In the early 20th century, football began to actively develop in the Russian Empire. Among the best clubs of that time were Sokolniki, Orekhovo, Zamoskvoretsky Club, and Novogireevo. However, there were also outsiders in the tournament tables. Today we will talk about the Union club, whose history is interesting because its players indirectly contributed to the emergence of the Olympic Stadium in Moscow.

The Union club was founded in 1909 and became one of the first founders of the Moscow Football League. It was supported by German merchant Minder and the head of construction of the Moscow-Yaroslavl railway, Chokolov. They provided a training ground of 3000 square fathoms near Samarsky Lane. Despite good funding and its own base, Union played poorly and consistently occupied the last places. Only once, in 1914, did the club rise to the podium, losing in the final of the championship to Zamoskvoretsky Club.

Union was similar to the comedic 'Gazmyas'. For example, the club's goalkeeper conceded 12 goals in one match. Forward Vladimir Lash, playing for the national team in 1914, almost started a fight on the field: in a match against the Norwegians, he got into a scuffle with one of the players and tried to resolve the conflict with his fists, for which he was sent off. Thus, he became the first player to be sent off in the history of the domestic national team.

In the Soviet years, Union was renamed to Burevestnik, but the team seemed to be followed by a curse. The new squad also set negative records. In 1938, the club suffered the largest home defeat in the history of Soviet and Russian championships, conceding 9 goals from Dynamo. As for the Union stadium, before the Olympic Games in Moscow, a legendary sports complex was built in its place. Thus, the outsider of the Russian championship of the tsarist era left a mark in world sports, albeit in an unusual way.