The local soccer season will be ushered in here Saturday by the Champion Bethlehem Steel Co. team with a game with University of Pennsylvania. Notwithstanding the absence of men like Captain Campbell, Fletcher, Ferguson, Forrest, Pepper and McKelvey, the local club has enough talent to make a good showing.
Considerable interest has been aroused in how the new players will show up. Blakey, the old Putnam Philadelphia star is known to local soccer fans as being a very good halfback. In any event he takes the place of Willie Kirkpatrick, and it is thought that Blakey is a more finished player than Kirkpatrick.
The new center forward, Harris comes from Hamilton, Ont., and his showing will be followed with interest. He was formerly employed in the mines near Scranton, from which place he went to Canada and then saw service abroad. He is reputed to be of the dashing kind, and when the Bethlehem team played in Hamilton last spring he made quite a showing in that he scored two goals against the Bethlehem team.
Morrison, the new halfback, is not altogether new to football here. He played with the old Homestead team against Bethlehem some years ago. Since that time he has been in Chicago and saw service abroad. He is a former Scottish League player and knows the finer points of the game.
Whitson, the old Bethlehem East End player, will be given a tryout in Ferguson's place at left halfback. "Tommy" Murray, for two years in the service, will make his first appearance playing at right fullback. Murray is one of the most versatile players that Bethlehem ever had in that he can play most any position, although he shows to best advantage in the halfback line. Duncan, as usual will be between the uprights and with Fleming playing outside left the team will at least have the semblance of its old self. "Bobby" Morrison will be playing center half in place of "Jimmy" Campbell and Stark will make his initial appearance for Bethlehem at inside right. "Jimmy" Easton will play at inside left and it is possible that "Jimmy" Murphy will play outside right.
Of the men that made the trip to Sweden, Duncan, Murray, Blakey, Fleming, Easton and Stark will play and it is hoped that the soccer fans will turn out in numbers to show their appreciation of the splendid showing made by the boys in Scandinavia.
Coach Stewart this morning wrote that he would bring up a real strong aggregation. Seven of his men were formerly in the U. S. Army service and two in the Navy, and Spencer who plays inside right on his team, was a captain in the British Flying Corps. So far they have played four games, winning them all by having defeated Marion 5-1; Morristown, 5-1; Germantown 4-2; and Philadelphia Country Club 1-0, having scored 15 goals to 4 against. The last year that intercollegiate soccer football was played, 1916, the university of Pennsylvania were intercollegiate champs.