The Steamers trade Don Ebert and Steve Pecher to the Los Angeles Lazers for Poli Garcia and rookie defender Jim Kavanaugh (pictured while at St. Louis University). Kavanaugh will retire after the 1987-88 season, become a leading business executive, and, together with the Taylor family, will bring an MLS soccer franchise to St. Louis in 2019.

Lindsay Kennedy Eversmeyer plays her first game for the St. Louis Steamers before 13,798 fans at the Scottrade Center in a 7-3 loss to the Milwaukee Wave. Her appearance during the last minute of the match is believed to be only the fourth time that a woman has played in a men’s professional indoor game.

Future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Frank Vaughn is born. Vaughn will become a standout fullback in the professional St. Louis League with the Ben Millers and will be named to the U.S. team for the first World Cup in 1930.

The St. Louis Storm lose 6-5 on the road to the San Diego Sockers despite two goals and an assist from future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer and Indoor Soccer Hall of Famer Predrag Radosavljević, better known as Preki.

Alyssa Mautz, one of the top women’s players in the history of St. Louis soccer, scores for Perth Glory against Sydney in the Australian W League final.

St. Louis-based Centene Corp. signs “one of the biggest naming rights agreements in MLS:” a 15-year stadium naming rights deal with St. Louis City Soccer Club said to total at least $75 million.

A St. Louisan stars at the Arena, but not for the Steamers. David Brcic, a former U.S. National Teamer, stuns the Steamers with an exceptional goalkeeping performance in preserving a 4-3 win for the Pittsburgh Spirit before 8,960 fans.

In an indoor exhibition game that will influence the history of soccer in the United States, the Moscow Red Army team defeats the St. Louis Stars of the NASL 11-4 before 12,241 fans at the Arena. St. Louisan Denny Vaninger scores all of the Stars’ goals.

Don Ebert, one of the most prolific scorers in St. Louis indoor soccer history, strikes 11:50 into sudden death to give the St. Louis Steamers a 4-3 win over the Tacoma Stars before 11,891 fans at the Arena.

The MISL All-Star game at Madison Square Garden in New York is heavily influenced by St. Louis soccer. St. Louis Steamers’ players have major roles in the Western Division’s 8-5 win over the East.

The Raftery Painters, one of the top teams in St. Louis during and just after World War II, score twice in the final six minutes to defeat the Natural Set-Ups 2-1 in a first-round game in the National Challenge Cup (today’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup) at Fairground Park. The match is a replay of a Jan. 5 game in which a post-match protest by the Natural Set-Ups overturns a 3-2 Raftery’s win.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Blue Bells of East St. Louis have won the city soccer championship with a 13-1-1 record. The team is comprised mostly of Scottish railroad workers.

Perry Van Der Beck scores for the United States in a 1-1 draw against Switzerland in Tampa, Fla. The 25-year-old midfielder from St. Louis will be named the U.S. Male Soccer Athlete of the Year in 1985.

Future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Al Trost is born. He will become one of the greatest midfielders in St. Louis soccer history.

Future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Raphael “Ralph” Tracey is born. Tracey, a midfielder, will spend his entire club career in St. Louis with Ben Miller and Vesper Buick, and will play in the 1930 World Cup.

The long-awaited debut of future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Billy Gonsalves with Stix, Baer & Fuller is finally expected to take place in a St. Louis League match against the Andersons at Sportsman’s Park. His arrival is one of the hottest sports stories in St. Louis during the first two months of the year.

Future Indoor Soccer Hall of Famer David Doyle ends a scoring slump in a big way by netting six goals for the St. Louis Ambush in a 21-17 victory over the Milwaukee Wave before 5,973 fans at the St. Louis Arena.

The U.S. Soccer Football Association strips the 1945 U.S. Junior Cup championship from Schumachers of St. Louis for using senior players in the semifinals and finals.

While St. Louis digs out of a 14-inch snowstorm that buried the city on the night of Jan. 30-31, Greg Villa (pictured, left) and Sam Bick (right) help the Steamers win, 7-4, in Philadelphia. The victory runs the Steamers’ record to an MISL-best 17-3.

MLS expansion franchise St. Louis City signs its first player, 23-year-old Bosnian left back Selmir Pidro.