New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
Merchant Ship
Football Club
To Tour West
National Champions Near
Conquerors Plan Holiday
Games i'm Several Cities
By c. A. L,ovett

ouSL When IL becomes increasingly
apparent that the expedition of the
Bethlehem Steel Football Club, ma
tional soccer champions, to the Pacific
Coast st the holiday season will 10
,nateriaiizc for various reasons. an
eleven held to be even more puissant
than the Schwab combination comes to
the front with plan for an invasion
Of the Central States at the Yuletde
President W. T.Wilson Of the Merchau,
Shipbuilding Corporation Football Club
announced az Hartman, Penn. yester-
day that Merchant Ship Team 4
for Christmas and New Years Dav
games. with stopovers either going OF
returning, for exhibition matches "a
Detroit and Cleveland or Akron.
According to the clubs tentative
schedule, the shipbuilders will clash
with the leading team of the crack St
Louis professional league, which may
be either the Innisfails or the thrice
champion Ben Millers, who visited the
East a season or two back, at Robin
son Field, the home of the ST. Louis
Cardinals, on Sunday, December %
The club will remain for q Christmas
game against the pick OF the profes-
sional elevens OF the Missouri metrop-
oils and proceed TO Chicago for
matches on Saturday, December 2s
and the next day. One of the Chicago
games will be against an All Chicago
aggregation. Detroit is favored for
the New Years Day game, and the
Saturday and Sunday following may
lind the Pennsylvanians N either Cleve
land or Akron, or dividing the dates
between the two Ohio cities.
Almost Beat Champions
Tommy Swords. one of the leading
forwards Of the United States and for
Rovers, runners-up in the national
championships, which required two
"fnal" games to settle the title last
season. was a member of Merchant
Team A when it crashed into the steel
makers in the second round of the ns
tional challenge cup competition a.
Schwab Field. Bethlehem, three weeks
ago. 1t is we'll know that Bethlehem is
practically unbeatable, but the ship
workers had the champions tied at 3
goals all at the end of the second
period, and it required thirty minutes
OF extra play for Bethlehem to triumph
the indomitable Tommy Fleming.
Swords. who also captained the tirst
international eleven from the United
States, which, under the splendid
management Of Thomas Woolsey Cahill
United States Football Association
secretary. cleaned up in Norway and
Sweden in the summer of 1916. was re-
leased by Merchant T. c. ten davs ago
20 return to his home in Fall River.
but it is expected he will be resigned
for the excursion into the Middle West.
~ \
Bethlehem, Merchant Team A has
been greatly strengthened by the lift
ing of Thomas McGreevy's suspension
the old Brooklyn Celtic star should
fit in we'll against the dashing Middle
esterners-and by the engaging of q
pair of stars only recently arrived from
overseas.
st. Louis Bears Watching
The matches in 81. Louis viii be e.
peclaily interesting from the view
point of the Eastern footballer. for tho
reason thAt the st. Louis professionals
nave laid claim TO the national It'll
1or several seasons past, without. how
Yer, having entered for geoersphical
reasons, the lists for the national chsi
lenge cup.
Bethlehem, then three time chan
pion OF the United States. breezed in+o
st. Louis two seasons apo at the vea,
end holidays and WAS defeated in ~
exhibition game with the pick Of s.
LOUIS boosters and tied by the Be-
;Mlllers, then leading the professional
league.
1t was the dashing. pell-mell stvle
OF attack -- distinctly American and
rapidly growing in favor in Scand
navia, s we'll as in the oldest soccel
circles in this country-that overcame
the precise. machine-like plav Of the
wearers of the crown The Mer
chant Ship team going West is built
more on the lines of the st. Loui.
clubs, and is conceded by many experts
OF the game 10 b superior to Beth
lehem to-day.
Merchant Ship Team B is By no
no means slothful. 1t handily dispose
OF rlval shlpyard eleven in the frs
round OF the national championship.
and, while beaten. 2-1, by Federal Shin
A. \. +. c. on December at Eas;
Newark, woa protest based on
weird decision by Referee William
russell, Of Newark. Russell claimed
ne stopped play accidentally by cough
ing into his whistle in the penait,
area when the Pennsylvanians wcrc
about to score. The relay is sched
rled for December % with A new ref
cree George Caldicott, of Woodhaycn
l.. lin charge, but will be played on
grounds other than Clark Field. il i
expected.