Gustav "Egon" or "Erwin" Pollak was an Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n footballer who played for the famed, SC Hakoah Wien (aka Hakoah Vienna). He was also the first ever manager of the Israeli national football team

Israel national football team

The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...

 in their 3-1 loss to the United States

United States men's national soccer team

The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...

 just after gaining independence.

Club career

Pollak began his career with SC Hakoah Wien in the Austrian League. In 1926, he moved to the United States where he played a single season with the New York Giants

New York Giants (soccer)

New York Giants was a name used by three different New York soccer teams. Two of these teams were associated with the New York Giants baseball franchise. The first team that used the name played in the American League of Professional Football in 1894...

 of the American Soccer League

American Soccer League

The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...

.