Association football, or soccer, had been played at the American collegiate level under association football codes since at least the late 1860s, with variations of a kicking game being played since the mid-1850s. Organized collegiate soccer did not formally occur in the United States until the arrival of the Intercollegiate Soccer Football League, which began during the 1904–05 season. The ISFL determined national championships for college programs from 1905 until 1925, and from 1926 until 1940 the Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association determined national champions. These championship titles were determined by a selection committee and were largely subjective. These championships are not formally recognized by the NCAA as legitimate national championship claims. Throughout World War II and into the late 1940s, the ISFL did not claim any national championships, although several college programs with undefeated records, or teams atop the NSCAA poll claimed national championships during this time, causing numerous programs to stake championship claims in the same year. After World War II, the ISFA began declaring national championships, which drew ire from programs that felt they deserved a national championship title, but were not considered by the ISFA committee. The goal of the Soccer Bowl was to take the highest ranked NSCAA and ISFA teams to have them play a one off match at a neutral venue. The concept of a neutral venue and titling the match as a "bowl" was heavy inspired and barrowed from the bowl game system that college American football uses.
History
The first Soccer Bowl was played on January 1, 1950, to determine the champion of the 1949 ISFA season. At the end of the 1949 season, the ISFA declared Penn State and San Francisco dual national champions, and both programs agreed to play each other in St. Louis for the inaugural Soccer Bowl. The match ended in a 2-2 draw thanks to a late, and controversial, tying penalty kick in stoppage time. In December 1950, the second Soccer Bowl was held, determining the champion for the 1950 ISFA season. The match was played between Penn State and Purdue, but much confusion around the legitimacy of the game surrounded and marred the bowl. San Francisco, repeating as the West Coast champion, was unable to make the trip to St. Louis. In an inexplicable decision, the second place team from the Midwest Conference, was sent to St. Louis to play the East Coast champion, Penn State in the Soccer Bowl. Penn State won the Bowl 3-1, but this left unclear the question of who was really best, since San Francisco was never matched against them. Furthermore, West Chesterstake a claim as national champion which further added to the confusion, raising serious questions about the bowl's viability.
