| National Soccer Hall of Fame | |
| Map Type: | USA Texas |
| Established: | (as institution in 1979) |
| Visitors: | 17,000 per year |
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a public-private partnership among FC Dallas, the City of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District, and the U.S. Soccer Federation,[1] and currently located in Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. It honors soccer achievements in the United States. Induction is the highest honor in American soccer.[2] [3] [4]
The Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 by the Philadelphia "Old-timers" Association, a group of former professional and amateur soccer players that wanted to recognize the achievements of soccer in America.[5]
The Hall of Fame museum opened on June 12, 1999, in Oneonta, New York. The museum featured the hall of fame, a library, and an interactive soccer play area.The United States National Soccer Team Players Association partnered with the Hall of Fame to create the Time In program, which honored people with a connection to soccer battling leukemia. Since the disease disproportionately targets children, a majority of the honorees were youth soccer players.[6]
Prior to the 2005 induction of the "Magnificent Five", individuals from the early and mid 20th century had been largely ignored. This change was brought about by the acquisition of a large volume of historical records relating to this period. These records combined with previously developed eligibility criteria led to the induction of Tommy Fleming, Alex McNab, Johnny Nelson, Werner Nilsen and Fabri Salcedo, five players whose notable careers all took place prior to 1950. The "Magnificent Five" were inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame in August 2005.[7]
Sports Illustrated reported on September 4, 2009 that the Hall would be closing to the public outside of certain match days. As a result of financial difficulties, the Hall cut six of its nine employees during that same month.[8] The director of the Hall of Fame for almost ten years, Jack Huckel, left his position on December 18, 2009.[9] On February 10, 2010, it was announced that the Hall would close its facility, though inductions will continue.[10] [11]
In September 2015, it was announced that a new Hall of Fame museum would be built at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, the home of Major League Soccer club FC Dallas.[12] The new museum opened during the 2018 Enshrinement Ceremony on October 20, 2018.[13] This new facility features additional memorabilia from soccer legends and high-tech, interactive exhibits.[14]
After the museum was closed, a collection of more than 80,000 items was distributed to various locations across the country, including the headquarters of Eurosport, a long-term corporate sponsor, in Hillsborough, North Carolina. The collection includes the following notable items:[5] [15]
Eligible individuals may be inducted into one of three categories: Player, Builder and Veteran (player). New individuals are inducted annually.
To be eligible in the Player category, an individual must have met number 1, and either number 2 or number 3, of the following three criteria:
Players who have met either no. 2 or no. 3 but who retired more than 10 years ago are automatically placed on the Veteran eligibility list.
To be eligible in this category, an individual must have had a major, sustained and positive impact on soccer in the United States at a national or first division professional level in non-playing capacity. Due to the broad, general nature of the criteria, nominations for this category may be considered. Nominations are screened by the Hall of Fame Historian and Researcher who submit their recommendations to the Hall as to the appropriateness of the nominee's inclusion on the eligibility list.
The National Soccer Hall of Fame's Medal of Honor is the highest honor given to people who have grown the sport of soccer in the United States.[16] The Medal is awarded to individuals who has "demonstrated vision and played an historic role in changing the course of soccer in America."[17] The Medal has been given out only four times in history.
| Number | Awarded | Name | Achievements | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1998 | Director of the 1994 World Cup[18] President of U.S. Soccer (1990–98) Oversaw the establishment of MLS | ||
| 2 | 1999 | Co-founder of the NASL (1967–84) Owner of 3 MLS teams during the early 2000s[19] Built the second soccer-specific stadium in the country after Bethlehem Steel in 1913 | ||
| 3 | 2001 | |||
| 4 | 2006 | The most influential person in growing soccer in the U.S. Owned 6 of 10 MLS teams during the early 2000s Pushed MLS's development of soccer-specific stadiums |
See main article: 2009 National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Class. In 2009, the Hall of Fame inducted Jeff Agoos and Joy Fawcett in the Player category.
See main article: 2010 National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Class. In 2010, Thomas Dooley and Preki Radosavljević were inducted in the Player category, Kyle Rote, Jr. in the Veteran category, and Bruce Arena in the Builder category.
