play for Arsenal again in 1930 (21 appearances) and Plymouth Argyle 1931-1939 (78 appearances). Harper collected 79 league appearances, 3 US Open Cup appearance and 6 league cup appearances during his time with the Marksmen. Harper was part of 2 straight league titles (1927-1928).

David McEachran: Born in Clydebank, Scotland in 1903. McEachran started his playing career with Kirkintilloch Rob Roy FC, Clydebank FC and Vale of Leven FC. He had 1 appearance with Preston North End before joining the Fall River Marksmen in 1926 and staying until 1928. He was known as a true professional and was always hardworking on the field. McEachran would return to Scotland and play for St. Johnstone and Beith FC in 1931 and played with Linefield of North Ireland in 1932. McEachran collected 74 league appearances, scoring 26 goals; 11 Us Open Cup appearance, scoring 6 and 5 league cup appearances, scoring 1. He was part of the 1927 US Open Cup victory, 7-0 over Holley Carburetor (Detroit, MI), scoring twice in the final.

Alexander "Alec" Lorimer: Born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1896. Alec made a single appearance for Kilmarnock FC before coming to the American Soccer League in 1921, with Philadelphia FC. He was an original Marksmen selected by Sam Mark when Sam founded the club in 1922. Alec was a giant and played a strong defensive game. He was with the Marksmen from 1922-1925 and was a fan favorite that stood tall with Bill McPherson. Alec collected 74 league appearances, scoring 12 goals; 9 US Open Cup appearances and 3 league cup appearances. He was a cornerstone to 2 straight League titles (1924-1925), 1 US Open Cup and an American Cup Runner-up.

06/22/2026

Here is an article about Bert's World Cup hat-trick that Peter Carline, of the Athletic, did and interviewed me about as well. It's a fantastic read, so please share this piece of Fall River history.

American Bert Patenaude is recognised as the scorer of the tournament's first treble but that was only confirmed 32 years after his death

06/19/2026

As Scotland prepares to take on Morocco later today, I truly appreciate and love seeing the atmosphere that the Scottish fans have brought to Boston. The Scottish fans that have come to America have brought joy, laughter and good times as they make history. I want to pay tribute to the great Scots that played for the Fall River Marksmen and helped the club make history.

The top 5 greatest Scottish players that contributed significantly to the success of the Marksmen and the American Soccer League are as follows: Bill McPherson, Alex McNabb, Bob McAuley, Charlie McGill and Bill Harper.

Bill McPherson: Born in Greenock, Scotland in 1897. He started his playing career with Greenock Morton FC and Beith FC from1919-1923, before coming to the US and playing for the Marksmen. He was the definition of a stalwart, anchoring the Marksmen defense from 1923-1931. He was a leader and was a warrior on field as he played through numerous injuries. McPherson collected 331 league appearances, scoring 53 goals; 36 cup appearances, scoring 5 goals and 19 league cup appearances, scoring 3 goals. He was present and contributed to all title and cup victories that the Marksmen accomplished in the history (6 League titles, 4 US Open Cups and 1 League Cup).

Alex McNabb: Born in Gourock, Scotland in 1894. He started his playing career with Greenock Morton FC from 1914-1924, before coming to the US. He started his American journey with Boston Soccer Club (Wonder Workers) from 1924-1928 before joining the Marksmen from 1928-1931. His time was short, but his impact was tremendous as he brought offensive creativity, while providing leadership and guidance to the young American star forwards, Bert Patenaude and Billy Gonsalves. McNabb collected 96 league appearance, scoring 22 goals; 14 cup appearances, scoring 4 goals and 9 league cup appearance, scoring 3 goals. He helped secure 3 straight League titles, 2 US Open Cups and 1 League Cup.

Bob McAuley: Born in Wishaw, Scotland in 1904. His family emigrated to Canada at young age and his playing career started with Lachine and Montreal Carsteel FC, before moving to the US. He played with Providence from 1925-1928 and then made the move to the Marksmen where he played form 1928-1931. Again, his time was short but very impactful as he was pacey, creative and was hardworking on the field as a fullback. His play in America lead him to go back to Scotland to play for Rangers. He then went to Chelsea and Cardiff, all from 1931-1937. He also earned two Caps for Scotland. A 3-1 victory vs Ireland on 9/19/1931 and a 3-2 victory vs Wales on10/31/1932. McAuley collected 103 league appearances, scoring 6 goals; 10 cup appearances, scoring 1 goal and 13 league cup appearances. He helped secure 3 straight League titles (1928-1930), 2 US Open Cups and 1 League Cup.

