October 4th (1949)

Oct. 4, 1949: The four teams in the professional St. Louis Major Soccer League decide to return to the U.S Open Cup tournament after sitting out the 1948-49 season. “Thus ends, superficially at least, a rift that worked considerable damage to both the local leagues and the national organization (the U.S. Soccer Football Association),” future U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame journalist Dent McSkimming writes in the Oct. 4 St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “When St. Louis teams are a factor in the national Cup competition, gate receipts soar.” St. Louis teams also are strong contenders for the championship. Joe Simpkins Ford won the Open Cup in 1948, and will win again in 1950.