The U.S. Open Cup, which was initially called the National Challenge Cup, made its debut on the American sporting landscape in 1914. The final was held on May 14, and it was an all Brooklyn affair as Brooklyn Field Club beat Brooklyn Celtic 2-1 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, making Brooklyn Field Club the first team to ever hoist the Dewar Cup. The Dewar Cup got its name from Sir Thomas Dewar, of Dewar’s whiskey fame, and was finally retired in 1979. The Dewar Cup currently resides at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York.
During the Cup’s early years, football was most prominent on the East Coast, especially in the urban centers with large immigrant populations; therefore, it’s not surprising that many of the early Cup winners came from the East Coast. In 1915, Brooklyn Celtic returned to the Cup final, but lost to Bethlehem Steel, 3-1. Bethlehem Steel, one of the most storied clubs of football in the States, went on to win the Cup in 1916, 1918, 1919, and 1926, making Bethlehem Steel the first team to ever win 5 cups. The only other team to win the Cup 5 times was Maccabee Los Angeles. Those victories came in 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, and 1981.
While the East Coast was a stronghold of football in America, so was St. Louis, and it was only a matter of time before St. Louis teams started throwing their weight around in the Cup. In 1920, the St. Louis Ben Millers beat Fore River 2-1. Teams from St. Louis would again win the Cup in 1922, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1948, 1950, 1957, and 1988.
Special recognition needs to be given to Greek American AA, the only team to ever win three Cups in a row, that achievement occurred between 1967 and 1969, plus another cup victory in 1974.
No NASL team ever won the Cup, but since 1996, all the Cups have been won by MLS teams, except in 1999 when the Rochester Ragin’ Rhinos beat the Colorado Rapids 2-0. The current Cup holder is DC United, but the 2009 Cup competition is underway and we’ll see if an MLS side will once again prevail.