Charlie McGill: Born in Kilmarnock, Scotland in 1903. He began his playing career with Darvel FC in 1921 and then moved to Queen of South in 1922, Hearts of Midlothian in 1923 and Third Lanarck in 1924. He came to the US in 1925 and began playing with the Marksmen. From 1925-1931 he partnered with Bill McPherson to completely solidify the defense of the Marksmen. He was another stalwart that brought positive energy and humor to the group creating a family like atmosphere within the club. After finishing his playing time in America, he would return to Scotland and play for Aberdeen from 1931-1938. McGill collected 208 league appearances, 25 cup appearances and 16 league cup appearances (sadly, never scoring a goal). He was part of 4 League titles, 3 US Open Cups and 1 League Cup.

Findlay Kerr: Born in Millport, Scotland in 1898. With no information on his playing time in Scotland, he started play in the US with Philadelphia in 1921 before moving to Bethlehem in 1922. He joined and played for the Marksmen from 1923-1927 and brought his exceptional skills of protecting the net. He arrived as a very well-known keeper and fit right in with the Marksmen with his hard work and leadership skills. He became a fan favorite quickly and earned one CAP for the United States. A 6-2 victory vs Canada on 11/6/1926. Kerr collected 108 league appearances, 13 cup appearances and 5 league cup appearances. He was a key figure in winning 3 straight league titles (1924-1926), 2 US Open Cups and 1 American Cup Runners-Up.

For the next Scotland match against Brazil, I will highlight the next 5 best Scottish players Johnny Reid, Frank McKenna, Bill Harper, Dave McEachran and Alexander "Alec" Lorimer.

06/19/2026

As the US prepares to take on Australia, later today, I wanted to Honor all the players who played on the first USMNT World Cup Squad, who also played with the Fall River Marksmen or another Fall River club. I will certainly start with the crown jewels of American Soccer History, Bert Patenaude and Billy Gonsalves. Both represented what it meant to be born and raised in Fall River and honored the city with their accomplishments and accolades.

Bertram Albert "Bert" Patenaude: Born in Fall River, MA in 1909. Bert was of French Canadian decent and was a genuine, kind and hardworking individual. He started his professional career in 1928, at 19 years old, playing with Philadelphia FC and J&P Coats (Pawtucket, RI), making only 9 appearances and scoring 6 goals before moving to the Fall River Marksmen in that same season. The hometown hero returned home and brought with him great success. Bert accumulated 79 appearances, scoring 72 goals; 13 cup appearances, scoring 14 goals and 8 league cup appearances, scoring 5 goals. With his time with the Marksmen, from 1928-1931, He was part of winning 3 straight League titles, 2 US Open Cups and 1 League Cup. While playing for the USMNT he scored the first ever World Cup hattrick vs Paraguay on 7/17/1930. Sadly, he only had 4 appearances for the USMNT, scoring 6 goals. He scored once against Belgium in the World Cup in 3-0 win on 7/13/1930 and scored 2 vs Brazil in 4-3 loss in a friendly scheduled after the World Cup on 8/17/1930.

William "Billy" Adelino Gonsalves: Born in Portsmouth, RI in 1908. Billy was of Portuguese decent and his family raised him in Fall River after being born in RI. He was a very active and athletic child from the start. He was pursued to play baseball and to box, but his heart was with football, and he went professional at very you age because of his hard work ethic. At 18, he was playing with Lusitania Recreation "Lucy Recs" (Cambridge, MA) in 1926, as they paid for his playing services. He then got into the American Soccer League in 1927 with the Boston Soccer Club and quickly attracted a lot of attention with his skills and powerful shots, people described his legs as tree trunks. In 1929 he came back home, at 20 years old, and linked up with Bert on the Fall River Marksmen. Billy accumulated 74 league appearances, scoring 49 goals; 15 cup appearances, scoring 12 goals and 5 league cup appearances, scoring 2 goals. He was part of winning 3 straight League titles, 2 US Open Cups and 1 League Cup. Billy also played for Fall River FC in 1932, making 12 appearances, scoring 7 goals. While playing for the USMNT, he participated in every match in the 1930 World Cup and played in the only match the USMNT had in the 1934 World Cup. Billy, sadly, only had 6 appearances with the USMNT and scored 1 goal in a 4-3 friendly loss vs Brazil on 8/17/1930.

