Otto Decker
Otto Decker (born 19 September 1930) is a retired German-American soccer player who earned one cap, scoring two goals, with the U.S. national team in 1953.
Youth
Decker and his brother Rolf where born in Germany, but grew up in England. In March 1939, the Decker's parents, Ilse and Hans, sent the two boys to England as part of the kindertransport.[1] He attended the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, England from 1948 to 1950 after transferring from Wycombe Technical Institute in 1948. While at RGS, he played both soccer and cricket, as the wicket keeper.[2]
Club career
After graduating from RGS, Decker signed with Wycombe Wanderers before moving to the United States in 1950. He moved to the U.S., along with his brother Rolf Decker to rejoin their mother who lived there. When he arrived in the U.S. he joined New York Hakoah of the American Soccer League (ASL).
National team
Decker earned his lone cap as a second half substitute in the only U.S. game of 1953, a 6-3 loss to England. Decker came on at halftime and scored in the 59th and 67th minutes.[3] Despite such a productive start to his national team career, he was never called into the U.S. team again.
References
- American soccer players
- English footballers
- Wycombe Wanderers F.C. players
- American people of English descent
- American people of German-Jewish descent
- German emigrants to the United States
- German Jews
- Jewish American sportspeople
- People educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe
- United States men's international soccer players
- American Soccer League (1933–83) players
- New York Hakoah players
- 1930 births
- Living people
- American soccer biography stubs