Showing posts with label W.R. Cummings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label W.R. Cummings. Show all posts

Sunday, 15 January 2017

''The year America won through to the semi-finals'' - Glasgow Herald, 2 June 1982 (Google newspapers)


This is an article from the Glasgow Herald, 2 June 1982, p7 (click on title), from google newspapers about the US teams journey to the World Cup semi-finals in the first World Cup and is based on the World Cup report written by the US team manager Wilfred R. Cummings that was submitted to the United States Football Association (USFA) in 1931.

Friday, 4 September 2015

Bert Patenaude and the First World Cup Hat-trick - Part Two

I have always wondered why it took so long for Bert Patenaude to be credited with the first World Cup hat-trick, and for further background information please see the first article I wrote below in the link provided.

The question for me was why didn't the governing body of soccer in the United States petition Fifa to give Patenaude recognition, after all they had the Official report written by the US team manager Wilfred Cummings, who was present and witnessed the event and recorded it as it happened?

And why did it take Fifa 86 years to give Patenaude credit?

Part of the reason may lie in the fact the United States Football Association (USFA) lost the official record (Cummings report) when they moved their headquarters ''from their humble beginnings - a room above the Cornish Arms, an ex-patriart bar in downtown New York...'' to the Empire State building (Glasgow Herald, 2 June 1982) . However, that report would resurface via Mrs Meg Auld, the widow of Andy Auld, who was part of the US team, in 1982 when she gave the copy to the soccer governing body.

Also, knowledge of Patenaude's hat-trick had been published in print, some four years earlier in a book  titled All About Soccer by Jared Lebow (see link below) On page 53 of the book published in 1978, he notes that Patenaude scored all three goals against Paraguay.

And then in 1990 the Los Angeles Times (14 June 1990) wrote an article which recorded the American forwards three goal accomplishment after it interviewed Patenaude's team-mates, Arnie Oliver and and James Brown, as the United States were preparing to play in their first World Cup in forty years in Italy.

It would take the research of historian and journalist, Colin Jose, to pick up the baton and send his evidence to Fifa in April 1995. Why it would take Fifa another eleven years for its ''external'' specialists to finally give acknowledgement is rather baffling.

My previous article on Patenaude, had shown that there was more evidence to support the claim to the first World Cup hat-trick and recently I have found another article in a Brazilian newspaper, Diario Nacional, that adds even more weight, making it five contemporary newspaper reports that recorded the US strikers achievement.

Diario Nacional, 18 July 1930.





The first article on Bert Patenaude.
http://worldcup1930project.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/bert-patenaude-and-first-world-cup-hat.html

All About Soccer by Jared Lebow
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gjRLurbI6oMC&q=bert+patenaude+usa+hattrick&dq=bert+patenaude+usa+hattrick&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBTgKahUKEwiL0f2-h9zHAhWtF9sKHQKAC78

Monday, 31 August 2015

The United States' 1930 Post-World Cup friendly against Brazil - Part One

This is the first of a series of articles that will chronicle the Rio de Janeiro press coverage of the friendly international between Brazil and the United States that was played on the 17 August 1930. Although not directly related to the 1930 World Cup, I hope that it will enrich your knowledge of the two nations that played in Montevideo, Uruguay. It will deal with articles that previewed the game as well as match reports and photographs of those involved and the action on the field.

After the United States lost 6-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final they played a series of friendlies before they returned to the US. Before they set sail for Brazil, they played twice in Montevideo, losing both to Nacional (2-1) and Penarol (4-1). Before they played the Brazilian national team, they had arrived in Santos and drew with Santos F.C. 3-3 on August 9th and then the next day in Sao Paulo they lost 5-3 to Sao Paulo F.C. The Americans were scheduled to play Botafogo F.C. on August 19th.

After their shock World Cup elimination to Yugoslavia, the Brazilians had organized three friendlies that included the US. On August 1st, they had defeated France 3-2, and then got some measure of revenge against Yugoslavia, 4-1, on August 10th.



The article above is from Diario da Noite, 15 August 1930. It informs it readers that the Americans, scheduled to play at Fluminense Stadium, on Sunday, were a team that plays football ''very unlike our own'', characterized by long wide passes. They play safe and even, they are a ''machine without alternatives''. When facing stronger opponents they may not be able to keep to the same rhythmic style in their play. They ''[a]re physically fit individuals'' who ''fight without discouragement and sustain the struggle throughout the fray.''

The article also notes their strong performances at the World Cup. Their victories over Belgium and Paraguay, both by 3-0, were well deserved according to local journalists, but they eventually ''succumbed to the powerful Argentine squad''.

The referee for the match will be Sr. Carlos Martins da Rocha, ''specially invited by Botafogo F.C.''. He was considered to be ''one of the best referees in Rio''.

The organizers of the match had discussed how to encourage those in the American colony in Rio, who were interested in attending the match, to buy their tickets in advance in order to get the best seats.

The article also list the provisional squad for the match selected by the Brazilian sports federation, the CBD:

Joel de Oliveira, Luiz Gervazoni, Jose Luis de Oliveira, Newton Barbosa, Alfredo de Almeida Rego, Carlos de Carvalho Leite, Joao Coelho NettoTheophilo Bethencourt Perreira, Oswaldo de Barros Velloso, Antonio Ariza FilhoBenedicto Menezes, Nilo Murtinho Braga, Angenor Machado e Octacilo Pinheiro Guerra; Martin Mercio Silveira, Humberto de Araujo.

(It should be noted that the spelling of names differ from newspaper to newspaper)



The Americans pose for the Diario da Noite photographer in the lobby of their hotel in Sao Paulo. It is hard to determine the identity of many of the players in the grainy image. Bert Patenaude is on the right of the picture (sitting). Andy Auld is the first one on the left (sitting) and Bart McGhee is third from right (standing). Bob Millar is third from left (standing).


This photo shows Elmer Schroeder (left, sitting) and W. R. Cummings (middle, sitting), composing a greeting note to be published by Diario da Noite (displayed below).


Both images above were published in Diario da Noite, 16 August 1930
This is a transcript of the greeting note above, however, I was unable to decipher all but two words which are indicated by brackets, and if anyone knows what they read please leave a comment below.
UPDATE: Thanks to James Brown, grandson of US 1930 World Cup player, Jim Brown, for helping to decipher the text below.

To ''Diario da Noite'' of Rio,

The football delegation of North America look forward with great pleasure to [their] [visit] in Rio de Janeiro. We hope our games here will strengthen the bonds of friendship which already exist between Brazil and the United States of North America. We take this opportunity to thank the people of Brazil for the great kindness and many courtesies which have already been extended to us since we have been in this great South American Republic. We know we will be able to leave behind us as good an impression of South America as we carry away with us of the people of Brazil.

UNITED STATES FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
W. R. Cummings and Elmer Schroeder (signatures)

8/11/30