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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Florie | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1897-09-06)September 6, 1897 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Harrison, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | April 26, 1966(1966-04-26) (aged 68) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | North Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1921–1922 | Harrison S.C. | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 1922–1924 | American | ||||||||||||||||
| 1924–1928 | Providence F.C. | 166 | (63) | ||||||||||||||
| 1928–1931 | New Bedford Whalers II | 121 | (47) | ||||||||||||||
| Spring 1931 | →Fall River F.C. | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| Fall 1931–1932 | →New Bedford Whalers III | 19 | (15) | ||||||||||||||
| 1932–1934 | Pawtucket Rangers | ||||||||||||||||
| 1934 | Pawtucket F.C. | ||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1925–1934 | United States | 8 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Thomas Florie (September 6, 1897 – April 26, 1966) was an Americansoccerforward. He played in both the first and secondAmerican Soccer Leagues, winning twoNational Challenge Cup titles. Florie was also a member of theUnited States men's national soccer team at the1930 and1934 FIFA World Cup. He was inducted into the U.S.National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986.
Born inNew Jersey to Italian immigrant parents, Florie played soccer as a youth, but service in the Navy duringWorld War I delayed the start of his career. In 1922, Florie signed withHarrison S.C. of theAmerican Soccer League. However, he only played three games before leaving Harrison to play for American A.A. in the West Hudson Amateur League.[1]
In 1924, Florie returned to the ASL when he signed withProvidence F.C. He quickly established himself as one of the top wing forwards in the league. In 1928, he began the season with Providence, now known as the Gold Bugs, before moving toNew Bedford Whalers II. He later joinedFall River F.C. but, the team only lasted the spring season before merging with theNew York Yankees to becomeNew Bedford Whalers III. In 1932, the Whalers defeatedStix, Baer and Fuller F.C., 8–5 on aggregate in theNational Challenge Cup final. Florie scored one goal in each of the two games.[2] Despite this victory, the Whalers collapsed that fall, followed soon after by the entire league. Florie then moved to thePawtucket Rangers which had jumped to the secondAmerican Soccer League. In 1934, Florie was on the losing side in the National Challenge Cup when the Rangers fell to Stix, Baer and Fuller in three games.[2] By that time, the Rangers had left the ASL. In 1941, Florie won his second National Cup when Pawtucket F.C. defeated Detroit Chrysler, 8–5 on aggregate, with Florie scoring one goal.[2]
Florie earned eightcaps, scoring two goals, with theU.S. national team from 1925 to 1934. His first cap came in a 1–0 loss toCanada on June 27, 1925. His second came a year later, this time a 6–2 win over Canada in which Florie scored. Florie was not called into the national team for the 1928 Olympics, but was called up for the1930 FIFA World Cup. He was named as the team captain as the U.S. went to the semifinals before falling toArgentina. His last national team game came in the first round loss toItaly in the1934 FIFA World Cup.[3]
Florie was inducted into theNational Soccer Hall of Fame in 1986.[4]
United States' goal tally first
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | November 6, 1926 | Brooklyn, United States |  Canada | 2–0 | 6–2 | Friendly |
| 2. | July 13, 1930 | Estadio Gran Parque Central, Montevideo,Uruguay |  Belgium | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1930 FIFA World Cup |
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