Call him a soccer pioneer of sorts — especially once he arrived in the Harrisburg area and started to generate roots — Carl Wagner merely wanted to pass on the love of his sport to curious youngsters willing to give him and his game of choice a chance.

So, when he found a few club programs available on either shore, Wagner started his own teams, and eventually those curious youngsters came aboard ready to learn.

Yet whenever Wagner passed along his knowledge of the game, he didn’t do so in a loud way that would turn kids off and leave to find someone else to coach them — or something else that interested them to the point that soccer became an afterthought.

For most of his adult life, Wagner continued to teach, cajole and mentor youthful wannabes and even passed along some of his observ

See Full Page