The St. Louis Stars score four goals — two for the opposition — and lose to the Denver Dynamos, 3-2, in an NASL match at Busch Stadium. Denny Vaninger and future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Al Trost have big nights for the Stars, each with a goal and an assist. But Denver scores on shots that deflect off the Stars’ Tom Howe and player-coach John Sewell (pictured).

Mike Sorber plays at home for the first time since his college days at St. Louis U. and is called “a badly needed steadying influence” at midfield as the U.S. Men’s National Team and Paraguay play to a scoreless result at the Soccer Park.

Former Anheuser-Busch president Denny Long (pictured) says he and St. Louis attorney and former St. Louis Stars player Steve Frank have joined forces with Milan Mandaric of San Diego to try to save the MISL’s St. Louis Steamers. The Steamers are close to $1 million in debt, according to Joe Farrell, the team’s chairman.

Duchesne High School’s girls’ soccer team defeats Pembroke Hill, 4-1, in the Missouri Class 2 championship game at Swope Park Soccer Village in Kansas City to become the first boys’ or girls’ team to win four consecutive Missouri state high school soccer championships.

St. Louisan Josh Sargent equals the U.S. scoring record in the U-20 World Cup with his fourth goal of the tournament as the United States beats New Zealand, 6-0, in the round of 16 at Incheon, South Korea.

In the first post-World War II visit by a major foreign club to St. Louis, Liverpool overwhelms the St. Louis All-Stars, 5-1, at Public Schools Stadium before a crowd of 12,493.

St. Louisan David Brcic posts a shutout as the U.S. Men’s National Team shocks 1982 World Cup champion Italy, 0-0, in an international friendly at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Glasgow Celtic gets a tougher-than-expected fight from the St. Louis CYC All-Stars, but still prevails, 3-0, at Public Schools Stadium during its late-spring series of friendlies in North America.

The first known soccer-like game is played in St. Louis at the Grand Avenue Baseball Park (renamed Sportsman’s Park a few years later.) The game matches two teams of lawyers — the Blondes and the Brunettes — with proceeds benefiting the Newsboys Home. The St. Louis Globe-Democrat will devote a 700-word story on the event in its May 29 edition.

The St. Louis Athletica folds six games into its Women’s Professional Soccer schedule. The reported pullout of European investors in owner Jeff Cooper’s soccer operations leads to the Athletica’s untimely end. The Athletica are in their second season. Cooper’s other professional team, the men’s AC St. Louis, will cease operations after the 2010 season.

Future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Bill Looby scores both goals as Kutis clips Schwaben of Chicago, 2-1, in the Amateur Cup semifinals. Kutis, which already had won the Open Cup, will go on to become the last team in U.S. Soccer history to win both cups in the same year.

The NASL’s Team America is less than four minutes from upsetting the Soviet Union’s Dynamo Minsk when the Soviets are awarded a controversial penalty kick that results in the tying goal in a 2-2 deadlock at Busch Stadium. Three St.Louisas connect for Team America’s first goal: Perry Van Der Beck’s corner kick is deflected by Greg Villa to John Hayes (pictured), who scores.

Goals by Guenther Reinholdt and Freddie Vasquez (pictured) give the St. Louis Soccer League All-Stars a 2-0 lead over West German giant Meidericher SV Duisburg. But the powerful visitors come back to win the international friendly, 5-3, at Washington University’s Francis Field.

International men’s soccer returns in a big way to St. Louis after a 16-year absence. Premier League giants Manchester City and Chelsea meet in a friendly at Busch Stadium before a sellout crowd of 48,263, the biggest ever for a sporting event to date at the seven-year-old stadium.

St. Louis native Josh Sargent becomes the youngest player to score for the United States in the U-20 World Cup with two goals against Ecuador in a 3-3 draw.

St. Louis FC’s Irvin Hererra lights up the Tulsa Roughnecks for four goals as St. Louis scores a 5-2 victory in Tulsa.

The St. Louis Stars gain a brief 2-1 lead, but eventually succumb to Hertha Berlin of West Germany, 4-2, in an international match at Mullally Field.

St. Louis native Tom Barlow comes off the bench to score his first MLS goal and the game-winner as the New York Red Bulls defeat defending MLS champion Atlanta United, 2-1, despite playing a man short for 55 minutes.

Kutis scores its third victory over a German first-division team in five years by handily beating Schwaben Augsburg, 3-0, at Public Schools Stadium. Kutis, which defeated Nuernberg in 1955 and Eintracht Frankfurt (when the Kutis players were sponsored by Zenthoeffers) in 1951, capitalizes on Schwaben fouls for all three goals from Ruben Mendoza and future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famers Bill Looby and Harry Keough (pictured).

On leave from the U.S. Air Force, St. Louis native Carl Gentile scores in the 88th minute to give the St. Louis Stars a 1-1 draw with the Cleveland Stokers in an NASL match at Busch Memorial Stadium. Gentile scores after taking a pass from Gentile’s old St. Louis U. teammate and future U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer, Pat McBride. Gentile will appear in his first of six matches with the U.S. National Team on Sept. 15, 1968. One of the top all-around athletes in St. Louis history, Gentile played minor-league baseball in the Mets’ organization and will be on the reserve team of the NFL’s Houston Oilers as a placekicker in 1969-70.