| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walter Eric Ziaja | ||
| Date of birth | (1949-07-02) July 2, 1949 (age 75) | ||
| Place of birth | Linz, Austria | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973 | Atlanta Chiefs | 1 | (0) |
| 1974 | Denver Dynamos | 5 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 1973 | United States | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| Arrowhead High School | |||
| Whitefish Bay High School | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Walter "Wally" Ziaja (born July 2, 1949) is a retired American soccer defender. He spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League and was a member of the U.S. soccer team at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He also earned four caps with the U.S. national team in 1973.
Player
National teams
Ziaja was selected to play with the U.S. team at 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. The U.S. went 0-2-1 in group play and failed to qualify for the second round. Ziaja played only one match, the 7–0 loss to West Germany. He earned his first cap on March 20, 1973, in a 4–0 loss to Poland. His last game was a 2–0 loss to Israel on November 15, 1973.
Professional
In 1973, Ziaja signed with the Atlanta Chiefs of the North American Soccer League (NASL). At the end of the season, the Chiefs moved to Denver where it became the Denver Dynamos. Ziaja played the 1974 NASL season with the Dynamo then left the league.
Coach
Ziaja later went on to coach at Arrowhead High School. In 2002, he became the girls' soccer coach at Whitefish Bay High School.
He is a member of the Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame.
References
- 1972 Olympic Soccer
- USA - Details of International Matches 1970-1979
- NASL Player Statistics
- Wisconsin Soccer Hall of Fame
External links
- Wally Ziaja at National-Football-Teams.com
- NASL stats
- Article on Ziaja’s recreational team
| United States soccer squad – 1972 Summer Olympics | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
- 1949 births
- Footballers from Linz
- American men's soccer players
- Austrian emigrants to the United States
- United States men's international soccer players
- Footballers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Olympic soccer players for the United States
- North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
- Atlanta Chiefs players
- Denver Dynamos players
- American soccer coaches
- Living people
- Men's association football defenders
- 20th-century American sportsmen