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U.S. Soccer announces nominees for 2011 Hall of Fame induction

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

Cobi Jones, Eddie Pope and Jason Kreis highlight a strong group of first-timers among the nominees on the 2011 U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame ballot, which was released Thursday afternoon.

Jones, the United States' all-time leader in caps with 164, played in three World Cups and was one of the most recognizable and distinguished players of his era. Pope was a rock in central defense for both D.C. United and the national team and also appeared in three World Cups. Kreis, now the head coach for Real Salt Lake, was one of the most feared goal-scorers of his playing days, becoming the first in Major League Soccer to notch 100 goals. 

In order to be eligible for election, a player must be retired from playing for 3-10 years and either made at least 20 international appearances for the United States or played in an American first-division league for at least five years and been named to an all-star team or all-league team at least once. Being named on 66.7 percent of the ballots is what it takes to gain entry into the hall, which is still without a physical location after the building in Oneonta, N.Y., shut its doors last year.

Here's the entire list of nominees, including those on the player ballot, veteran ballot and builder ballot:

U.S. SOCCER HALL OF FAME 2011 NOMINEES

Player Ballot

  • Chris Armas
  • Mike Burns
  • Mauricio Cienfuegos
  • Raul Diaz Arce
  • Marco Etcheverry
  • Robin Fraser
  • Chris Henderson
  • Cobi Jones
  • Jason Kreis
  • Roy Lassiter
  • Carlos Llamosa
  • Shannon MacMillan
  • Joe-Max Moore
  • Victor Nogueira
  • Peter Nowak
  • John O'Brien
  • Cindy Parlow
  • Eddie Pope
  • Tiffany Roberts
  • Danielle Slaton
  • Earnie Stewart
  • Steve Trittschuh
  • Carlos Valderrama
  • Tisha Venturini-Hoch
  • Peter Vermes

Veteran ballot

  • Desmond Armstrong
  • George Best
  • Julio Cantillo
  • Teofilo Cubillas
  • John Doyle
  • Linda Hamilton
  • Bill McPherson
  • Shep Messing
  • Bruce Murray
  • Glen Myernick

Builder ballot

  • Chuck Blazer
  • Bob Contiguglia
  • Tony DiCicco
  • Bob Gansler
  • Francisco Marcos
  • Fritz Marth
  • Sigi Schmid

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Who gets your vote? Who do you think will be elected?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. It should be noted that Cobi Jones scored a grand total of Four (4) goals in Full Internationals over his entire career with the Nats. His last was on 08sep04 in a pre-hex match away to Panama.

    Cobi was a marketing poster-boy for the Fed. He earned a Purple Heart in Jeonju. But let’s make sure that his campaign is tempered with the truth of his contribution to the National Team, which, though important, was not on par with Wynalda, Balboa, Reyna, Lalas, etc.

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  2. One funny side note to Etcheverry….I went to a DC United game and watched from the family section…right next to us was about 30 or more of Etcheverry’s family members and every single one of them looked exactly like him. Both the men and women looked like cavemen.

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  3. Eddie Pope is the lock and is one of the best defenders (if not best) we have ever had. Cobi Jones was a great ambassador of the game with the MTV generation (myself included)he gets in on that a bit more than his playing. Etcheverry and Valderrama were incredible players in the beginning stages of MLS and made the games watchable. Stewart is my last pick for his solid and at times very good national team performances.

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  4. The two shoo-ins are Cobi and Eddie. Jones was the face of U.S. Soccer in the late 90s. Pope is arguably one of the two or three best CBs this country has produced. Beyond those two it gets a bit tougher to predict. Two-thirds of the ballots is not easy to reach. I think Stewart’s role with the USMNT makes him another solid choice. Whether he’ll reach 2/3 is another matter. Others who I feel are worthy are Etcheverry and Nowak. Kreis loses out because of lack of success with the USMNT. JOB loses out because of an injury shortened career. Had he stayed injury-free and in form through the ’06 WC he’d have been a shoo-in.

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  5. Hell yeah, I loved Johnny O. If he had been able to avoid injuries, I honestly think he would have gone down as the best American player. Ever. And, Eddie Pope is the man.

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  6. With all due respect to the notion of innocent before proven guilty, as well as all due respect to beating a dead horse, is it not prudent to make sure Blazer didn’t vote against the U.S. in the 2022 voting?

    I hate and stop myself from totally believing every internet rumor I hear as much as the next guy but those are some serious accusations; I mean, there is not a single reason that he would vote against the U.S. Without taking things too far, it’d be comparable to treason in a world much realer and fairer then FIFA.

    I’m not saying Blazer definitely did it, but when you are a person in power in 2011, and you have some form of major responsibility, you have a duty to prove them wrong if they are of a serious enough and relevant enough nature and this obviously is the epitome of that.

    Will FIFA ever release the votes? Not right now. So is it just Chuck’s word against someone else? If it is, we’ll likely never know, particularly if they are some anonymous source. Again, not saying Blazer did it, but the U.S. got *smoked* in voting. The notion of someone screwing us is not beyond the realm of possibility.

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  7. I’d argue that Kreis could get in simply for what he’s meant to MLS, being the scoring record holder for a while, coaching to an MLS title. Plus anyone who coaches a team where Robbie Findley actually scored should get some extra consideration. (Cheap shot intended for Findley, not for Bob)

    I love that Victor Nogueira is there. I used to love watching that guy in goal for the Sockers in the early 90’s when they were crushing everyone. I don’t think he stands a chance at election, but no matter… he’s probably already in the MISL hall of fame in some dude’s converted garage in Dallas… I bet his picture’s right up next to the Bud Light Bikini girl poster circa 1987, and a set of antlers.

    Good times.

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  8. Gansler definitely should get the “builder’ nod.

    Mooch should be in the Hall, but I’d tap Shep first.

    Players? I’m biased to Americans. I go with Pope, Jones and MacMillan. But, you can’t discount Etcheverry’s place in MLS history.

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  9. Bob Gansler coached the US National Team at the 1990 World Cup, the team’s first appearance at the tournament since 1950.

    Everything we have today is part due to Coach Gansler….ya’ll better recognize…..

    How ’bout a little love to Mooch? Maybe Ives should school everyone with a history lesson?

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  10. A great suggestion!

    Eddie Pope was a beast.

    Diaz Arce is my all-time favorite DCU player. When he, Etcheverry and Moreno played together so many of their goals were like great kisses.

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  11. The US Soccer Hall of Fame has had a habit in recent years of being really harsh on those US players who didn’t have much NT career. (E.g. Sorry Kreis, Fraser, if there was an MLS HoF, you’d be sure things.)

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  12. Wow, there are a lot of good names on there. Pope is the lock of locks. Some of you young whippersnappers may not remember those distantdays when he was arguably the best player in a US shirt.

    Tony DiCico should get in on the Builder Ballot. Winning a world cup will do that for a coach.

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  13. in the veteran ballot list there is -Teofilo Cubillas, was he involved with USA soccer? I believe he is a peruvian forward from the 70s.

    I would like to know more about it.

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