Edward Clear was a retired American soccer defender who earned five

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with the U.S. national team in 1968.

Early Life

Ed Clear was born on the Northside of St. Louis, Missouri on May 15, 1944 to James, a lifelong civil servant working with the US Postal Service, and Marie Clear, a housewife and part-time waitress. He was the second of five children: his three sisters Carol, Katie, and Mary Bridget, and brother Doug. He grew up playing CYC soccer and baseball for his local Catholic parish team, Holy Rosary. Later he played both sports for his high school, Christian Brothers College. During the years between his school playing days and his professional career, Clear played for several high profile soccer teams in the St. Louis area: Schumacher, Kutis, and White Star FC.

Professional

He played professionally for the St. Louis Stars in both the National Professional Soccer League and

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 ...

from 1967 to 1969.

National team

Clear gained his first of five

with the U.S. national team in a 3-3 tie with

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. He played the next three games with the U.S., then did not play in the next two U.S. games. His final appearance with the U.S. came in a 1-0 World Cup qualifier victory over

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on October 27, 1968. He was a substitute for

Bob Gansler Bob Gansler (born July 1, 1941) is a Hungarian-born American soccer player and coach of German descent. He coached the U.S. National Team at the 1990 World Cup, the team's first appearance at the tournament since 1950. Playing career As a pl ...

. Clear was inducted into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame on November 14, 1996.

Personal life

After his retirement from soccer he married Joan (Hummel) Clear in April 1969. He went on to have 7 children and 13 grandchildren. The couple divorced in 1980. He would later marry Barb (Bilger) Clear, with whom he would remain married until his death. Edward McCabe Clear died March 18, 2022 from complications caused from a heart attack he suffered at his South St. Louis home.

References

External links

NASL stats
1944 births Living people Soccer players from St. Louis American soccer players National Professional Soccer League (1967) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players St. Louis Stars (soccer) players United States men's international soccer players Association football midfielders {{US-footy-midfielder-stub