Joseph Andre Maca (September 28, 1920 – July 13, 1982) was a Belgian–American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who earned three

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. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

s as

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

for the

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT), officially recognized as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international Association football, soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation, which is ...

and played in the United States' 1–0 defeat of England in the

1950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the 4th edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. It was the first Wo ...

. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Maca played for the

Belgian Second Division The Belgian Second Division was the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system, one level below the Belgian Pro League. It was founded by the Royal Belgian Football Association in 1909 and folded in 2016, when it was replace ...

team Royal Cercle Sportif La Forestoise (51) in Brussels. During the war, he served for 12 months in the

Belgian Army The Land Component (, ), historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army (, ), is the Land warfare, land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land ...

where he played on the Army team. He also earned a medal for his role in the resistance. In 1942 Forest was promoted to the

Belgian First Division The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023– ...

and played there five years. Maca played 153 total games and scored 3 goals for CS La Forestoise. After the war, he moved to the United States and joined Brooklyn Hispano of the American Soccer League. He was selected to the ASL All-Star Team in 1949 and 1950. His three caps for the U.S. team were all during the 1950 World Cup, where he scored one goal against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

on a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

. Although he was not a U.S. citizen, he had declared his intention to gain citizenship and under the rules of the United States Soccer Football Association at the time, he was eligible to play. He eventually did become a U.S. citizen in 1957. After the World Cup, he moved to Belgium and played for Royal White Star Athletic Club (47) in 1950–51 before returning to the U.S. There he play just 9 games in the first round. His son,

Alain Maca Alain F. Maca is a retired Belgian-American soccer defender and former President of the JFK International Air Terminal (Terminal 4). Maca was the first person drafted by the North American Soccer League and spent four seasons in the league. He ...

, also represented the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Maca was inducted to the

National Soccer Hall of Fame The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a public-private partnership among FC Dallas, the City of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District, and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and currently located in Toyota Stadium (Texas), Toyota Stadium in Frisco, T ...

in 1976 along with his 1950 U.S. teammates.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maca, Joe 1920 births 1982 deaths American men's soccer players Belgian men's footballers Belgian emigrants to the United States Footballers from Brussels Sportspeople from Massapequa, New York Soccer players from Nassau County, New York United States men's international soccer players National Soccer Hall of Fame members 1950 FIFA World Cup players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Brooklyn Hispano players Belgian Army personnel Belgian military personnel of World War II Belgian resistance members Men's association football fullbacks 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century Belgian sportsmen