Fall River Marksmen @ Ferencvárosi TC 08/31/1930 IN COLOR

In August of 1930, with the first World Cup concluded and the American "Soccer War" over but still in the rear view mirror, the Fall River Marksmen embarked on a pre-season tour of Europe, arranged by Ferencvárosi TC of Hungary

Owner Sam Mark requested the return of this two scoring stars--Billy Gonsalves and Bert Patenaude--from U.S. National Team duty. However, both were committed to a post-tournament South American tour. As a result, Mark was forced to supplement his roster with two guests: Archie Stark, late of Bethlehem Steel and scorer of 67 goals in 44 games in 1924-25 and now with Newark Americans; and ex-Leeds United forward Jerry Best, who had had a cup of coffee with the Marksmen the previous season before moving on to New Bedford Whalers.

Otherwise, the Marksmen could count on the players who won them 1930 Atlantic Coast League (a sloppy merger of the two competing leagues in the "Soccer War," the well-established-but-then-"outlawed" American Soccer League and the new-but-USFA-sanctioned Eastern Soccer League) while playing seven fewer games than their closest challenger: goalkeeper Bill Harper, and future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famers ex-Scotland international Alex McNab and Werner Nilsen.

The tour was problematic for the Marksmen from the start. Manager Fred Quinn reported that the team had been treated "shamefully" by the Hungarian club hosting the tour, both financially and on the field. As the the former--although guaranteed 50% of the gate receipts, Fall River saw not a dime during the tour. Mark lost about $2500 on the tour--or about $39,000 in 2020 dollars. Mark sued the Hungarians; they, in turn, sued Fall River, claiming the absence of Patenaude and Gonsalves meant the Marksmen had come over with a "substitute" team

Somewhat ironically, the last game of the tour was against the erstwhile hosts, who defeated a dispirited and dinsinterested Fall River side rather handily

Results from the tour:

8/20 Fall River 2, Slavia Prague 2 (att: 18,000 in Prague, Czechoslovakia)
8/23 Wiener A. C. 6, Fall River 0 (att: 10,000 in Vienna, Austria)
8/24 Fall River 3, Austria Vienna 1 (att: 6,000 in Vienna, Austria)
8/28 Slavia Prague 4, Fall River 0 (att: 8,000 in Prague, Czechoslovakia)
8/30 Fall River 3, SK Bratislava 2 (in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia)
8/31 Ferencvaros 6, Fall River 2 (in Budapest, Hungary)

Footage courtesy of Film Hiradok, Hungary. Presented here IN COLOR for the first time