http://celticprogrammes.co.uk/celtic_usa_tours/intheusa.html
This was Celtic's first ever tour of the USA and it was taken during the Great Depression. The Celtic party left Yorkhill quay in Glasgow on a Caledonia steamship and arrived in New York in late May. Times were hard as was shown in the game against Montreal Carsteel when Peter Scarff scored five goals while wearing a green dress shirt because there weren't enough hooped strips to go around. Celtic players on the tour: William Cook, Charles Geatons, William Hughes, Joe McGhee, Denis Currie, Alex Thompson, Peter McGonigle, James McStay, John Morrison, Charles Napier, Hugh Smith, John Thompson, Robert Thompson, Robert Whitelaw, Peter Wilson, Peter Scarff, James McGrory. Manager: William Maley.
The return journey was made aboard the Anchor Line steamship (joint Cunard-Anchor Line service) Transylvania. The Transylvania was converted to an Armed Merchant Cruiser at the start of WWII, and was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat U-56 off Inishtrahull in August 1940.
Against Hakoah All-Stars, Jimmy McGrory broke his jaw and Charlie Napier and Peter Scarff were sent off along with two Hakoah players. Football was rough in the 30's, it was a game for men, not the ladyboys that play today. In the match against Pawtucket Rangers the Celtic players needed help in order to leave the ground safely. Our favourite Celtic historians, Tom Campbell and Pat Woods, mention this in their book "Images of Scotland: Celtic Football Club 1887 - 1967" -
A Celtic vs Rangers match, but in Providence, Rhode Island. The 'friendly' turned into a roughhouse affair and Celtic required a police escort at time-up
Willie Maley was far from complimentary about the arrangements.
"The ground was like a furnace, the dressing-room conditions disgraceful and the referee had no control whatever."
During this tour Celtic spotted two future Celts. The first was Montreal born goalkeeper Joe Kennaway who was playing for Fall River F.C. when Celtic spotted him. He later signed for Celtic - to replace John Thompson who was tragically killed that September - and was an immediate success. Kennaway played for Celtic from 1931 to 1939 winning three Scottish F.A. cup medals and two Scottish championship medals. He played four times for the Scottish League team (Ireland twice and England twice) and also for Scotland against Austria at Hampden Park in 1933 - he also played for Canada against the USA in 1926 making him a rare double international. He returned to Canada at the outbreak of the second World War but later moved to Providence where he played and then coached at Brown University from 1946 to 1959. Joe Kennaway became an American citizen in 1948. He was posthumously inducted into the New England Soccer Hall of Fame in 1997.
JOE KENNAWAY
Born: Point St. Charles, Montreal, Quebec, Jan 25, 1905. Died Johnston, Rhode Island, March 7, 1969.
The second, James McGuire was Scottish by birth and had gone to the United States in the mid-1920s after winning two Scottish schoolboy international caps. His first major club was the Brooklyn Wanderers, a team he joined in 1929 and quickly established himself in a lineup of experienced players. McGuire returned to Scotland with Celtic immediately after the tour. However, he failed to get into the the first team and was soon on his way to England where he played 70 games for Northhampton Town between 1932 and 1936. When he left Northhampton he returned to the States and played for Brooklyn St. Mary's Celtic. St Mary's reached the U.S. Open Cup final in 1938 only to lose to Chicago Sparta. One year later, with McGuire at centre half, his team won the trophy by defeating Chicago Manhattan Beer. When he retired as a player he turned to administration and served two separate terms as president of the United States Soccer Football Association and was a member of the FIFA Organizing Committee for the 1974 World Cup in West Germany.
JAMES McGUIRE
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1911 and died in Hyde Park, NY on November 26, 1974
Celtic achieved 9 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses in thirteen matches. Celtic scored 48 goals with 18 against. Details below.
Opponents Date Issued Comments
Eastern Pennsylvania & District XI May 23 no Celtic 6, East Penn & District 1 (att: 12,000 at Yellow Jacket Field, Philadelphia, PA)
New York Giants 24 no Celtic 3, New York Giants 2 (att: 30,000 at Polo Grounds, New York City)
New York Yankees (formerly Fall River) 30 no New York Yankees 4, Celtic 3 (att: 8,000 at Fenway Park, Boston, MA) Formerly known as Fall River Marksmen. Played at the home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Billy Gonsalves scored a hat-trick for NYY.
Fall River F.C. 31 no Fall River F. C. 1, Celtic 0 (att: 7,000 at Mark's Stadium, North Tiverton, Rhode Island). Joe Kennaway played for Fall River in this match. Billy Wilson scored with a free kick.
Pawtucket Rangers June 6 yes Pawtucket Rangers 3, Celtic 1 (att: 4,000 at the Cyclodrome, Providence, Rhode Island)
Brooklyn Wanderers 7 no Celtic 5, Brooklyn Wanderers 0 (att: 10,000, at Ebbetts Field, Brooklyn, NY). Ex-Celtic forward Willie Crilly played for Brooklyn.
Montreal Carsteels 13 no Glasgow Celtic 7, Carsteels 0 (at Montreal, Quebec, CANADA). Scarff scored 5 goals in this match.
Hakoah All-Stars 14 no Celtic 1, Hakoah All-Stars 1 (att: 20,000, at Polo grounds, New York City). Later that year, Spanish club Racing Club of Madrid played here to a crowd of only 2,000. A very rough match - Napier off for fighting and Scarff sent off for fouling. Napier scored the Celtic goal.
Bricklayers 21 no Glasgow Celtic 6, Bricklayers 3 (at Chicago, IL). Att: 11,000 at of Chicago Cubs.
Michigan All-Stars 25 yes Celtic 5, Michigan XI 0 . Att: 5,000 at the University of Detroit Stadium. First time Celtic played at night under floodlights. Referee: D. Evans.
Ulster United 27 no Celtic 3, Ulster United 1 (at Toronto, ON, CANADA)
New York Yankees 28 no Celtic 4, New York Yankees 1 (att: 10,000, at Yankee Stadium, New York City)
Newark Americans 29 no Bears' Stadium, Newark. Match cancelled.
Canton S. C. 29 no Celtic 4, Canton S. C. 1 (at Baltimore, MD)