Charles Martin Colombo (July 20, 1920 – May 7, 1986) was an American soccer player who earned 11

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 as center-half 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 ...

. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He also played for the United States at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

Biography

Born and raised in

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area of

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, whic ...

, Colombo played professionally for St. Louis Simpkins-Ford, winning

National Challenge Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. Op ...

medals with them in 1948 and 1950. He was known as "Gloves" because he always wore gloves when he played, regardless of the weather. Colombo played for the U.S. team from 1948 to 1952, including the 1–0 upset 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 ...

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 ...

, in which his foul against

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and ...

forward Stanley Mortensen in the second half gave England the chance to tie the game. The header from the resulting free kick came very close to scoring a goal, but was saved by goalkeeper

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 car ...

at the last second. The day after U.S. victory, Colombo was offered an opportunity to play professional soccer in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, but he turned it down and returned to his St. Louis club team. He later became the coach of the St. Louis Ambrose team. He is buried in Old Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery, in

St Louis 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 ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

References

* * Cirino Antonio (Tony): US Soccer Vs The World, Damon Press 1983 – 1920 births 1986 deaths United States men's international soccer players Olympic soccer players of the United States Footballers at the 1948 Summer Olympics Footballers at the 1952 Summer Olympics 1950 FIFA World Cup players National Soccer Hall of Fame members St. Louis Simpkins-Ford players Soccer players from St. Louis American soccer players Association football central defenders {{US-footy-defender-stub