US Soccer has announced the individuals who will be included in the ballet for the 2018 National Hall of Fame class.
There are 32 nominees available for selection, 26 of which have ties to Major League Soccer. The eligibility criteria is as follows:
Eligibility for the National Hall of Fame in the player category is for those who have been retired at least three years but no more than 10 years, and to either play 20 full international games for the US national team (or 10 games for those who played prior to 1990), or played at least five seasons in an American first-division league and to be a postseason all-star selection at least once, or to have played at least five seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League between 1984 and 1992 and been selected a postseason all-star at least once.
Voting has begun for the Hall of Fame class of 2018 and will continue until March 26th with selected coaches, management in the professional leagues, US Soccer leadership, a select group of media members and all current Hall of Famers having the opportunity to cast their ballot.
Here is the full list of players eligible on the 2018 National Hall of Fame Player Ballot:
- Juan Pablo Angel
- David Beckham
- Gregg Berhalter
- Carlos Bocanegra
- Steve Cherundolo
- Brian Ching
- Bobby Convey
- Jeff Cunningham
- Jay DeMerit
- Brad Friedel
- Kevin Hartman
- Frankie Hejduk
- Thierry Henry
- Stuart Holden
- Eddie Johnson
- Chris Klein
- Eddie Lewis
- Lori Lindsey
- Kate Sobrero Markgraf
- Pablo Mastroeni
- Clint Mathis
- Tiffeny Milbrett
- Heather Mitts
- Jaime Moreno
- Ben Olsen
- Pat Onstad
- Steve Ralston
- Ante Razov
- Tony Sanneh
- Taylor Twellman
- Aly Wagner
- Josh Wolff
There are a couple of categories to highlight, including those that are eligible for the first time in 2018: Juan Pablo Angel, Carlos Bocanegra, Bobby Convey, Jay DeMerit, Brad Friedel, Lori Lindsey, Thierry Henry, Stuart Holden and Eddie Johnson. Ante Razov is in the final year of eligibility before he moves to the Veteran ballot in 2019.
US Soccer is combining the induction event and concert with the first-ever National Soccer Hall of Fame Game, pitting FC Dallas against Sporting KC on the weekend of October 20th as they celebrate the grand opening of the new National Hall of Fame at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
