Former U.S. national team standouts Megan Rapinoe, Jozy Altidore and Julie Ertz were among those elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Thursday.
David Beckham, who helped grow soccer in the United States when he joined the LA Galaxy in 2007 and later as an owner of Inter Miami, was also voted into the Hall of Fame on the veteran ballot.
Advertisement
The group announced Thursday will be inducted on April 16 at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Plano, Texas.
Rapinoe won a pair of Women’s World Cup championships, an Olympic gold medal and the 2019 Ballon d’Or during her career. She was also honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2022.
She retired from the national team in 2023 with 63 goals and 73 assists in 203 appearances. She also played for the Seattle Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League from the league’s first year in 2013 until her retirement.
Rapinoe was elected on the Hall of Fame’s player ballot in her first year of eligibility. Her family, friends, and a group of fans surprised her with announcement of her election upon her arrival off a flight at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Advertisement
“To be alongside all the greatest players that have played for us, and played for our country alongside a bunch of my teammates and friends, recognized like that in this way just means you were successful and a part of great teams. So, I definitely was a part of some some great teams, and yeah, it’s very special,” Rapinoe said in a video posted to social media.
Altidore played in the World Cup twice and scored 42 international goals, to rank third in U.S. history, in 115 appearances for the national team. He also scored the winning goal for Toronto FC in the 2017 MLS Cup championship.
Ertz was considered among the best defensive midfielders in the world before her retirement in 2023. She played in three Women’s World Cups and was named U.S. Soccer’s Player of the Year twice. She also played professionally for the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars from 2014 to 2021, before a short stint with Angel City in 2023.
Known for winning six Premier League titles while with Manchester United, Beckham looms large in the game’s growth in the United States. He won back-to-back titles with the Galaxy, scoring 18 goals in 98 appearances. He exercised his option to buy an MLS expansion team in 2014, and Inter Miami joined the league in 2020.
Advertisement
Tatu, a Brazillian forward who scored 857 regular-season goals over a 21-year indoor soccer career, was also elected to the Hall of Fame on the veteran ballot. He is just the third indoor player to receive the honor.
Former U.S. national team coach Lothar Osiander was elected to the Hall of Fame on the builder ballot. Osiander coached the senior national team from 1986-88 and the under-23 team from 1988-92. He also had stints as head coach of the then-San Jose Clash and the LA Galaxy.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
