Siegfried Wortmann (later Wortman; 18 February 1907 – 21 December 1951) was an Austrian

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is t ...

inside forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

who played professionally in Austria and the United States. He also earned one

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 ...

, scoring a goal, with the Austria national team in 1926. Wortmann began his career with

Hakoah Vienna SC Hakoah Vienna (german: Sport Club Hakoah Wien; ' means "the strength" in Hebrew) is a Jews, Jewish sports club in Vienna, Austria. Prior to World War II, it produced several Olympic athletes and was notable for fielding an entirely Jewish ass ...

as a youth player, but began seeing first team time during the 1923–1924 season. In 1924, he became a first team regular as Hakaoh won the 1925 Austrian League title. In 1926, Hakoah toured the United States. Impressed by the high pay and relatively low anti-Semitism compared to the Austrian league, Wortmann and several of his teammates moved to the American Soccer League. In 1927, he signed with the New York Nationals, winning the

1928 National Challenge Cup The 1928 National Challenge Cup was the annual open cup held by the United States Football Association now known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Eastern Division Western Division Final References {{1927–28 in American soccer U.S ...

with the Nationals. Wortmann scored the lone Nationals goal in the 1-1 first game tie with

Ben Millers Ben Millers was a U.S. soccer club sponsored by the Ben W. Miller Hat Company of St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1913, it entered the St. Louis Soccer League two years later, winning seven league titles and one National Challenge Cup before its d ...

. In the replay, Wortmann again scored as the Nationals easily disposed of the Ben Millers, 3–0. In 1929, he moved to the

Hakoah All-Stars Hakoah All-Stars is a former United States soccer club, based in New York City, that played in the American Soccer League between 1930 and 1932. The club was formed after the merger of Brooklyn Hakoah of the ASL and New York Hakoah of the Eastern ...

, playing four seasons with them. As the ASL began to collapse in 1931, Wortmann returned to Austria to sign with

First Vienna FC First Vienna FC is an Austrian association football club based in the Döbling district of Vienna. Established on 22 August 1894, it is the country's oldest team and has played a notable role in the history of the game there. It is familiarly ...

, winning the 1932–1933 Austrian League title. He returned to the United States in 1933, this time permanently, and joined

Brookhattan Brookhattan was an American soccer club based in New York City that was a member of the professional American Soccer League (ASL). Formed in 1933, they joined the American Soccer League and won the first half of the league's 1933 season. Foll ...

of the second American Soccer League, playing until his retirement in 1936. After his retirement, he owned a clothing store in the United States.

National team

Wortmann earned his lone cap with the Austria national team in a 2–1 win over

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

on September 18, 1926. He scored Austria's second, and game-winning, goal.

Later life

Wortmann, who was Jewish, later worked as a garment salesman in New York.''1940 United States Federal Census'' He changed the spelling of his name to Wortman when applying for citizenship in 1935. He married Frieda Roth in Austria in 1933, prior to moving to the United States. They had a son, Allan Sheldon (Pomerance) Wortman, born in New York in 1938. He died in Manhattan, only 44.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wortmann, Siegfried 1907 births 1951 deaths Footballers from Vienna Jewish Austrian sportspeople Jewish footballers American Soccer League (1921–1933) players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Austrian emigrants to the United States Austrian men's footballers Austria men's international footballers First Vienna FC players Hakoah All-Stars players Brookhattan players New York Nationals (ASL) players Hakoah Vienna footballers Men's association football forwards