May 22, 2006
Saint Louis Billikens' two-time national Player of the Year Al Trost has been elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He was also one of the premier American players in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and was captain of the United States National Team in the early 1970s. Trost was elected in his fifth year on the veteran's ballot.
"Al is a great addition to the induction class of 2006," Hall of Fame President/CEO Will Lunn said. "The American players were often overshadowed by the big name players from around the world, but Al certainly fit well among those players, carving out a well-deserved reputation as a top midfielder even as he competed against many of the world's best."
Trost was a star at SLU where he compiled 61 career points (26G, 9A), was named National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America in 1970 and was a two-time winner of the Hermann Award, emblematic of the nation's top collegiate player. His NASL career took him to the St. Louis Stars then on to the California Surf and Seattle Sounders. In his seven years in the league, he scored 38 goals and had 24 assists.
He played 14 times for the United States in international play and 10 times as an Olympian. He made his national team debut on August 12, 1973, against Poland and scored a goal in his first match. His Olympic debut was on July 18, 1971, against El Salvador, and he represented the United States in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.
Al joins an illustrious list of 15 St. Louis natives who have been honored with induction into the Hall of Fame, beginning with the immortal Harry Ratican from the inaugural class of 1950. Among the St. Louis Hall of Famers are five members of the 1950 U.S. team that defeated England at the World Cup, Frank Borghi, Charlie Colombo, Harry Keough, Gino Pariani and Frank "Pee-Wee" Wallace. Trost is the second Billiken player to be enshrined, joining Pat McBride, class of 1994.
Trost is currently the boys' and girls' soccer coach at Parkway South High School in St. Louis. He was inducted into the Saint Louis University Billiken Hall of Fame in 1994.
Trost will be joining players Alexi Lalas and Carla Overbeck and Builder Philip Anschutz at the induction ceremonies scheduled for Mon., Aug. 28, at the Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y. Details of the events are available on the Hall's web site www.soccerhall.org.
Veteran players are elected by vote of the Hall of Famers. Trost was named on 29 of the 57 ballots cast. The 15 players on the final ballot were selected through a vote of the veteran's screening committee, a 15-member Hall of Fame committee comprised of Hall of Famers who review the over 300 eligible veteran players to select the players who appear on the final ballot.
