Barry Daniel Wallace (17 April 1959 – 17 October 2006) was an English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

midfielder who played professionally in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

and Major Indoor Soccer League. After his retirement from playing, Wallace spent the rest of his life coaching youth soccer teams.

Playing career

In 1975, Wallace signed with Queens Park Rangers at the age of sixteen. He spent two seasons in the QPR youth system before graduating to the first team in 1977. He played twenty-five first team games over three seasons. In 1980, he moved to the United States to sign with the

Tulsa Roughnecks Tulsa Roughnecks may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams: *Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984), the original top-flight team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1984. *Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000), the team ...

of the

. He remained with the Roughnecks until traded to the Minnesota Strikers during the 1984 season. Wallace was named to four all-NASL teams, including the 1983 Best XI. In Soccer Bowl '83 he assisted on the game-winning goal by

Njego Pesa Njego Pesa ( hr, Peša; born May 30, 1958) is a former American soccer forward who played in the North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He earned seven caps with the U.S. national team. Youth Pesa was born in Croatia, ...

. He finished the 1984 outdoor season with the Strikers, then began the 1984–1985 indoor season in Minnesota before being sent to the

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

in January 1985. On 20 October 1987, Wallace signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Comets. In June 1988, Wallace returned to outdoor soccer with the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

of the American Soccer League. He rejoined the Comets as a free agent in January 1989. In June 1989, he moved to the Tulsa Renegades of the

Southwest Outdoor Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

. At the time, Wallace lived in Tulsa. In July 1989, Wallace signed as a free agent with the Tacoma Stars of MISL. He joined the team at the end of the SOSL playoffs in August. On 23 December 1989, the Stars traded Wallace to the Kansas City Comets in exchange for Kia and Gerry Gray. The Comets released Wallace at the end of the season. In January 1991, he signed with the Tulsa Renegades which were in the midst of the

1990–91 Sunbelt Independent Soccer League Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...

season. In December 1991, he moved to the

Tulsa Ambush Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

of the National Professional Soccer League. In 1993, he played for the

in the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

. In December 1994, the

signed Wallace to a short-term contract after the team was decimated by injuries. In 1995, he returned to the

. He finished his professional career with the Roughnecks during the 1996 USISL outdoor season.

Personal life and death

Wallace was born in London in 1959 to James and Violet Wallace. He had one brother four sisters. In early September 2006 Wallace learned he had terminal cancer and died in Kansas in mid-October. He left behind his wife Krisiti, son Daniel, daughter Sophie, and step-daughters Stephanie, Stacie and Sydnie.

References

External links

NASL/MISL statsTulsa National Soccer Club obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, Barry 1959 births 2006 deaths American Soccer League (1988–89) players English men's footballers English expatriate men's footballers Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994) players Kansas City Comets (original MISL) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Minnesota Strikers (NASL) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Tacoma Stars players Tulsa Ambush players Tulsa Renegades players Tulsa Roughnecks (1978–1984) players Tulsa Roughnecks (1993–2000) players USISL players Wichita Wings (MISL) players Wichita Wings (NPSL) players Minnesota Strikers (MISL) players Men's association football defenders English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Footballers from Greater London