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.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Shamrocks, one of the city’s major teams of the mid-1880s, win two games on Jan. 30.

The St. Louis Globe-Democrat reports “a splendid gathering . . . notwithstanding the cold weather” for a football match at Sportsman’s Park the day before between the Hornets and “Capt. Mike Walsh’s eleven.” The Hornets have only nine players and lose, 1-0.

Taylor Twellman scores the ninth hat trick in U.S. Men’s National Team history in the USA’s 5-0 win over Norway in an international friendly. Nevertheless, U.S. coach Bruce Arena will leave Twellman off the USA’s 2006 World Cup roster.

Nebo Bandovic scores his second goal of the game at 1:55 of overtime to give the St. Louis Steamers a 6-5 exhibition win over Dynamo Moscow before 6,466 fans at The Arena.

In a game matching goalkeepers from St. Louis, Ed Gettemeier (pictured) doesn’t allow a goal for the first 40:50 as the St. Louis Steamers defeat the New York Cosmos 4-2. The losing goalkeeper is St. Louisan and U.S. National Teamer David Brcic.

The St. Louis Storm lose 8-6 on the road to the Tacoma Stars despite 3 goals from prolific scorer Thompson Usiyan (pictured) and a goal and 2 assists from future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Preki.

Local newspapers report that the Diels have climbed into a first-place tie with the Cycling Club in the Association Foot-Ball League by virtue of a 2-1 win over the Cycling Club the previous day at Sportsman’s Park (lineups shown from St. Louis Globe-Democrat).