Bill Bertani

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William “Bill” Bertani is a former U.S .soccer player who was a member of the 1948 U.S. Olympic soccer team. He also earned two caps with the U.S. national team that year.

[edit] Club career

Bertani spent his playing career in St. Louis, Missouri. He was with the St. Louis Raiders during the 1947-1948 season.^[1] In 1948, he joined St. Louis Simpkins-Ford and was a member of the Simpkins team which won both the 1948 and 1950 U.S. Open Cup.^[2] He was the second leading scorer with seven goals during the 1947-1948 St. Louis Major League season.^[3]

Bertani was inducted into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame in 1975.^[4]

[edit] National and Olympic teams

In 1948, Bertani was selected for the U.S. soccer team at the Summer Olympics. Bertani played in the 9-0 loss to Italy in the first round of the Olympics, which eliminated the U.S. from the tournament.^[5]

Following the Olympics, the U.S. played two full internationals, an 11-0 loss to Norway, followed by a 5-0 loss to Northern Ireland on August 11, 1948.^[6]

[edit] References