Boston Chinese and Irish-American Soccer Teams Battle in 1918

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A newly formed and undefeated Boston Chinese soccer team, comprised of collegiate players from Massachusetts colleges, met its first defeat on November 30, 1918 by the local Irish-American Soccer team.  The final score was 2-0.

At the time, soccer was a popular workingman’s sport and was popular in immigrant cities like New Bedford, Fall River, Lawrence, Quincy, Pawtucket, RI and Bridgeport, CT.


The Chinese Soccer team was formed in fall 1917, consisting of players from MIT, Boston University, Harvard and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, according to the Chinese Students Monthly in 1918.


Leading up to the match, local sports writers were predicting a tough battle that would favor the Chinese.

“Irish-Americans have their work cut out for them tomorrow when they tackle the Chinese soccer team.  The Irish-Americans will get the surprise of their lives if they expect to win easily,” warned Boston Globe sports reporter George M. Collins in his column Soccer Snaps.

“Captain Kwang of the Chinese soccer team of greater Boston is much pleased at the opportunity his team will have to play the Irish Americans at Sullivan Square Saturday," wrote Collins.  "This chap can play the game as it should be played and his teammates too, are ready to show their wares.”

The day of the game, the Globe reported.  “Irish-Americans took the measure of the crack Chinese soccer team, beating them two to nil.  The Chinese were without two star players.

“Starting against the wind, the Chinamen were first to threaten but the Irish Americans were not long in getting into their stride.  Shaw tested goalie Wei, but Wei was right on the spot.  Both teams had early chances to score, but the Irish-Americans carried the ball into Chinese territory and near the end of the half Shaw sent the ball past Wei after the goalkeeper slipped in saving a fast shot.

"On restarting, the Chinese team took the aggressive and rained shots in on top of Bowe, but he saved them all.

"The Chinese were all over the Irishmen at this time and only hard luck deprived them of scores.  Shaw got away and sent across a pretty pass which Len Roberts of Charlestown got with his head.  The ball struck the bar and Lennie got the rebound and beat Wei with a great goal. 

"After this, the Chinese again forced the play but were unable to score.  This was the first defeat of the year for the Chinese."

At the end of the 19th century, it was not unusual for Irish and Chinese in Boston to interact across social, cultural and religious lines.  According to scholar Sarah Deutsch in her book, Women and the City, there were many Chinese-Irish marriages because of the preponderance of single Chinese men who worked on the railroads and single Irish women working as domestics.  In the early  20th century, Chinese were reportedly crossing the bridge from Chinatown to South Boston to be converted to Catholicism, writes Michael Quinlin in his book, Irish Boston.

Read more about Boston's Irish history by visiting IrishHeritageTrail.com.

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