Background
Pariani grew up in a working class Italian neighborhood called The Hill in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Pariani grew up in a working class Italian neighborhood called The Hill in Saint Louis, Missouri.
He earned 5 caps and scored 1 goal for the United States men"s national soccer team, and played on the 1950 Fédération internationale de football association World Cup team, including the United States. team"s historic 1–0 victory over England. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1976. The younger of two brothers, Pariani’s childhood consisted primarily of school, working at a local laundromat and playing street sports.
Pariani’s joined a local youth club when he was thirteen.
In 1943, Pariani joined Schumachers when he was fifteen. He then moved to Raftery’s South Carolina (U.S.) and remained with them through the 1946-1947 season.
That year he was voted the league Most Valuable Player. In 1947, Carrenti Cleaners came under new sponsorship. The renamed team, now known as Saint Louis Simpkins-Ford, recruited Pariani.
He would experience considerable success with Simpkins, winning the 1948 and 1950 United States. Open Cup championships.
He continued to play until 1963. Some time during his career, he also played for Calcaterra and Wildcats A.C. (before Christ) Pariani was a Saint Louis all-star selection every year from 1946 through 1953. His success at the club level led to Pariani’s selection to the United States. soccer team at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
The United States. lost 9-0 to Italy in the first round of this single elimination tournament.
Pariani did not play in this loss. Pariani gained his first caps with the United States. national team in an 11-0 loss to Norway on August 6, 1948.
His second cap came five days later in a loss to Northern Ireland. He did not play again with the full national team until the 1950 Fédération internationale de football association World Cup.
The invitation into the team came unexpectedly and Pariani had scheduled his wedding during the finals.
With the support of both families, he and his fiancé moved up the day to allow him to play in Brazil. When he left Saint Louis for New York, he had been married for only three days. He went on to score the lone United States. goal in the team’s first game of the finals, a 3-1 loss to Spain.
Four days later, he was a key part of the United States. victory over England, maintaining good ball possession.
He also sent Frank Wallace on a break towards the English goal, a break stopped by Alf Ramsey. Pariani’s last cap came in a 5-2 loss to Chile which put the United States. out of the cup.
In 1976, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Pariani died of bone cancer in Saint Louis, Missouri on May 9, 2007.
He is buried in Resurrection Cemetery in Affton, Missouri.
He was also a member of the United States. Olympic team in London in 1948. In January 2004, Pariani and the four other living members of the 1950 World Cup Team (Walter Bahr, Frank Borghi, Harry Keough and John Souza) were recognized as Honorary All-Americas by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America at its annual convention in Charlotte, North Carolina
