Ballots have been finalized for the National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2016 elections, and several former players with connections to Columbus Crew SC are among the nominees.
Players in their first year of eligibility include Crew SC Assistant Coach and two-time Gold Cup champion Josh Wolff as well as Jeff Cunningham, who ranks first on the Black & Gold’s and second on Major League Soccer’s all-time regular season goal scorer lists.
They are joined by two-time Women’s World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brandi Chastain; three-time Olympic gold medalist and 2011 Women’s World Cup participant Heather Mitts; two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup participant Aly Wagner; and nine-year MLS veteran Wilman Conde.
Returning nominees with a Crew SC connection include Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter; Assistant Coach Pat Onstad; Brand Ambassador Frankie Hejduk, and former players Chris Henderson, Ante Razov and Tony Sanneh.
Voting will begin immediately for the Player, Veteran Player and Builder categories, and continue for three weeks. The results will be announced shortly after and induction ceremony details for the Class of 2016 will be announced at a later date.
In order to be eligible for election as a Player, an individual must be retired for at least three full calendar years, but for no more than 10 full calendar years, and have either: 1) Played in at least 20 full international games for the U.S.; if played prior to 1990, the game requirement is reduced to 10 games; or 2) Played at least five seasons in an American first-division professional league and named to a postseason league 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.
2016 National Soccer Hall of Fame Player Ballot:
- Chris Armas
- Gregg Berhalter
- Brandi Chastain
- Wilman Conde
- Jimmy Conrad
- Jeff Cunningham*
- Frankie Hejduk
- Chris Henderson
- Chris Klein
- Jason Kreis
- Eddie Lewis
- Clint Mathis
- Kate (Sobrero) Markgraf
- Tiffeny Milbrett
- Heather Mitts
- Jaime Moreno
- John O’Brien
- Ben Olsen
- Pat Onstad
- Steve Ralston
- Ante Razov
- Tiffany Roberts
- Tony Sanneh
- Briana Scurry
- Lindsay Tarpley
- Taylor Twellman
- Aly Wagner
- Josh Wolff
* First year of eligibility
Final year of eligibility; moves to Veteran ballot in 2017
In addition to the Player ballot, voting will also begin for the Veteran Player and Builder ballots. Ten 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. They include former Crew SC players Robin Fraser and Manny Lagos are featured on the Veteran ballot.
2016 National Soccer Hall of Fame Veteran Ballot:
- Mark Chung
- Troy Dayak
- Danielle Fotoloulos
- Robin Fraser
- Brian Kamler
- Manny Lagos
- Shannon MacMillan
- Oscar Pareja
- Evan Whitfield
- Richie Williams
The 2016 Builder ballot includes seven 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.
2016 National Soccer Hall of Fame Builder Ballot:
- Esse Baharmast
- Bob Contiguglia
- Don Garber
- Joe Machnik
- Francisco Marcos
- Fritz Marth
- Steve Sampson
Complete information about the election and eligibility procedures is available online at ussoccer.com.