Jimmy Douglas: Born in East Newark, NJ in 1898. Jimmy was a great goalie and had a great reputation in the American Soccer League as a true professional and hard working. Jimmy was a Marksmen in various stints between 1927-1929. He accumulated 39 league appearances and was part of 2 league title for the Marksmen.

James Gallagher: Born in Kirkintilloch, Scotland in 1901. James was a long time American Soccer League but only had a short stay with the Fall River Marksmen in 1923. James left J&P Coats (Pawtucket, RI) and came to the Marksmen in 1923. He only played only 2 games and scoring 1 goal in that season but would move on to other clubs and having success with Indiana Flooring (NY), the New York Giants and New York Nationals.

Andy Auld: Born in Stevenston, Scotland in 1900. Andy was an American Soccer League star with Providence FC making 277 appearances and scoring 31 goals. After the Marksmen moved to New York in 1931, due to financial issues, and became the New York Yankees, a new club in Fall River was founded by a group of businessmen. This Fall Rive FC played from 1931-1932 only and Andy made 10 appearances with them, scoring 3 goals.

Arnold "Arnie" Oliver: Born in New Bedford, MA in 1907. Arnie was an America Soccer League mainstay, and his talents were sought after by clubs in the league. Having the greatest success with J&P Coats (Pawtucket, RI) making 58 appearances and scoring 38 goals. Arnie appeared in 5 games and scored 4 goals for the Marksmen in 1930 but would move to Providence FC during that season. He also played 1 game for Fall River FC in 1931.

Tommy Florie: Born in Harrison, NJ in 1897. Tommy was an America star in the American Soccer League and had an amazing career with Providence FC and the New Bedford Whalers. He made 287 appearances and scored 110 goals between those two clubs before coming to Fall River FC in 1931. He made 6 appearances and scored 1 goal.

Good luck to the US and I will have more information for the US match vs Turkey next week.

06/16/2026

Hello everyone, sorry for the hiatus. It was a bit difficult to keep up with this page with what felt like minimal engagement or interest. I also value family time as well and with increased responsibilities at work, it was hard to keep up with research and balancing life.

I want to thank my wife Michaela Goncalves for giving me a bit of a boost on getting back into the history of Fall River and the Fall River Marksmen.

I'm glad that the World Cup has brought back some interest and this is just one of the pieces I've worked on with Scott McLaughlin from WEEI. Please share the article. There will be a few more things coming this month.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DCKV4NAcj/

| WEEI 93.7

03/18/2025

On March 17th and 18th, of 1928, the Marksmen had a doubleheader and split the games for that weekend. They would start out by losing 2-0 to rivals Bethlehem Steel, in Pennsylvania, in a game that was marred by bad luck and mistakes by the Marksmen. The team would then come back home to Mark's Stadium and play in front of a sparse crowd due to the driving rain and defeat the Brooklyn Wanderers by the score of 4-1. Starting out with the first game in Bethlehem, the Marksmen played a good game, but ran into some bad luck as Bill McPherson scored an own goal while attempting to clear a ball with his head. The next bit of misfortune happened when Dougie Campbell failed to score on a penalty. The rest of the game the Marksmen were unable to take the chances that they were able to create, while Archie Stark scored the other goal for Bethlehem. The following day the Marksmen were back up in New England at Mark's Stadium to take on the Brooklyn Wanderers. The Fall River Marksmen put on a great show and played some great football in the rain, but unfortunately because of the driving rain, there were very few fans present for the match. The fans were spurred on by the rough play as well as both teams played very physical. Dougie Campbell made up for his penalty miss the day before by scoring 2 while Dave McEachran and Harold Brittan scored as well.
Articles courtesy of the Fall River Herald
Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River Marksmen Bethlehem, Pennsylvania HNNow

03/04/2025

On March 3rd and 4th, in 1928, the Fall River Marksmen met the Boston Wonder Workers for a two-leg knockout round in the Lewis Cup. The first leg was held in Boston at the Walpole Street grounds and unfortunately it was a rather difficult affair as Boston would come out the victors 2-0. The Marksmen did not take advantage of the opportunities they had in the game and easily could have been up by 3 or 4 before half time, but due to an accidental handball by Charlie McGill, Boston were able to score on a penalty (converted by Barney battles). It was a bit controversial as later in the game, Jock MacArthur seemed to have handled the ball in his own area, but went unnoticed by the referee. Tom Fleming would score a goal as well in the game and that capped off the final. Only 1,500 fans were present in Boston for this game.

