in 1948. National competition Before the establishment of the National Challenge Cup in 1914, most teams participated in city, state or regional competitions. The only opportunity for teams from one region to test themselves against the best on a national level came from ad hoc cups and off-season tours. In 1913, the St. Louis Soccer League came to national attention when St. Leo’s tied the Paterson True Blues, winners of the American Cup. At the time, the American Cup was the most recognized regional cup and was the de facto East Coast championship. While the newly established United States Football Association established the National Challenge Cup in 1914, it was not until 1918 that the St. Louis teams entered the cup. They initially had difficulty getting past the Chicago and Cleveland teams, but in 1920 Ben Millers stunned the east coast teams by knocking off Fore River to become the first club outside of the northeast to win the cup. SLSL teams then went to the next four finals, taking only the 1922 title. SLSL team also went to the final in 1926, 1929 and every season from 1932 to 1939. Past winners Teams When the St. Louis Soccer League was established, St. Louis boasted many of other leagues. In 1913, the St. Louis Municipal League consolidated many of these disparate leagues into a multi-division organization which sat below the SLSL. Finally, St. Louis soccer teams depended on sponsorship. When sponsorship changed, the teams changed their names as well. Original four teams Ben Millers 1915–16 through 1923–24 → Raticans/Pants Store Co. 1924–25 → Pants Store Co. 1925–26 → Raticans 1926–27 → Tabler F.C. 1927–28 through 1930–31 → Anderson 1931–32 through 1933-34 → Marres 1934–35 through 1935-36 → Town Crier 1936–37 → St. Matthew's 1937–38 Innisfails 1915–16 through 1920–21 → De Andreis 1921–22 → Barrett-Hoover 1922–23 through 1923–24 → Ben Millers 1924–25 through 1935–36 Missouri Naval Reserves 1915–16 through 1917–18 → Scullin Steel Co. 1918–19 through 1924–25 → Wellston F.C. 1925–26 through 1928–29 → Hellrung & Grimm 1929–30 through 1930–31 → Stix, Baer & Fuller 1931–32 through 1933–34 → Central Brewers 1934–35 → Democratic Country Club/St. Louis 1935–36 St. Leo's 1915–16 through 1917–18 → St. Louis Screw Co. 1918–19 through 1921–22 → Vesper-Buick 1922–23 through 1925–26 → White Banner Malts 1926–27 → Morgan Haulers 1927–28 → Madison Kennel Club 1928–29 through 1929–30 → Coca-Cola 1930–31 through 1932–33 → Minit-Rub Stars 1933–34