Thomas Swords
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Joseph Swords | ||
| Date of birth | October 2, 1885[citation needed] | ||
| Place of birth | Fall River, Massachusetts, United States | ||
| Date of death | March 29, 1953 (aged 67) | ||
| Place of death | Fall River, Massachusetts, United States | ||
| Position(s) |
Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1903 | Whittenton A.C. | ||
| 1904–1909 | Fall River Rovers | ||
| 1910–1912 | Philadelphia Hibernian | ||
| 1913 | New Bedford Whalers | ||
| 1914–1920 | Fall River Rovers | ||
| International career | |||
| 1916 | United States | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Thomas Swords (October 2, 1885 – March 29, 1953) was an American
Club career
Swords was born and grew up in
National team
In 1916, the United States Football Association (USFA) recruited a team, called the All-American Soccer Football Team, to represent the U.S. on a tour of Scandinavian countries. At the time, these countries and the U.S. were all neutral during the ongoing World War I. Thomas Swords was selected as the team captain. During the six game tour, the U.S. played two recognized international games, one on August 21, 1916, against Sweden and another on September 3, 1916, against Norway. There are disagreements about who scored the first national team goals. The National Soccer Hall of Fame lists Dick Spalding, but other sources state that Swords scored an unassisted goal against Sweden.[2]
He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1951.[3]
References
- ^ Archived October 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "American Soccer Team Wins At Stockholm". (August 21, 1916). Boston Globe, p.7 col.7
- ^ "Thomas Swords - 1951 Inductee | National Soccer Hall of Fame". Thomas Swords - 1951 Inductee | National Soccer Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2023-12-19.