The second leg was back home at Mark's Stadium and the outcome was a victory for the Marksmen by the score of 3 to 2, unfortunately, it was not enough to overturn the two goal loss in Boston as the Wonder Workers won on aggregate 4-3. Just over 4,500 fans were present for the return lag that saw an exciting game that had enormous amounts of opportunities for the Marksmen and saw some rough play throughout as well. Unfortunately, just like in the first leg, the Marksmen did not take advantage of all of their opportunities as they missed open chances, at times the ball would take a bad bounce against them or the shot would smack off the post and away from the goal. The effort was there to make the comeback that was needed, but it fell just a bit short. Bill McPherson started the scoring with a screamer from outside of the box that was captured by a Herald News cameraman. Johnny Harvey scored the second after a Charlie McGill free kick was not cleared well by Boston’s defense, but the clearance smacked Dinny Doyle (Marksmen LHB) right in the face and it landed on the foot of Harvey who put it into the net before anyone else can react. Johnny Harvey would score again after a combination play that involved Harold Brittan, Jimmy Kelly, James “Tec” White and Dave McEachran all combining passes to move towards goal, ending with Harvey's goal. That was the third and final goal of the game for the Marksmen in a game where they easily could have had 6 or 7, had they had the luck and the bounces. Charlie McGill's bad luck continued in the second game as well as he was the author of an own goal after he tried to block a long-range shot with his head, unfortunately it only ricocheted into the upper corner of the goal. This meant that the marksmen were now out of the Lewis Cup and Boston would go on to face New Bedford in the next round. Now the Marksmen would have to put all their attention into league play for the rest of the year.
Articles and photos courtesy of the Fall River Herald
Fall River, Massachusetts Fall River Marksmen HNNow @

02/19/2025

On this day in 1928, the Fall River Marksmen defeated the New York Giants 3-0 in what turned out to be a skating rink at Mark's Stadium. It had snowed the day before in Fall River, but the field was cleared for the game. The field was turned up and middy from the preliminary game, but as the temperature dropped the field became ice, truly affecting the match. The 2,290 or so fans who braved the weather did not see the best football, but saw some comedic moments and a lot of rough play throughout. James "Tec" White scored early as he was able to net the first within 6 minutes. Jimmy Kelly scored in the second half from long range as Bill McPherson laid a pass off to him and Kelly hammered it home. George Graham scored the last goal after dribbling past some of New York's defense and beating their keeper. Some key moments were recorded by the reporter in the "Between Fouls" section of the article and are worth the read in the photos. The win kept the Marksmen in second place behind New Bedford.
Article and photos courtesy of the Fall River Herald.
Fall River Marksmen Fall River, Massachusetts HNNow

02/12/2025

On February 11th and 12th, in 1928, the Fall River Marksmen had a doubleheader weekend with an away game at J&P Coats in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The Fall River Marksmen then came back home and hosted Bethlehem Steel at Mark's Stadium the following day. The Marksmen had been hampered by injuries coming up that weekend and suffered another injury in the game against J&P Coats (Jimmy McAuley). James 'Tec" White, Bill McPherson, Dennis Doyle and Bob McCauley were all injured going into the weekend but played either in one or both games. Jimmy Douglas was injured during the J&P Coats game and had to be replaced by Bill Harper. Bill came in and resumed the same play that Jimmy Douglas had been displaying up until his injury. The goaltending kept a Marksmen in the game and the Marksmen made sure they finished their chances as Dave McEachran, George Graham and James "Tec" White scored for a 3-1victory over the Threadmen. White's goal came from the penalty spot, but unfortunately he himself was injured and could not play the next day. The following day the Marksmen played a superior class of football against the Steel and again, Bill Harper came up big for the Marksmen, even though he had a lighter day of work then the day before. The score of 2-1 was truly misleading as 4,200 fans saw the Marksmen squander many opportunities that they had created throughout the day, but Tewfik "Happy" Abdullah and Bill McPherson scored the goals to secure the win. Bill McPherson was also one of the reasons why Bill Harper had a lighter day as he was truly in charge of the defense and handled a lot of the Bethlehem attacks throughout the game. These two victories kept the Fall River Marksmen playoff hopes alive as this was the first year that the ASL had introduced playoffs for the end of the season.The ASL decided to play a split season and the top two teams from each half played in a two legged semifinal and then final. The Marksmen had finished in 5th fling the first half of the season.
Article courtesy of the Fall River Herald.
Fall River Marksmen Fall River, Massachusetts Pawtucket, Rhode Island Bethlehem, Pennsylvania HNNow