An Early American Soccer Dynasty: Paterson True Blues

Silk weaving immigrants from Macclesfield, England made Paterson an early hotbed for the sport. Founded by Thomas Tuffnell in 1880, Paterson Football Club claimed to be the nation’s first. In 1923, Paterson FC won the National Challenge Cup – now known as the US Open Cup.
Later that year, the club moved across the Hudson River to compete in the American Soccer League as the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. But the league folded during the Great Depression in 1923, bringing an end to the first golden era of American soccer.