Cornelius Casey
Encyclopedia
Cornelius "Neil" Casey (1929–2001) is a former Irish-American football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 player. He earned four caps, scoring one goal, as a member of the U.S. national team.

Youth

Casey was born in Cahersiveen, County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...

, Ireland. His mother died when he was six and he lived most of his youth in a Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

 City orphanage. He left the orphanage when he was eighteen, served two years in the Irish Army, then moved to the United States, settling in New York City when he was twenty-one. He work at the NYSC. Soon after his arrival he entered the U.S. Army, serving during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

.

Professional career

When Casey arrived in New York, he joined the German-American soccer team, most likely in the German American Soccer League
German American Soccer League
The German American Soccer League is the previous name of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League, a semi-professional and amateur soccer league which was founded in 1923. The league competes primarily in the New York metropolitan area and northern New Jersey.-History:In 1923, five teams, S.C. New York,...

. In 1951, Casey played for the New York Americans
New York Americans (soccer)
The New York Americans were an American soccer club founded in 1931. Based in New York, New York, it played in both the first and second American Soccer Leagues.-History:...

 of the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

. In 1954, they won the league title and the U.S. Open Cup against St Louis.

National team

Casey earned all four of his caps in the four World Cup qualification matches played by the U.S. national team
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...

 in 1954. His first cap came in a January 10, 1954 qualification loss to Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...

. That was followed by another loss to Mexico four days later which put the U.S. out of the cup. In April, the U.S., with Casey, flew to Haiti
Haiti national football team
The Haiti national football team represents Haiti in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Haïtienne de Football, the governing body for football in Haiti. Haiti's home ground is Stade Sylvio Cator in Port-au-Prince and their head coach is Edson Tavares...

 for two meaningless qualification games. Despite the lack of significance, the U.S. won both games, played on the third and fourth of April. Casey opened the scoring in the twentieth minute of the April 3rd game, a 3-2 U.S. victory.

Personal life

Following his retirement from playing, Casey helped establish the first youth league in Ridgefield. He graduated from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

 with a bachelors in Engineering and later earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...

. He worked for Barnes Engineering of Connecticut as an aerospace engineer for thirty-two years. He specialized in rocket guidance and infrared systems and worked on the Apollo Missions. In 1994, he retired to Vermont. Casey died of lung cancer on October 17, 2001. He is buried in Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....

 in New Mount Calvery Cemetery

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 3 March 1954 Paul Magloire Stadium, Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....

, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

 
2-3 Win 1954 FIFA World Cup Q.
1954 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 45 teams entered the 1954 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. , as the hosts, and , as the defending champions, qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition....

Correct as of 27 August 2011

External links

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