|
 Frank
Borghi, inducted into
the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1976, says it’s a good thing
he gave the goalkeeper position a try - otherwise, he thinks he
never would have made it very far as a soccer player.
Maybe he’s just being modest, but
Frank claims that he lacked the ball skills necessary for a
field position, and it was something of a stroke of luck that he
ended up in goal one day during a kick-around session. Having
played professional baseball for two years, Frank had enough
requisite arm strength in order to become a commanding force in
the goal - and soon, Frank was a keeper to be reckoned with.
 Frank Borghi played in four games
for the U.S. National Team during World Cup qualifying in Mexico
City in 1949 as well as all three games in the finals that
year. He also played on the U.S. team that faced Mexico in 1954
World Cup qualifying. Many fans view his greatest moment as his
shut-out against England in Belo Horizonte in 1950, but Frank
himself feels that his greatest moments were with his pro team,
Simkins-Ford, in 1948 and 1950 when the team won the U.S. Open
Cup. U.S. Soccer Players caught up with Frank on the phone to
talk a little bit about the good old days as well as recent
developments in the soccer world.
Where are you living and
working now?
I
retired from work in October of last year. I had been the
director of a funeral home here in St. Louis. I’ve been in St.
Louis for years. My children have spread out, to Kansas City,
Jacksonville. They all played soccer, but then they all
switched to football. They were all good athletes. I coached
their youth soccer teams growing up.
Do you still watch any soccer?
I watch some soccer on TV, and
occasionally I stop by Wilbur Park and watch the kids play
there. I coached for a long time, coaching my kids.
So you’ve been involved in the
youth soccer movement. What are the strengths and weaknesses of
youth soccer in the U.S.?
We need better ball control and
passing ability. The main thing in any sport is to keep your eye
on the ball. As far as strengths, it’s a lot of fun. I
really enjoyed coaching and playing. I’ll admit my first love
was baseball, though. I don’t have the footwork for
playing on the field in soccer. I never played forward line, but
one day I decided to play goal. I learned how to cover angles,
keep my eye on the ball, and try to catch it when I could.
So you’ve been involved in the youth soccer movement.
What are the
strengths and weaknesses of youth soccer in the U.S.?
We need better ball control and passing ability. The main
thing in any
sport is to keep your eye on the ball. As far as
strengths, it’s a lot
of fun. I really enjoyed coaching and playing. I’ll
admit my first
love was baseball, though. I don’t have the footwork for
playing on
the field in soccer. I never played forward line, but one
day I
decided to play goal. I learned how to cover angles, keep
my eye on
the ball, and try to catch it when I could.
How has the goalkeeper position changed since your playing days?
They don’t penalize for the steps now as you get ready to punt
the
ball. In those days it was three steps. I never
kicked the ball out,
though. I threw it. If I kicked it, the ball would
go up and come
back down straight. I had to throw it. We had other
guys do the goal
kicks, too.
What do you think of the goalkeepers of today’s leagues?
 There are a couple of good goalkeepers, Brad Friedel and Kasey
Keller
are great for the National Team. They fist the ball a lot. I think
it’s risky. You’re out of your net and you’re helpless. But you have
to fist at times. You can’t always catch it. I tried
to catch it at
all times if possible. I even tried to catch the crosses
from the
wings. Then, I knew I was under control. The
goalkeepers of today are
good, though. Tony Meola was good. I don’t have a
favorite team, but
I admire the women’s team. The girls have made soccer very
strong in
this country. Soccer has kind of come into its own. England was the
father of soccer. In the U.S., we started basketball,
baseball, track.
Now, we’re starting to run in line with England in soccer. This
year,
with Bruce Arena, they’ve got good goalkeepers, and they’ve got
good
forwards, Brian McBride, Landon Donovan, they’re all talent. There’s a
lot of good players. And it’s great to see a player like
Freddy Adu, a
14 year-old kid who went in and competed with guys ten years
older than
him.
What were some of your greatest moments while playing soccer?
What are
your favorite memories?
My greatest moments were the U.S. Open Cups in 1948 and 1950,
and then
when I played down in Mexico. We beat Cuba but we lost to
Mexico. Another favorite memory is when I was picked for the 1950 World
Cup.
Any final thoughts?
I was lucky to play all over in California, in Mexico. In
the Open Cup
wins in ‘48 and ‘50, we were fortunate to have a good team and a
good
coach. To younger players - just have fun and have a good
time, soccer
is a great game. Enjoy it. I enjoy it, and it’s like
I said - my main
thing was baseball. I still played softball, fast pitch,
while I was
playing soccer. Just have fun. That’s all the
difference.
- July 2004 -
Where Are They Now
Jill Beauchesne of the the U.S.
National Soccer Team Player Association and the on-line journal
Round Not Oval reports her conversation with Hall of Famers in
our newest feature. |
