Hall of Fame: Class of 2021 finalists are named

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Feb 3, 2021

The National Soccer Hall of Fame announced its finalists for Class of 2021 consideration on three ballots: 20 individuals on the Player ballot and another 10 apiece on the Veteran and Builder ballots.

The Hall of Fame’s new selection committees will vote Feb. 5-10 after they meet to discuss the finalists. The 2021 class will consist of 2-4 inductees, according to the Hall of Fame's new rules (see below).

The 2021 class will be announced in March and join the 2020 class (Carlos Bocanegra and Andres Cantor, the Colin Jose Media Award winner) in being enshrined during a ceremony May 22 at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas.

Players:
David Beckham
Gregg Berhalter
Shannon Boxx
Lori Chalupny
Lauren Cheney Holiday
Steve Cherundolo
Kevin Hartman
Frankie Hejduk
Thierry Henry
Keith Johnson
Shalrie Joseph
Pablo Mastroeni
Josh McKinney
Heather Mitts
Oguchi Onyewu
Christie Pearce Rampone
Cat Reddick Whitehill
Hope Solo
Aly Wagner
Josh Wolff

The list includes eight females and six males who have represented the USA in the World Cup. Two finalists -- Johnson and McKinney -- were chosen as former members of  U.S. extended national teams (Para 7-a-Side, Futsal and Beach Soccer).

Veterans:
Marco Etcheverry
Linda Hamilton
Angela Hucles
Clint Mathis
Shep Messing
Jaime Moreno
Steve Ralston
Tony Sanneh
Kate Sobrero Markgraf
Tisha Venturini-Hoch

The finalists include four former U.S. world champions.
 
Builders:
Esse Baharmast
Clive Charles
Joe Cummings
Richard Groff
Brian Hall
Sandra Hunt
Tim Leiweke
Francisco Marcos
Kevin Payne
Kari Seitz

Builders include referees, coaches and other contributors. Depending on the year, only referees, coaches or contributors will be considered for induction, and every four years — including 2021 — all eligible builders will be up for election.

New voting rules:
1. If both a Veteran and a Builder are being elected, the top two vote earners from the Player ballot also will be elected.

2.  If either a Veteran or a Builder is not being elected, the top three vote-earning Players will be elected if all three received at least 66.7% of the votes.

3. If neither a Veteran nor a Builder is being elected, the top three vote-earning Players will be elected if all three received at least 50% of the Voting Committee’s votes.

4. Candidates must be named to at least 50% of Voting Committee ballots to be elected.