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 The National Soccer Hall
of Fame’s 2005 Election Announcement, presented by “The Game of Their Lives,”
will be made on April 19th beginning at 4:00pm ET on
ESPNEWS
with the Class of 2005 appearing on Fox & Friends on
Wednesday.
The 2005 Election
Announcement is one of the most anticipated announcements
in Hall of Fame history with a number of well-known stars,
such as Marcelo Balboa, Mike Burns, Thomas Dooley, John
Harkes, Peter Nowak, Hugo Perez, Tab Ramos, Carlos
Valderrama, and Peter Vermes, on the ballot. Most of these
players were pioneers in the formation of Major League
Soccer as well as stars for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
The ballot also includes several members of the U.S.
Women’s National Team who won the
Women's World Cup
in 1991 or 1999 (Wendy Gebauer, Linda Hamilton, Mary
Harvey, and Sara Whalen).
2005 Eligibility List
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2005 Eligibility Criteria |
Biographies
“The
Class
of 2004
began a new era for
soccer in the United States as the Hall of Fame inducted
its first Major League Soccer veterans,
Paul Caligiuri
and
Eric Wynalda,”
Hall of Fame President/CEO Will Lunn stated. “This year’s
announcement will be another outstanding event, the ballot
is packed with stars and great players and the inductees
will be announced on national television at simultaneous
press conferences in three cities. The Hall of Fame’s
mission is to help build the sport by honoring its heroes
and I can’t think of a more public way to do just that.”
The players announced on April 19th will be inducted into
the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, NY at the
official ceremony on August 29th.
Each location will include
a national announcement on
ESPNEWS anchored by Hall of
Famer and ABC Sports and ESPN soccer analyst Eric Wynalda
(Class
of 2004)
followed by a press conference open to all media. The
newly elected Hall of Famer, national and local soccer
officials, and a Hall of Fame representative will be
available to respond to media questions at all locations.
Contacts:
Hall of Fame
Jack Huckel
(607) 432-3351 ext. 209
Colorado Rapids
Jurgen Mainka
(303) 522-7408
D.C. United
Doug Hicks
(202) 587-5448
MetroStars
Matt Chmura
(201) 583-7006
The Game of Their Lives
Ryan Chingcuangco
(310) 887-1044
ESPN
Paul Melvin
(860) 766-9581
About the National Soccer Hall
of Fame and Museum
Located in
Oneonta, NY, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a 30,000
square foot, state-of-the-art museum in 1999. The Hall of Fame
tells the story of soccer in
America through artifacts, photographs, and video clips. The new
Hall features an extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks
Zone where visitors have fun kicking,
heading and playing computer trivia stations and video
soccer games. The VideoWall portrays some of the greatest
moments and the greatest goals in history as well as live soccer
action with World Cup, MLS, and U.S. Soccer matches. Unique and
rare artifacts on exhibit range from the world’s oldest soccer
ball to the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy won by the USA in
1999,
Pelé's and Mia Hamm’s uniforms, Kristine Lilly’s golden
shoes, NASL championship rings, the original MLS championship
trophy, MLS gallery - it’s all at the National Soccer Hall of
Fame. In addition to the interactive Museum, the National Soccer
Hall of Fame complex boasts the
Kicks
Zone Store,
a research library, four world-class soccer fields and
office/meeting facilities. The Hall plans to add a stadium, an
indoor soccer arena and housing facilities in the future.
The mission of
the National Soccer Hall of Fame is to celebrate the history,
honor the heroes, inspire the youth and preserve the legacy of
soccer in the United States.
The National
Soccer Hall of Fame is open every day of the year, except
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Admission is $9.00 for
adults, $8.00 for students, $6.50 for children 6 or older and
senior citizens. Children 5 and under are free.
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