April 14 (1957)

Kutis earns rave reviews as it beats Hakoah of New York, 3-1, to capture the U.S. Open Cup in a two-game final decided on total goals. Kutis won the first game, 3-0, at Public Schools Stadium in St. Louis on March 31. Future U.S Soccer Hall of Fame journalist Dent McSkimming, known for his balanced and sometimes blunt game stories, is at the Zerega Oval, Hakoah’s home field in New York, and will write in the next day’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “The all-St. Louis born Kutis team proved itself superior in all phases of the game.” Hakoah’s captain and future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer, Lloyd Monsen, tells McSkimming that Hakoah lost to “a far better team.” Kutis puts a dagger in Hakoah’s heart 20 minutes into the match when future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Bill Looby scores on a shot that will be described by McSkimming as “placed perfectly in the lower left goal corner.” The goal breaks a scoreless tie, but more importantly, puts Kutis up 4-0 on aggregate. Although playing without defensive stalwart Herman Wecke, who could not get off work to make the trip, Kutis cruises to a 3-0 lead on goals by Rich Meisemann and Bob Rooney. Hakoah’s lone goal comes on Monsen’s penalty kick late in the game. Future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Harry Keough plays “a near-faultless game at center halfback,” McSkimming will write. The 1957 Kutis team, one of the best in St. Louis soccer history, will go on to win the U.S. Amateur Cup, making Kutis the last team to win both cups in the same year.