Thought people might be interested in this article about soccer in Minnesota from 1888-1917. Soccer football in Minnesota Written in 1917 by William P. Brenigan, Secretary, Minnesota Soccer Association, Inc. Soccer football in Minnesota feels the impetus and will derive some of the benefits of being in the national organization. Today our players and spectators realize that the game will not be any more a local one, seeing we have become affiliated with the United States Football Association. Before the inception of the U.S.F.A., we knew very little about actual soccer conditions in any other city or State than our own. Located pretty far West, we were going ahead with our local boosting, without any ideal of what, if any, real benefit we were doing the game. The game in I Minnesota started, as in other States, through a number of old country boys getting together. Their inbred love of the game soon started them kicking a ball around. Later they formed Into "sides," and from sides to teams. The game has been played for twenty-nine years in Minnesota. The Shaw Cup which still is being played for, dates back to 1888, the Thistle F.C. being first to have its name inscribed on it. The cup the last three years has been won by the Thistle club which has been in existence ten years, but has no connection with the old Thistles who played in the city when the game was in its infancy... (continued at http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/minnesota.html)