# 1924–25 National Challenge Cup

The 1924–25 National Challenge Cup was the annual open cup held by the United States Football Association now known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

## History

Teams from the American Soccer League and St. Louis Soccer League had won the previous several Challenge Cups, but dissatisfaction with the financial arrangements led the two leagues to boycott this year's cup. While the United States Football Association gained its operating income from annual dues by member teams, most of its income came from its annual challenge cup. On the other hand, the owners of the top professional teams saw the challenge cup as a money losing competition as they were forced to play obscure amateur teams which tended to have smaller crowds and therefore gate receipts. After USFA took its cut, the amount distributed to the teams frequently did not cover the travel expenses. Therefore, the SLSL proposed, and the ASL agreed to, the creation of an American Professional Soccer Championship. That game series took place in April 1925 at University Field in St. Louis, Missouri. Over the three games, the Boston Soccer Club defeated the Ben Millers in front of an average crowd of over 10,000 spectators per game. In contrast, the National Challenge Cup final between the Shawsheen Indians and Chicago Canadian Club, played at the usually high drawing Mark's Stadium, saw only 2,500 spectators, down from the 18,000 who watched the 1924 final. At a May 1925 meeting, USFA agreed to reduce their percentage of the gate receipts from 33.3% to 15%. This diffused the ASL and SLSL hostility to the challenge cup leading to their re-entering the competition for 1926.

## Eastern Division

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| Shawsheen Indians | w/o | | | | | | |
| Shawsheen Indians | w/o | February 28 - Andover | February 28 - Andover | | | | | |
| Arlington Mills | | February 28 - Andover | February 28 - Andover | | | | |
| Arlington Mills | | Shawsheen Indians | 4 | | | | |
| February 22 - Rochester | February 22 - Rochester | | Shawsheen Indians | 4 | | | | |
| February 22 - Rochester | February 22 - Rochester | Whittal F.C. | 1 | | | | |
| Moose F.C. | 2 | Whittal F.C. | 1 | | | | |
| Moose F.C. | 2 | | | | March 21 - Boston | March 21 - Boston | | |
| Whittal F.C. | 5 | | | | March 21 - Boston | March 21 - Boston | |
| Whittal F.C. | 5 | | | | Shawsheen Indians | 2 | |
| February 14 - Philadelphia | February 14 - Philadelphia | | | | | Shawsheen Indians | 2 | |
| February 14 - Philadelphia | February 14 - Philadelphia | | | | Bayonne F.C. | 0 | |
| Lighthouse Blue Sox | 2 | | | | Bayonne F.C. | 0 | |
| Lighthouse Blue Sox | 2 | March 1 - Jersey City | March 1 - Jersey City | | | | | |
| Bayonne F.C. | 3 | March 1 - Jersey City | March 1 - Jersey City | | | | |
| Bayonne F.C. | 3 | Bayonne F.C. | 1 | | | | |
| February 22 - Bridgeport | February 22 - Bridgeport | | Bayonne F.C. | 1 | | | | |
| February 22 - Bridgeport | February 22 - Bridgeport | Lexington F.C. | 0 | | | | |
| Clan Campbell | 1 | Lexington F.C. | 0 | | | | |
| Clan Campbell | 1 | | | | | | | April 4 - Andover | April 4 - Andover |
| Lexington F.C. | 3 | | | | | | | April 4 - Andover | April 4 - Andover |
| Lexington F.C. | 3 | | | | | | | Shawsheen Indians | 2 |
| February 14 - Quincy | February 14 - Quincy | | | | | | | | Shawsheen Indians | 2 |
| February 14 - Quincy | February 14 - Quincy | | | | | | | Abbot Worsted | 1 |
| Fore River F.C. | 0 | | | | | | | Abbot Worsted | 1 |
| Abbot Worsted | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Abbot Worsted | 2 | Abbot Worsted | w/o | | | | | | |
| | | Waypoyset F.C. | | | | | | | |
| Waypoyset F.C. | w/o | Waypoyset F.C. | | | | | | | |
| Waypoyset F.C. | w/o | | | | March 21 - New Bedford | March 21 - New Bedford | | | | |
| Boston United | | | | | March 21 - New Bedford | March 21 - New Bedford | | | |
| Boston United | | | | | Abbot Worsted | 3 | | | |
| February 22 - Ansonia | February 22 - Ansonia | | | | | Abbot Worsted | 3 | | | |
| February 22 - Ansonia | February 22 - Ansonia | | | | Sayles Finishing Plant | 2 | |
| Ansonia F.C. | 4 | | | | Sayles Finishing Plant | 2 | |
| Ansonia F.C. | 4 | March 1,14 | March 1,14 | | | | | |
| Manchester | 1 | March 1,14 | March 1,14 | | | | |
| Manchester | 1 | Ansonia F.C. | 0-2 | | | | |
| February 14 - Pawtucket | February 14 - Pawtucket | | Ansonia F.C. | 0-2 | | | | |
| February 14 - Pawtucket | February 14 - Pawtucket | Sayles Finishing Plant | 3-9 | | | | |
| Sayles Finishing Plant | 3 | Sayles Finishing Plant | 3-9 | | | | |
| Lorraine Manufacturing Co | 2 | | | | | | |