See main article: 2011 National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Class. On February 17, 2011, the Hall of Fame announced the candidates eligible for induction into the Hall for that year in all three categories. On March 29, 2011, the Hall of Fame announced that Cobi Jones, Eddie Pope, and Earnie Stewart would be inducted in the Player category. Bruce Murray was selected for the Veteran category, and Bob Gansler was selected in the Builder category.[20]
On January 31, 2012, the United States Soccer Federation announced that the ballots were finalized for the Induction Class of 2012. Voting began on the day of the announcement and continued until February 17. Twelve Players were added to the ballot after qualifying for the first time. They included Tony Meola, Claudio Reyna, Jose Burciaga Jr., Ronald Cerritos, Lorrie Fair, Jennifer Lalor, Ronnie O'Brien, Ante Razov, David Regis, Thori Staples Bryan, Greg Vanney and Kerry Zavagnin. Of the remaining nine players in the pool, Mike Burns, Peter Nowak, Carlos Valderrama, and Peter Vermes were in their final year of eligibility.[21]
On February 29, 2012, the USSF announced the induction of Tony Meola and Claudio Reyna in the Player category, Desmond Armstrong in the Veteran category, and Tony DiCicco in the Builder category. Reyna and Meola greatly exceeded the two-thirds threshold required to enter the Hall, receiving 96% and 90% of the vote respectively.[22]
On October 11, 2013, the Hall of Fame inducted Joe-Max Moore as a Player and Peter Vermes as a Veteran.[23]
On February 14, 2015, the Hall of Fame inducted the Class of 2014: Kristine Lilly (Player), Brian McBride (Player), and Bob Bradley (Builder).[24]
On April 8, 2015, the USSF announced the Hall of Fame Class of 2015: Kasey Keller (Player), Glenn Myernick (Veteran), and Sigi Schmid (Builder).[25]
On May 5, 2016, the USSF announced the Hall of Fame Class of 2016: Brandi Chastain (Player), Shannon MacMillan (Veteran), and Don Garber (Builder).[26] Garber later deferred his enshrinement in the Hall to 2018.[27]
On August 3, 2017, former United States women's national soccer team goalkeeper Briana Scurry and Joe Machnik were elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in the Player and Builder categories respectively.[28]
On May 31, 2018, five new Inductees were announced: Cindy Parlow Cone (Veteran), Brad Friedel (Player), Tiffeny Milbrett (Player), Bob Contiguglia (Builder), and Don Garber (Builder, deferred from 2016).[29] The 2018 class was the first class enshrined at the new facility in Frisco, Texas.
On September 21, 2019, the Hall of Fame inducted the Class of 2019: Abby Wambach (Player) and Sunil Gulati (Builder).[30]
In 2020, Carlos Bocanegra (Player) was the only person elected into the Hall of Fame; his induction was delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[31]
On October 2, 2021, the Hall of Fame inducted three members of the Class of 2021: Steve Cherundolo (Player), Jaime Moreno (Veteran), and Kevin Payne (Builder). Christie Pearce was also elected but deferred her induction to 2022. Carlos Bocanegra was also inducted as the lone member of the Class of 2020 after his induction was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.[32]
On May 21, 2022, the Hall of Fame inducted five members of the Class of 2022: Shannon Boxx (Player), Clint Dempsey (Player), Marco Etcheverry (Veteran), Linda Hamilton (Veteran), and Esfandiar Baharmast (Builder).[33] Hope Solo (Player) was also elected in 2022, but deferred her induction to 2023.[34]
On May 6, 2023, the Hall of Fame inducted the Class of 2023: DaMarcus Beasley (Player), Landon Donovan (Player), Lauren Holiday (Player), Kate Markgraf (Player), Steve Zungul (Player), and Jill Ellis (Builder). Hope Solo was also inducted after being elected as part of the Class of 2022.[35]
The Colin Jose Media Award is an honor bestowed on members of the media whose contributions to soccer in the United States are deemed of an "exceptional and sustained" quality. The award is named for Colin Jose, who served as official historian of the National Soccer Hall of Fame from 1997 to 2007, and who is recognized internationally as the preeminent authority on the history of soccer in North America.[39]
The MLS Hall of Fame Game was an annual friendly match between two MLS teams. It corresponded with the induction of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. The game took place at At-A-Glance Field in Oneonta, NY.
| Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 11, 2004 | 2 | 0 | |||
| August 29, 2005 | 6 | 2 | |||
| September 6, 2006 | vs. | [41] |