Class of 2015 Announced – Voting Now Open
Ballots have been finalized for the National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2015 elections, and voting has begun for the Player, Veteran Player and Builder categories. Voting will continue through Friday, March 20, and the election results will be announced shortly after. Induction ceremony details for the Class of 2015 will be announced at a later date.
Players in their first year of eligibility include the following:
Two-time FIFA World Cup participant and current Columbus Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter
13-year MLS veteran Jimmy Conrad
13-year MNT fixture and MLS Cup champion Frankie Hejduk
2008 Olympic gold medalist Natasha Ka
Four-time FIFA World Cup participant and three-time CONCACAF Gold Cup Champion Kasey Keller
10-year MNT veteran and current LA Galaxy technical director Jovan Kirovski
1996 Olympic gold medalist and 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Tiffeny Milbrett
Two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Pat Onstad
Three-time MLS Cup champion Eddie Robinson
Colombian MLS star Diego Serna
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Lindsay Tarpley
15-year veteran and two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Zach Thornton
Six-year WNT forward Christie Welsh
Of the 31 players on the Player ballot, Robin Fraser and Shannon MacMillan are in their final year of eligibility.
In order to be eligible for election as a Player, an individual must be retired for at least three years, but for no more than 10 years, and have either: 1) Played in at least 20 international games for the U.S., or 2) Played at least five seasons in an American first-division professional league and named to a postseason All-League or All-Star team at least once.
The voting pool includes all past and present full Men’s and Women’s National Team coaches, all active MLS and NWSL head coaches with a minimum of four years of experience as a head coach at the highest level in the United States, MLS and NWSL management representatives, the MLS and NWSL Commissioners, U.S. Soccer CEO/Secretary General, U.S. Soccer President, designated media members, and all Hall of Famers.
Each voter can list up to 10 candidates per ballot. Any player appearing on at least 66.7 percent of ballots will earn election, while any player who does not appear on at least five percent of ballots will be removed from voting contention until they qualify for the Veteran ballot.
2015 National Soccer Hall of Fame Player Ballot
Chris Armas, Gregg Berhalter*, Jimmy Conrad*, Robin Fraser**, Frankie Hejduk*, Chris Henderson, Natasha Kai*, Kasey Keller*, Jovan Kirovski*, Chris Klein, Jason Kreis, Eddie Lewis, Shannon MacMillan**, Clint Mathis, Tiffeny Milbrett*, Jaime Moreno, John O’Brien, Ben Olsen, Pat Onstad*, Steve Ralston, Ante Razov, Tiffany Roberts, Eddie Robinson*, Tony Sanneh, Briana Scurry, Diego Serna*, Kate Sobrero Markgraf, Lindsay Tarpley*, Taylor Twellman, Christie Welsh*, Zach Thornton*
*First year of eligibility **Final year of eligibility; Moves to Veteran ballot in 2016
In addition to the Player ballot, voting is also set to begin for the Veteran Player and Builder ballots. Nine players are up for selection on the Veteran ballot, which is voted on only by current Hall of Famers after the list has been narrowed down by a screening committee.
Voters can name up to five Veteran candidates, and the top vote-getter will be elected as long as he or she appears on a minimum of 50 percent of the ballots. If no individual appears on 50 percent of the ballots, then no Veteran will be elected to the 2015 Class. More than one candidate may be elected in the event of a tie.
In order to be eligible for election as a Veteran, an individual must be retired for more than 10 years, and have either: 1) Played in at least 20 international games for the U.S. This requirement is reduced to 10 games if the games were prior to 1990, or 2) Played at least five seasons in an American first-division professional league and named to a postseason All-League or All-Star team at least once. or 3) Played at least five seasons in the MISL between 1984 and the end of the league in 1992, and been selected as a first-team postseason All-Star in at least one of those seasons.
2015 National Soccer Hall of Fame Veteran Ballot
Mike Burns, John Doyle, Marco Etcheverry, Linda Hamilton, Mary Harvey, Shep Messing, Glenn Myernick, Cindy Parlow, Tisha Venturini-Hoch
The 2015 Builder ballot includes nine individuals selected by a screening committee and follows the same procedures for election as the Veteran ballot, although the voting pool is expanded to also include select soccer administrators.
Builders must be at least 50 years old and are eligible by making their mark in the soccer community in a non-playing capacity while sustaining a major and positive impact on American Soccer at the national federation or first-division level for at least 10 years. Referees must serve as a FIFA referee for at least seven years to be eligible (although a referee who has less than seven years as a FIFA international referee still can qualify for the list via 10 or more years as a United States first-division referee).
2015 National Soccer Hall of Fame Builder Ballot
Bob Contiguglia, Don Garber, Richard Groff, Robert Kraft, Tim Lieweke, Francisco Marcos, Fritz Marth, Kevin Payne, Sigi Schmid
Complete information about the election and eligibility procedures is available online at ussoccer.com.
The National Soccer Hall of Fame closed its Oneonta, N.Y., facility in 2010. The election process is being administered by U.S. Soccer Federation staff under election and eligibility guidelines established by the Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
Established in 1950, the National Soccer Hall of Fame is dedicated to the sport of soccer in America by celebrating its history, preserving its legacy, inspiring its youth and honoring its heroes for generations to come.
