James Brown (December 31, 1908November 9, 1994) was a

Scottish American Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ameireaganaich Albannach''; sco, Scots-American) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scotch-Irish Americans, d ...

soccer player who played for the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team h ...

at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, scoring the only goal of the American team in their 6–1 semi-final loss to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. He began his career in the American Soccer League before moving to England and then Scotland. After retiring from playing, he coached at the youth, senior amateur, and professional levels. He was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986.

Youth

While born in Kilmarnock, Brown grew up in

Troon Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Troon has a port with freight services and a yacht marina. Up until January 2016, P&O ope ...

, and became an apprentice

riveter A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite to the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the rivet is placed in a punched o ...

at the Troon Shipyard when he was 13. In 1920, his father deserted the family and moved to the United States. In 1927, Brown left Scotland to search for his father, settling in

Westfield, New Jersey Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States, located southwest of Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 30,316,goalkeepers: Jock, earned a

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with

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and won the 1939 Scottish FA Cup with

Clyde F.C. Clyde Football Club is a Scottish semi-professional football club who play in Scottish League One. Formed in 1877 at the River Clyde in Glasgow, the club host their home matches at New Douglas Park, having played at Broadwood Stadium from 1994 ...

, while youngest brother Tom played professionally in England for

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

. Their uncle Alex Lambie (husband of their mother's sister) was an imposing professional center-half and captain of Partick Thistle in the 1920s.

Amateur career

Brown never played organized soccer in

as a youth. When he arrived in the United States, he joined the Plainfield Soccer Club scoring 4 goals in one game and then a 5th goal in the next match. Then he played with Bayonne Rovers, a local amateur team in the spring of 1928. They were a top team in the Northern New Jersey League and had playing for them, Henry Carroll, known as "Razzo", the 16 year old U.S. Olympic Team striker, who participated in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Brown, known in the local Bayonne Courier newspaper as "Red" or "Ginger", was the fiery thatched youngster who scored a goal in every match he played with Bayonne. In September 1928, he signed with the

Newark Skeeters The Newark Skeeters was an American soccer club based in Newark, New Jersey and was a member of the American Soccer League and the Eastern Soccer League. History In December 1924, Tom Adam, former manager of West Hudson A.A., became the manage ...

of the American Soccer League. However, the league suspended the Skeeters in September 1928 as part of the " Soccer War". Newark then joined two other suspended ASL teams and several others from the Southern New York Soccer Association to form the

Eastern Professional Soccer League Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

. Brown played 42 games and scored 12 goals with Newark in the ASL and the EPSL, or ESL as it was better known. In the middle of the season, James was listed as the 18th leading goalscorer, out of 18 players in the league. However, at the end of the season, he returned to the ASL when he signed with the New York Nationals, but only played one game and scored no goals.

National team

In 1930, Brown was called up to the U.S.national team as it prepared for the 1930 FIFA World Cup. At the time, national team requirements were less stringent and Brown was selected based on his father's, not his own, citizenship. Although, he was granted U.S. citizenship by mid-June 1930. Brown played all three U.S. games in the cup as the team went to the semifinals, scoring the only goal for the U.S. in the 89th minute against Argentina. Following their elimination, the U.S. played a series of exhibition games throughout South America against professional and regional teams in Uruguay and Brazil. Brown scored one goal in the last exhibition game against Botafogo F.C. in Brazil, a 4–3 loss that counted as a full international. Those were the only four

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

with the U.S. national team.

International goals

United States' goal tally first

Professional career

United States

In 1930, Brown became a professional with the New York Giants, scoring 13 goals in 26 appearances. Soon after, he was called up to the U.S. national team for the 1930 World Cup. On his return from Uruguay, he rejoined his team that was renamed the

New York Soccer Club New York Soccer Club ( Youth Soccer Team ) was the name of a New York soccer team that, in 1930, played briefly in the American Soccer League. In 1923, New York fur merchant Maurice Vandeweghe - the father and grandfather of later basketball stars ...

, where he scored 6 goals in 25 appearances. He then moved to the

Brooklyn Wanderers The Brooklyn Wanderers was a U.S. soccer team which was a founding member of the National Association Football League in the late nineteenth century. Later versions joined the original American Soccer League and the reorganized American Soccer Le ...

for the 1931 spring season with his old teammate, Razzo Carroll, where James scored 10 goals in 31 appearances. Brown moved to the

Newark Americans Newark Americans were a team in the first American Soccer League. They were founded in 1930, but folded following the spring 1932 season. Year-by-year Defunct soccer clubs in New Jersey American Soccer League (1921–1933) teams 1930 establ ...

in the fall 1931 season, but by this time the ASL was collapsing, and he played 13 games and scored 7 goals. Because of the decline in U.S. soccer, he decided to return to the UK in August 1932. James Brown lifespanwikiuse

