Werner Fricker's roots in football began with the German-Hungarian Football Club in Philadelphia, which he captained to the 1965 U.S. National Amateur Cup. The previous year, he had played for the USA during Olympic Qualifying - an early hint of the major role he was yet to play in international football, which culminated 26 years later when the World Cup was awarded to the USA. By then, Mr. Fricker had risen to the rank of President of the United States Soccer Federation, from where he led the massive effort to bring the FIFA World Cup to the USA.