June 13 (1950)

The St. Louis contingent of the U.S. World Cup delegation prepares to head for the games in Brazil via a stop in New York City for training and a practice game against an English all-star team. Among the group of six players, an assistant coach, and U.S. Soccer Football Association president Walter Giesler is, for the first time, a referee: Prudencio “Pete” Garcia. Garcia (pictured) will become the first United States referee to officiate a World Cup game. Garcia is one of many immigrants from the zinc mining and smelting province of Asturias in Spain who move to St. Louis for employment at the Edgar Zinc Co. east of South Broadway. Garcia, who came to St. Louis as a child, becomes a bookkeeper at Mercantile Commerce Bank and Trust Co. But his real passions are his community and, especially, soccer. Garcia is credited as the co-founder, along with Ben “Chic” Fernandez, of the St. Louis Spanish Society in 1927. In soccer, Garcia helps start the Missouri Referees Association and helps organize teams and leagues. He referees in the Muny League for 20 years and officiates international matches played in St. Louis. He is named to FIFA’s 26-man referee pool for the 1950 World Cup. Garcia will work two group-stage matches, the semifinal between Sweden and Brazil before a crowd of nearly 139,000, and the third-place game. Only two other referees officiate in as many games at the 1950 World Cup. Garcia will be enshrined in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 1964. Giesler and all the St. Louis players on the team also will be named to the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame, Giesler for his lifelong influence on U.S. soccer as an administrator, and the players for their roles in the epic 1-0 upset of England at the 1950 World Cup.