England Based on his success in the U.S. both professionally and with the national team, several teams from both England and Scotland expressed an interest in signing Brown. In August 1932, as the Caledonia Cruise liner neared the dock, representatives from these teams awaited him. However, Scott Duncan, manager of Manchester United, took a tugboat out to the liner and signed Brown on board. Brown played from 1932 to 1934 with United, scoring 17 goals in 40 games, the second highest on the team. Notably, he scored directly from a corner kick in his first game against Grimsby Town within 90 seconds. While Brown scored regularly with United, he alienated the team management with his outspoken support for a players' union. On May 6, 1934, before United transferred Brown to Second Division Brentford for £300, he scored the only goal in the Manchester (Senior) Cup final match against cross-town rival, Manchester City, at Old Trafford, 1–0. Unfortunately, as with Manchester, his union sentiments quickly soured his relationship with the Brentford's team ownership. He made only one appearance for the first team, but scored 53 goals in 74 games for the reserves and won the 1934–35

London Challenge Cup The London Challenge Cup was a football tournament formerly organised by the London FA. It was first contested in 1908, and other than during the World Wars, was contested every season until 1974, when the tournament was disbanded. After a 16- ...

. In September 1936, newly promoted, First Division Brentford sent Brown to

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

for a transfer fee of 1,200 £. In his one season there, he played only four first team games, but scored twenty-one goals in thirty games for the reserves. In July 1937, Brown moved to the semi-professional

Guildford City Guildford City Football Club (formerly Guildford United and AFC Guildford) is a football club based in Guildford, Surrey, England. The club was established in 1921, folded in 1974 and was reformed in 1996. Guildford City play in the . Histo ...

of the Southern Football League for £750. Over his two seasons with Guildford City, Brown scored 148 goals in 150 games and helped the club win the Southern League title during the 1937–38 season. During the 1938/39 season, Brown recorded five Hat-Tricks and scored seven goals (six of them headers) in one game versus Exeter City. Guildford finished in second place, losing out on a second consecutive title by just one point. James had been sick and out of most of the play during the last month of the season. He was loaned out to Brentford's First Division team, to play center-half in the FA Cup match against Fulham, where he scored a goal. He left Guildford City at the end of the 1939/40 season, because of increasing cartilage problems. Guildford City suspended all League play in September 1940. He then moved north to finish his career with Scottish First Division club

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

, signing in November 1940 and played two matches with his brother John against Queen's Park in February and March 1941. In the February match with Clyde, just like his debut with Manchester United, Brown scored directly from a corner kick. He retired due to injuries soon after. Clyde finished in second place, only three points behind eventual champions Rangers during the 1940/41 season. James Brown Soccer Cartoons or Caricatures

James Brown Soccer Cartoons or Caricatures

Coaching career

In late 1948, he returned to the United States where he became the head coach of the Greenwich High School soccer team. In September 1949, James played one match in an attempted come-back with powerhouse Hispano, alongside a young goalie tending the sticks by the name of

Gene Olaff Eugene A. Olaff (September 23, 1920 – January 17, 2017) was an American soccer goalkeeper. He played in the National Soccer League of New York and the American Soccer League. Olaff also earned one cap with the United States in 1949. Prior ...

. Two years later, James joined several other men in forming the Connecticut State Amateur League as well as Greenport United. When his son,

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

began playing for Greenport, Brown joined him for two seasons as a player-coach. He then coached the

Brunswick School Brunswick School is a private, college-preparatory school for boys in Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1902 by George B. Carmichael. History Brunswick School was founded in 1902 by George B. Carmichael. The school is a ...

soccer team for twenty-two years and the Elizabeth Falcons of the American Soccer League from 1956 to 1958. Brown was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986, the Connecticut State Hall of Fame & New England Hall of Fame. His son

was inducted in 1995.

Personal life

Having retired from playing professionally in 1941, Brown resumed his trade as a riveter in the Troon Shipyard and then moved back to the U.S. to coach Varsity soccer and Riflery.

Honors

;Manchester United Reserves ;* Manchester (Senior) Cup Champions (1): 1933/1934 ;Brentford Reserves *

(1): 1934–35 ;Guildford City * Southern Football League (1): 1937–38 * Mayor of Aldershot Cup (1): 1939 * Surrey Combination Cup (2): 1938 – 1940 * Leading goalscorer 1937/1938 & 1938/1939 ;United States *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

: Third place,

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...

;Individual * National Soccer Hall of Fame: 1986 * Connecticut State Hall of Fame: 2000 * New England Hall of Fame: 2005

References

External links

Profile at the National Soccer Hall of Fame

CTSoccerHallofFame.org profile

NESoccerHall.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Jim 1908 births 1930 FIFA World Cup players 1994 deaths American soccer players United States men's international soccer players Scottish footballers American soccer coaches American Soccer League (1921–1933) players American Soccer League (1933–1983) coaches Brentford F.C. players Clyde F.C. wartime guest players Eastern Professional Soccer League (1928–29) players Guildford City F.C. players Manchester United F.C. players National Soccer Hall of Fame members New York Giants (soccer, 1930–1932) players New York Nationals (ASL) players Newark Americans players Newark Skeeters players Footballers from Kilmarnock Footballers from South Ayrshire People from Troon Scottish emigrants to the United States Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players English Football League players Southern Football League players Brentford F.C. wartime guest players Association football forwards