Werner Nilsen

One of the great forwards of the years before World War II Werner was a member of the United States World Cup team in Italy in 1934.

Born in Norway he moved to the United States in 1923 and played for the Norwegian-Americans of the Boston and District League from 1923 to 1925 and the Hub F.C. in the 1925-26 season before joining the Boston Wonder Workers of the American Soccer League in the summer of 1926.  He quickly established himself in the team, first at right half, and later at inside or center forward following in the line of other great Boston center forwards like Andy Stevens, Barney Battles and Johnny Blair. Known to everyone as "Scotty," he played for Boston from 1926 until 1929, before joining Fall River and then moving on to New Bedford and finally making a home for himself in St. Louis.

With Boston he was joint leading goalscorer in the American Soccer League, with Janos Nehadoma of Brooklyn Wanderers in the 1928-29 season, scoring 43 goals in 53 games.  He won the American Soccer League championship with Boston in the 1927-28 season playing  at right half, and the Lewis Cup in 1927 while playing at inside right. He played 239 games and scored 131 goals in the first ASL, placing him 10th on the all time scoring list.

After moving to Fall River to join the Marksmen he won won U.S. Open Cup winners' medals in 1930 and 1931 playing up front alongside Bert Patenaude.  He won his third U.S. Open Cup medal with New Bedford in 1932 then moved west to Missouri in 1933 along with several other members of the Whalers to join the Stix, Baer and Fuller team of St. Louis. Sponsored by the local Stix, Baer and Fuller department store, the team won the U.S. Open Cup 1933 and 1934, thus making it five cups in a row for the popular Norwegian. He missed the 1935 season but was back in the Open Cup final again in 1936 and 1937 with St. Louis Shamrocks but this time on the losing side.  He finished his career with St. Louis South Side Radios in the 1937-38 season.

In 1934 he was chosen to represent the United States in the FIFA World Cup played in Italy and played in both the qualifying game against Mexico and in the first round game against Italy.

In 1928 he toured Scandinavia during the summer months with a Norwegian-Swedish American All-Star team playing under the name of the New York Club, known as Viking, and made a second Scandinavia tour in 1931 as a guest player with Brooklyn Gjoa.

Off the field he worked part time modeling men's clothes for department stores in both Boston and St. Louis and also worked as a machinist.

He began his career in his native Norway playing for the local Grane club in Skein and was inducted into the St. Louis Old Time Soccer Players Hall of Fame in 1983.