Manfred "Manny" Seissler (German: Manfred Seißler) (born August 8, 1939) is a former soccer player who began his career in the lower German divisions before moving to the United States. He played one season in the National Professional Soccer League and seven in the North American Soccer League. Born in Germany, he earned one cap with the U.S. national team in 1973.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | August 8, 1939 | ||
| Place of birth | Germany | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1960–1961 | KSV Hessen Kassel | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1961–1963 | Hessen Kassel | 15 | (3) |
| 1963–1965 | Pforzheim | 18 | (6) |
| 1965–1966 | Entracht Trier | 0 | (0) |
| 1967 | Pittsburgh Phantoms | 16 | (10) |
| 1968–1970 | Kansas City Spurs | 48 | (14) |
| 1971–1973 | Rochester Lancers | 38 | (14) |
| 1971 | Rochester Lancers (indoor) | 2 | (1) |
| 1973 | Montreal Olympique | 6 | (1) |
| 1974 | Syracuse Scorpions | ||
| 1974 | Rochester Lancers | 1 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1973 | United States | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1972 | Rochester Lancers (assistant) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editGermany
editBorn in Germany, Seissler began his career in 1960 with the KSV Hessen Kassel junior team. In 1961, he moved to the first team which competed in the Oberliga Süd, the southern conference of the German first division back then, which preceded the creation of the Bundesliga. In 1963, he moved to Regionalliga Süd (Second Division) club 1. FC Pforzheim. In 1965, he moved to SV Eintracht Trier 05 of the Second Division.[1]
United States
editIn 1967, he left Germany for the United States where he signed with the Pittsburgh Phantoms of the National Professional Soccer League. The NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association in 1968 to form the first incarnation of the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Phantoms folded and Seissler signed with the Kansas City Spurs. With the Spurs he won the NASL championship of 1969 and Seissler played with them, in the end as captain, until they folded following the 1970 season.
He then transferred to the Rochester Lancers. While with Rochester, Seissler participated in the first NASL-sanctioned indoor tournament in 1971. He scored one goal and one assist in two matches and was named to the all-tournament team.[2] In 1973, the Lancers traded Seissler to the Montreal Olympique but it folded at the end of the season and Seissler returned to the Lancers for the 1974 season. He played only one game, then retired.[3] During his early years in the NASL, Seissler was one of the league's top forwards, being named a first team All Star in 1969, 1970 and 1971.[4] In 1977, he was named to the Rochester Lancers Team of the Decade.[5] Seissler was named to the Lancers Wall of Fame in 2017.[6]
International career
editSeissler earned one cap with the U.S. national team in a 4–0 loss to Poland on March 20, 1973. He started the game, but came off for Siegfried Stritzl in the 58th minute.[7]
References
edit- ^ Hessen Kassel: Manfred Seissler
- ^ Flachsbart, Harold (March 20, 1971). "Fans Get A Kick Out Of Hoc-Soc". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- ^ NASL Archives
- ^ "NASL All-Star Teams". Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ Lewis, Michael (August 3, 1977). "Lancers can win title only by optimum output". Democrat and Chronicle. p. 50.
- ^ Lewis, Michael (June 26, 2017). "HITTING THE WALL AGAIN: Lancers to induct 4 new members into their Wall of Fame". FrontRowSoccer.com. Front Row Soccer. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- ^ USA - Details of International Matches 1970-1979 Archived February 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine