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David Socha
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David Stanley Socha (September 27, 1938 – February 10, 2025) was an American soccer referee. He is best known for supervising two matches in the FIFA World Cup, one in 1982[1] and one in 1986.[2] The 1982 match between Scotland and New Zealand marked the second ever World Cup match supervised by an American referee after Henry Landauer in 1970. Socha played in the semiprofessional leagues of the United States[3] and two seasons for Portsmouth in the 1950s.[4]
Key Information
Socha is known to have served as a FIFA referee during the period from 1979[5] to 1986.[2] His other international events include the 1984 Olympic tournament[6] in Los Angeles and qualifying matches for the 1982[7] and 1986[8] World Cups. During his career working matches in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1984,[9] Socha was the head referee for Soccer Bowl '82, and for game 1 of Soccer Bowl '84.[10][11] He was also an assistant referee at Soccer Bowl '78.[12]
Socha died at age 86 at his home in Ludlow, Massachusetts, on February 10, 2025.[9][13]
References
[edit]- ^ FIFA. "Match Report - Scotland - New Zealand 5:2 (3:0)" Archived June 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. June 15, 1982. Retrieved on June 5, 2013.
- ^ a b FIFA. "Match Report - Korea Republic - Italy 2:3 (0:1)" Archived July 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. June 10, 1986. Retrieved on June 5, 2013.
- ^ Vecsey, George (June 10, 1986). "Sports of the Times; Only Yank In the World". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ "The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search".
- ^ Reyes Padilla, Macario. "Mexico - International Results Details 1970-1979". RSSSF, September 18, 2008. Retrieved on June 5, 2013.
- ^ FIFA. "Match Report - Cameroon - Iraq 1:0 (1:0)". August 1, 1984. Retrieved on June 5, 2013.
- ^ "Honduras v Mexico, 22 November 1981". November 22, 1981. Retrieved on June 5, 2013.
- ^ "El Salvador v Honduras, 10 March 1985". March 10, 1985. Retrieved on June 5, 2013.
- ^ a b David S. Socha 1938–2025 (obituary) – Legacy.com. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
- ^ "NASL Soccer Bowl 84 - Game 1 (Sting vs. Blizzard) - First Half - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
- ^ "NASL Soccer Bowl 84 - Game 1 (Sting vs. Blizzard) - Second Half". YouTube.
- ^ TVS Broadcast footage
- ^ Lewis, Michael (February 12, 2025). "Socha, who officiated in two World Cups, passes away". FrontRowSoccer.com. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
External links
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