## Western Division

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| January 25 - Chicago | January 25 - Chicago | | | | | | |
| Chicago Canadian Club | 3 | | | | | | |
| Chicago Canadian Club | 3 | February 15 - Chicago | February 15 - Chicago | | | | | |
| Gillespie S.C. | 0 | February 15 - Chicago | February 15 - Chicago | | | | |
| Gillespie S.C. | 0 | Canadian Club | 2 | | | | |
| February 8 - Chicago | February 8 - Chicago | | Canadian Club | 2 | | | | |
| February 8 - Chicago | February 8 - Chicago | Pullman F.C. | 1 | | | | |
| Pullman F.C. | 4 | Pullman F.C. | 1 | | | | |
| Pullman F.C. | 4 | | | | Mar 1,8,15 - Chicago | Mar 1,8,15 - Chicago | | |
| Sparta ABA | 1 | | | | Mar 1,8,15 - Chicago | Mar 1,8,15 - Chicago | |
| Sparta ABA | 1 | | | | Canadian Club | 3$^a$ | |
| February 8 - Chicago | February 8 - Chicago | | | | | Canadian Club | 3$^a$ | |
| February 8 - Chicago | February 8 - Chicago | | | | Harvey F.C. | 2 | |
| Bricklayers and Masons | 0 | | | | Harvey F.C. | 2 | |
| Bricklayers and Masons | 0 | February 15 - Chicago | February 15 - Chicago | | | | | |
| Olympia F.C. | 2 | February 15 - Chicago | February 15 - Chicago | | | | |
| Olympia F.C. | 2 | Olympia F.C. | 0 | | | | |
| January 18 - Chicago | January 18 - Chicago | | Olympia F.C. | 0 | | | | |
| January 18 - Chicago | January 18 - Chicago | Harvey F.C. | 2 | | | | |
| Harvey F.C. | 3 | Harvey F.C. | 2 | | | | |
| Harvey F.C. | 3 | | | | | | | March 22 - Chicago | March 22 - Chicago |
| North Shore F.C. | 0 | | | | | | | March 22 - Chicago | March 22 - Chicago |
| North Shore F.C. | 0 | | | | | | | Canadian Club | 2 |
| January 25 - Cleveland | January 25 - Cleveland | | | | | | | | Canadian Club | 2 |
| January 25 - Cleveland | January 25 - Cleveland | | | | | | | Cleveland Thistles | 1 |
| Cleveland Thistles | 5 | | | | | | | Cleveland Thistles | 1 |
| Cleveland Thistles | 5 | February 8 - Cleveland | February 8 - Cleveland | | | | | | |
| British War Veterans | 0 | February 8 - Cleveland | February 8 - Cleveland | | | | | | |
| British War Veterans | 0 | Cleveland Thistles | 2 | | | | | | |
| January 18 - Akron | January 18 - Akron | | Cleveland Thistles | 2 | | | | | | |
| January 18 - Akron | January 18 - Akron | Goodyear F.C. | 0 | | | | | | |
| Goodyear F.C. | 5 | Goodyear F.C. | 0 | | | | | | |
| Goodyear F.C. | 5 | | | | March 1 - Cleveland | March 1 - Cleveland | | | | |
| Mahoning Valley | 1 | | | | March 1 - Cleveland | March 1 - Cleveland | | | |
| Mahoning Valley | 1 | | | | Cleveland Thistles | 3 | | | |
| January 17 - Vestaburg | January 17 - Vestaburg | | | | | Cleveland Thistles | 3 | | | |
| January 17 - Vestaburg | January 17 - Vestaburg | | | | Vestaburg SC | 2 | |
| Vestaburg SC | 6 | | | | Vestaburg SC | 2 | |
| Vestaburg SC | 6 | February 15 - Charleroi | February 15 - Charleroi | | | | | |
| Jeannette F.C. | 2 | February 15 - Charleroi | February 15 - Charleroi | | | | |
| Jeannette F.C. | 2 | Vestaburg SC | 2 | | | | |
| February 8 - Toledo | February 8 - Toledo | | Vestaburg SC | 2 | | | | |
| February 8 - Toledo | February 8 - Toledo | Toledo S.C. | 1 | | | | |
| Toledo S.C. | 2 | Toledo S.C. | 1 | | | | |
| Gar Wood SC | 1 | | | | | | |
a) aggregate after 3 games