Gino Pariani
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Virginio Peter Pariani (February 21, 1928 – May 9, 2007) was an American soccer striker. He earned 5 caps and scored 1 goal for the
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, and played on 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 ...
team, including the U.S. team's historic 1–0 victory over
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. He was also a member of the U.S. Olympic team in London in 1948. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1976.


Youth

Pariani grew up in a working-class Italian neighborhood called The Hill in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. The younger of two brothers, Pariani's childhood consisted primarily of school, working at a local laundromat and playing street sports. Pariani joined a local youth club when he was thirteen.


Club career

In 1943, Pariani joined Schumachers when he was fifteen. That year, he won his first title, a St. Louis Municipal League championship, with Schumachers. He then moved to Raftery's S.C. and remained with them through the 1946–1947 season. That year he was voted the league MVP. In 1947, Carrenti Cleaners came under new sponsorship. The renamed team, now known as St. Louis Simpkins-Ford, recruited Pariani. He would experience considerable success with Simpkins, winning the 1948 and 1950 U.S. Open Cup championships. He continued to play until 1963. Some time during his career, he also played for Calcaterra and Wildcats A.C. Pariani was a St. Louis all-star selection every year from 1946 through 1953.


National and Olympic team

His success at the club level led to Pariani's selection to the U.S. soccer team at the
1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
. The U.S. lost 9-0 to Italy in the first round of this single elimination tournament. Pariani did not play in this loss. Pariani gained his first
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with the U.S. national team in an 11-0 loss to
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on August 6, 1948. His second cap came five days later in a loss to Northern Ireland. He did not play again with the full national team until 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 ...
. The invitation into the team came unexpectedly and Pariani had scheduled his wedding during the finals. With the support of both families, he and his fiancé moved up the day to allow him to play in Brazil. When he left St. Louis for New York, he had been married for only three days. He went on to score the lone U.S. goal in the team's first game of the finals, a 3-1 loss to
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. Four days later, he was a key part of the U.S. 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 ...
, maintaining good ball possession. He also sent Frank Wallace on a break towards the English goal, a break stopped by Alf Ramsey. The U.S. ultimately won the game, one of the greatest upsets of World Cup history. Pariani's last cap came in a 5-2 loss to
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which put the U.S. out of the cup.Soccer Hall of Fame game results
In January 2004, Pariani and the four other living members of the 1950 World Cup Team (
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,
Frank Borghi Frank Borghi (April 9, 1925 – February 2, 2015) was an American soccer player who earned nine caps at goalkeeper for the national team. He played in the team's famous 1–0 victory against England in the 1950 FIFA World Cup. Athletic career ...
, Harry Keough and
John Souza John Souza-Benavides (July 12, 1920 – March 11, 2012) known as John "Clarkie" Souza, was an American soccer player who earned 14 caps and scored 2 goals for the United States men's national soccer team, and played in the U.S. team's histor ...
) were recognized as Honorary All-Americas by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America at its annual convention in Charlotte, N.C. He remained married to his wife, Janet, until separated by death. In 1976, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Pariani died of
bone cancer A bone tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in bone, traditionally classified as noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Cancerous bone tumors usually originate from a cancer in another part of the body such as from lung, breast, thy ...
in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
on May 9, 2007.
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(May 11, 2007). Gino Pariani, Soccer Player Who Helped U.S. Upset England, Is Dead at 79. ''
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''
He is buried in Resurrection Cemetery in
Affton Affton is a census-designated place (CDP) in south St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, near St. Louis. The population was 20,417 at the 2020 United States Census. Geography Affton is located at 38°33'4" North, 90°19'25" West (38.551052 ...
,
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.


References


External links


Soccer Hall of Fame profile


* Cirino, Antonio (Tony) - US Soccer Vs The World, 1983 - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pariani, Gino 1928 births 2007 deaths American men's soccer players United States men's international soccer players 1950 FIFA World Cup players National Soccer Hall of Fame members Footballers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Olympic soccer players for the United States St. Louis Simpkins-Ford players Deaths from bone cancer Deaths from cancer in Missouri Soccer players from St. Louis American people of Italian descent Men's association football forwards