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, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

who played professionally in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

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 Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...

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 The Minnesota Strikers were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 1984 season and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 through 1988. The team was based in Minneapolis/ St. Paul metrop ...

during the 1984 season. Wallace was named to four all-NASL teams, including the 1983 Best XI. In

Soccer Bowl '83 Soccer Bowl '83 was the 17th edition of the Soccer Bowl, the championship match of North American Soccer League (NASL), which took place on October 1, 1983. It was the final match of the 1983 North American Soccer League playoffs and was contest ...

he assisted on the game-winning goal by

Njego Pesa Njego Pesa (; born May 30, 1958) is a former American soccer Striker (association football), forward who played in the North American Soccer League (1968–84), North American Soccer League and MISL I, Major Indoor Soccer League. He earned seven ...

. 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) The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team establishe ...

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 The Tulsa Renegades were a soccer club based in Tulsa, Oklahoma that competed in the SISL and USISL The United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) was a semi-professional men's outdoor soccer league that played six seasons from 1 ...

of the Southwest Outdoor Soccer League. At the time, Wallace lived in Tulsa. In July 1989, Wallace signed as a free agent with the

Tacoma Stars The Tacoma Stars are an American professional indoor soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington, that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). The franchise also operates in USL League Two, a minor outdoor league. Founded in 2003, the indo ...

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

which were in the midst of the 1990–91 Sunbelt Independent Soccer League season. In December 1991, he moved to the

Tulsa Ambush Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-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 ...

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

in the

USISL The United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL) was a semi-professional men's outdoor soccer league that played six seasons from 1989 to 1994. It was the first outdoor league to be operated by the organization known today as the United ...

. 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 Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

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 (1979–1991) 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 London English Football League players 20th-century English sportsmen