St. Louis Simpkins-Ford

St. Louis Simpkins-Ford (also known as Simpkins) was a U.S. amateur soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri from 1947 to 1956. It won three league championships and the 1948 and 1950 National Challenge Cups, and lost in the finals of the 1954 National Amateur Cup. Five members of the U.S. team at the 1950 FIFA World Cup came from Simpkins.

In 1947, a St. Louis amateur soccer team sponsored by Carrenti Cleaners changed sponsorship to the Joe Simpkins Ford Auto dealership. Renamed St. Louis Simpkins-Ford, the team entered the new St. Louis Major League in 1948. The team revamped its roster, bringing in several top St. Louis players. Five of them, Robert Annis, Gino Pariani, Charlie Colombo, Frank Borghi and Frank Wallace, were on the U.S. team which competed at the 1950 World Cup.

Despite its outstanding roster, Simpkins struggled in its first season in the St. Louis Major League. The League featured only four teams, De Andreis, St. Louis Raiders, Steamfitters and Simpkins. Simpkins finished third with eleven points and a 4-5-3 record. While it struggled in league play, it dominated the National Challenge Cup winning the title with a 3-2 victory over the professional New York Brookhattan of the American Soccer League (ASL).^[1]

In 1949, Simpkins improved on its finish the previous season when it ended in second place. This year the team placed three players on the national team at the 1949 NAFC Championship.^[2]

In 1950, Simpkins took both the league title and the National Challenge Cup. While most National Cups have been decided in a single game, this year the organizers opted for a home and away series. On April 22, 1950, Simpkins defeated Fall River Ponta Delgada 2-0. The second leg, held on May 7, 1950, ended in a 1-1 tie with Simpkins taking the title on aggregate. It was this year that Simpkins contributed five of its players to the U.S. team at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. In that tournament, the U.S. went 1-2, but its victory was the greatest upset of World Cup history as the U.S. defeated heavy favorites England.

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