Walter Schlothauer

Who is Walter Schlothauer?

Walter Schlothauer is a retired U.S. soccer player and coach. He played in several outdoor and indoor leagues. In 1980, he was the American Soccer League Rookie of the Year with the Cleveland Cobras.

Schlothauer attended Mentor High School where he holds the school’s single game, season and career scoring records. He was a two time All State soccer player in 1976, was named a High School All American. While in high school, he was selected to the first U.S. U-19 team which went on a tour of Germany in October 1975. Schlothauer entered Cleveland State University in 1976, playing on the men’s soccer team until 1979. He is third on the team’s list of career assists leaders. In 1980, he signed with the Cleveland Cobras of the American Soccer League. Playing as a forward, he scored seven goals in 22 games, earning Rookie of the Year honors. In the fall of 1980, he signed with the Cleveland Force in the Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1981, he moved to the Detroit Express and in 1983, he played for the Pennsylvania Stoners. In 1984, he played for the Houston Dynamos in the United Soccer League. In 1986, Hungary hosted an eight team FIFA futsal tournament. The tournament, which included the United States, served as a test bed for FIFA’s futsal rules. It laid the groundwork for the first FIFA Futsal World Cup in 1986. Schlothauer was part of the U.S. team at the 1986 test tournament, but took no part in the 1989 tournament. Schlothauer spent at least the 1986–1987 season with the Canton Invaders in the American Indoor Soccer Association. On Jan. 29, 1993, Schlothauer signed with the Cleveland Crunch in the National Professional Soccer League. He played out the remainder of the season, seeing time in 17 games. That was his last season of professional soccer. However in 2006, he is listed on a team roster in Beck’s National Soccer League, a four team indoor league in Cleveland, Ohio.