|
 Nick
Kropfelder currently lives in Catonsville, Maryland, and
spends most of his summer days at Ocean City, where he has
perfected the art of relaxing nearly as much as he perfected the
sport of soccer. Once a star player for the Baltimore Americans
and the Philadelphia Nationals in the American League, Nick was
the league’s top scorer in 1951 while playing with the Nationals
and also won ASL championships in 1950 and 1951, as well as
three Lewis Cups in 1951, 1952, and 1953.
Nick also worked in
soccer for a referee after retiring from play. He says he’ll
never forget the “soccer diehards” of Baltimore who would come
out and play tooth and nail soccer every weekend under his
supervision. Thankfully, as Nick explains, the players putting
their bodies on the line for “East” Baltimore or “South”
Baltimore in those amateur leagues respected him enough to
listen when he blew a whistle to stop a fight.
 As far as playing
days, Nick remembers his time with the Philadelphia Nationals as
the best soccer days; he calls this team the “greatest in his
memory” and says it was those experiences that he’ll remember
more than anything else about playing professional soccer in the
mid-20th century.
Where do you live today? Do you
still live in Baltimore?
Well, I’m 81 years old and it’s a
good feeling to be living just about anywhere! Right now, I’m
down in Ocean City, Maryland, where we have a house. I’m just
enjoying myself. Usually, I live in Maryland, near Baltimore in
a city called Catonsville. Catonsville is close to Ellicot City.
Do you still get out to play or
watch any soccer? How involved were you in the game after you
retired?
When I stopped playing, I was a
referee for many years, mainly for colleges in the East. I did
some games for the Naval Academy, and around town in the Mason
Dixon and ECAC divisions. I was a ref for college mostly but I
also did a lot of amateur ball around town in Baltimore. If you
think that was easy, think again. In those days it was South
Baltimore against East Baltimore. Every game was a fight. You
had to referee the games and the fights. It was great in those
days. I enjoyed playing and refereeing. Refereeing wasn’t hard,
it was just something to overcome. Fortunately for me, all of
the guys respected me. I didn’t have many problems. After I
refereed, I became president of the Old Timer’s Association in
Baltimore. We had 300 members and our own Hall of Fame. We were
like the Philadelphia Old Timers. They came to our events, and
we went to theirs. I’m the ex-president right now.
You have seen soccer evolve into
a major professional sport in your lifetime. What have been the
biggest changes in the game of soccer during the 20th century?
The changes in soccer are
tremendous. I enjoy watching the women very much, more so than
the MLS. The women play position soccer, and they know what
they’re doing. I saw many of the World Cup games. The formations
they use today are totally different. We used 5 men on forward
line, but they use all kinds of formations now. I think the kids
today are much more talented than we were. They play all year
long, and they’re very good, a lot of talent in this country for
soccer, no question about it. Even for the referees, it’s become
a different game. I like to watch the kids. I like watching
college soccer in particular. I’ve been to the NCAA finals a
couple of times. The MLS is OK, but they have a long way to go.
There’s a lot of talent. I think it’s better for the young MLS
guys who are talented to go overseas first and then come back,
to learn to play the real game.
How are your friends and family
members involved in soccer, if at all?
My son was involved in soccer. He
played at Mt. St. Mary’s (Maryland), and he also played baseball
there. He went away to play baseball. My grandson played soccer
but he’s into swimming now, and my granddaughter is into
swimming too but she played soccer as well.
What were some of your greatest
moments while playing soccer? What are your favorite memories?
 Every Sunday was fun stuff for me.
When I played in Baltimore I didn’t have to travel except to New
Jersey, New York, or Philly. When I played with the Philly
Nationals, I had to travel every Sunday. All of the guys,
whenever we all traveled on the train, we always carried a ball,
and we practiced on the train. We enjoyed the train trips as
much as the games themselves. For a greatest moment, I scored
two goals against Canada, and one was just the greatest shot I
ever made. It was tremendous. Jackie Hynes threw the ball over
from the right side. He’s often told me that that was the best
shot he ever saw. For him to say that, it must have been
something. I scored a goal against Manchester when we played
them in New York. Mainly, my playing days with the Philadelphia
Nationals were my greatest moments. They were top players. I
enjoyed my time there very much.
What soccer players and teams,
past and present, do you most admire?
Well, the best team I was involved
with was the Philadelphia Nationals. I think we won two or three
championships in the American League. I was the high scorer one
year, and close to being the high scorer for a couple of years.
Just playing with those fellows was a tremendous experience. We
had a great club. Jimmy Mills was the manager. He coached
college as well; I think he coached at Haverford. He was quite a
coach, an old Scottish guy. He never told us what to do, we just
went out and played, and it was great.
I’ve just always enjoyed the
game, whether I made any money or not. I’ve enjoyed the game.
When I was inducted I told one of my favorite stories. When I
played for Baltimore, my first year in the ASL, my manager and I
were on the train, coming back from New York and I’d scored two
goals against Chesney, the great goalkeeper of the day. There
were little brown envelopes that he gave out with our pay for
the day. He gave me my envelope. I opened it, and much to my
chagrin, there were three one-dollar bills, my pay for the day
(laughs). But for him, I would have played for nothing. Three
dollars for a game, how do you like that? Times have changed.
- June 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. |
