Frank Wallace (born Frank Valicenti; July 15, 1922 – November 13, 1979) was an American international soccer player who played as forward. He earned 7

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

s and scored 3 goals for the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team h ...

, and played in the U.S. team's historic 1–0 victory over

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in the

1950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the fourth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. The planned 1942 and 1946 World Cups were ...

. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Wallace was born in St. Louis, Missouri as Frank Valicenti, but his family changed their name when he was a youth. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he was captured by the Germans and spent sixteen months in a prisoner of war camp. After returning to St. Louis, he played with Raftery during the 1945–1946 season. He was the third leading scorer in the St. Louis Major League during the 1947–1948 season while playing with Steamfitters. He later spent ten seasons with St. Louis Simpkins-Ford. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1976 and the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame in 1975. He died November 13, 1979, in St. Louis. He is buried at Resurrection Cemetery, Affton, Missouri.

References

External links

National Soccer Hall of Fame profile
1922 births 1979 deaths American men's soccer players United States men's international soccer players National Soccer Hall of Fame members 1950 FIFA World Cup players St. Louis Simpkins-Ford players Soccer players from St. Louis United States Army personnel of World War II American prisoners of war in World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Men's association football forwards {{US-footy-forward-stub