Al Zerhusen

Al Zerhusen learned to play soccer (football) in Germany, after his family moved there when he was 5-years-old. He returned to the US in 1950 but returned to Germany after he was drafted into the US Army. Zerhusen was named to the US national team for the 1956 Olympics, and in pre-Olympic matches, scored 17 goals in 9 matches for the US. He later played in four internationals for the US in 1958 World Cup qualifying, although the US was eliminated. At the 1959 Pan American Games, the United States won a bronze medal, led by Zerhusen’s 10 goals including four in the match against Haiti.

Zerhusen was a midfielder who played club ball with the Los Angeles Kickers for 10 years, helping them win the National Challenge Cup in 1958 and 1964. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1978. He stayed active in soccer, after his playing days ended, as the director of the Los Angeles Soccer Club, and coaching several of the club’s teams.