Werner Roth (born April 4, 1948) is an American former professional soccer defender. Mainly associated with the

New York Cosmos New York Cosmos may refer to * New York Cosmos (1970–1985), a team in the North American Soccer League (then the top-tier soccer league in the United States and Canada) * New York Cosmos (2010), a team playing since 2020 in the National Independ ...

, he also represented 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 ...

for three years. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Soccer career

Born in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

, Roth emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

at age eight,World Soccer Society profile
/ref> going on to become a rising star in American soccer through the 1960s. He attended

Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is an elite public high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is one of t ...

, playing on the varsity squad from 1962 to 1966, and captaining the team in his senior year.Former Cosmos captain Werner Roth serving as honorary captain
/ref> Additionally, he studied

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

at the Pratt Institute, and played for the German-Hungarians in the

German American Soccer League The Cosmopolitan Soccer League is a regional soccer league consisting of semi-pro and amateur teams based in and around New York City. Established in 1923, it is one of the oldest soccer leagues in the United States and has contributed greatly ...

.Good ol' days at soccer park
/ref> One of the few Americans on a star-studded

side (i.e. Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer), Roth played with the club seven years, and helped it to Soccer Bowl titles in 1972, 1977 and 1978. He also appeared 15 times for his adopted country's national team, in the 1970s.

Movie career / Personal

Roth played

Germany national football team The Germany national football team (german: link=no, Deutsche Fußballnationalmannschaft) represents Germany in men's international football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association (''Deuts ...

captain Baumann in the 1981 movie ''

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes ...

'' (titled ''Escape to Victory'' in Europe), which also featured former Cosmos teammate Pelé, as well as Sylvester Stallone and

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1989. In 2005, having been living in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and Long Island for decades, Roth became engaged to

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

actress

Robin Mattson Robin Mattson is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the daytime soap operas ''General Hospital'', '' Santa Barbara'', and ''All My Children''. Career Daytime television Mattson made her daytime debut as troubled teen Hope B ...

. The couple were married in June 2006.

Films

References

External links

NASL stats
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roth, Werner 1948 births Living people Sportspeople from Brooklyn American soccer players Association football defenders German-American Soccer League players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players New York Cosmos players United States men's international soccer players National Soccer Hall of Fame members North American Soccer League (1968–1984) commentators Yugoslav emigrants to the United States Brooklyn Technical High School alumni