National Soccer Hall of Fame Announces All Eligible Candidates for 2027 Election

July 27, 2026

List Includes 16 Players in Their First Year on the Eligibility List

FRISCO, TEXAS (July 27, 2026) — The National Soccer Hall of Fame at Toyota Stadium today released the names of all candidates eligible for election in 2027.

Of the 220 people named, 61 are on the Player Eligibility List, 127 are on the Veteran Eligibility List and 32 are on the Builder Eligibility List.

The Hall of Fame’s Screening Committees will narrow the Player, Veteran and Builder ballots before they and other members of the Voting Committees vote on the Final Ballot, electing a maximum of six new Hall of Fame members. As many as three Players and two Veterans can be selected, along with one Builder.

Player Eligibility List 

The Player Screening Committee is responsible for narrowing the 61-person list to a 20-person final ballot for the 2027 election.

The 16 players in their first year on the eligibility list are:

Ozzie Alonso: 15 seasons in Major League Soccer with one Best XI selection
Jozy Altidore: 115 games with the U.S. Men’s National Team
Jonathan Bornstein: Nine seasons in MLS with one Best XI selection and 38 games with the USMNT
Michael Bradley: 151 games with the USMNT
Drew Bremer: 54 games with the U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy (CP) National Team
Mix Diskerud: 38 games with the USMNT
Julie Johnston Ertz: Nine seasons in the National Women’s Soccer League with three Best XI selections and 123 games with the U.S. Women’s National Team
Will Frentz: 27 games with the U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team
Chad Johnson: 20 games with the U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team
Ali Krieger: One season in Women’s Professional Soccer and 10 seasons in the NWSL with three Best XI selections and 108 games with the USWNT
Jessica McDonald: One season in WPS and 11 seasons in the NWSL with one Best XI selection
Trip Neil: 50 games with the U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team
Megan Rapinoe: Three seasons in WPS and 10 seasons in the NWSL with one Best XI selection and 203 games with the USWNT
Natalie Russo-Dickey: 21 games with the U.S. Power Soccer National Team
Jose Francisco Torres: 26 games with the USMNT
Graham Zusi: 15 seasons in MLS with two Best XI selections and 55 games with the USMNT

The player list also includes 13 finalists who return from the 2026 election: Kyle Beckerman, Matt Besler, Geoff Cameron, Stephanie Lopez Cox, Dwayne DeRosario, Maurice Edu, Jermaine Jones, Robbie Keane, Chad Marshall, Samantha Mewis, Oguchi Onyewu, Amy Rodriguez, and Diego Valeri.

Edu and Onyewu are in their final year of eligibility on the Player ballot, along with Bryce Boarman, Andrew Feld, Shalrie Joseph, and Lewie Valentine. If not elected, they would move to the Veteran Eligibility List for the 2028 election.

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:

Played in at least 20 full international games for the U.S. Men’s National Team, Women’s National Team or Extended National Teams (Beach, Futsal, CP, Deaf and Power), or
Played at least five seasons in a United States first-division professional league and been named to a postseason league All-Star team at least once.

Veteran Eligibility List 

The Veteran Screening Committee will reduce the 127-person list to a 10-person final ballot through a two-step screening process.

The list includes 20 people who are appearing on the Veteran Eligibility List for the first time and four — Hubert Birkenmaier, Ken Cooper Sr., Steve Pecher, and David Vanole — who were restored to the list via appeal.

Those appearing on the Veteran Eligibility List for the first time are:

Aldo Balsano
Jamar Beasley
Nat Borchers
Jen Buczkowski
Conor Casey
Brad Davis
Whitney Engen
Giovanni Garcia
Oscar Gil
Herculez Gomez
Clarence Goodson
Keith Johnson
Mike Lawson
Mike Magee
Justin Mapp
Jamison Olave
Robbie Rogers
Carlos Ruiz
Gavin Sibayan
Kelly Smith

The 2026 Veteran finalists who return to the eligibility list are David Beckham, Chico Borja, Lorrie Fair, Francis Farberoff, Clint Mathis, Tiffany Roberts, Tatu and Aly Wagner.

To be eligible for election as a Veteran, an individual must be retired for more than 10 full calendar years and have either:

Played in at least 20 full international games for the U.S. Men’s National Team, Women’s National Team or Extended National Team (10 games if prior to 1990 or five games if prior to 1960), or
Played at least five seasons in a United States first-division professional league and been named to a postseason league All-Star team at least once, or
Played at least five seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League between the end of the NASL in 1984 and the end of the MISL in 1992 and been selected as a first-team all-star.

Builder Eligibility List

Builders are considered in three categories: referees, coaches and contributors. Beginning with the 2022 election, Builder selections have been limited each year to a rotation of the three categories — or to a selection from the full pool of candidates. The 2027 Builder election is open to coaches only.

The Builder Screening Committee will narrow the list of 32 candidates to a four-person final ballot through a two-step process.

To qualify for consideration in this category, an individual must have left a distinct mark on soccer in a non-playing capacity and demonstrated a substantial, enduring and positive influence on the sport within the United States at the national or first-division professional level. Eligible candidates must be at least 50 years old and have demonstrated their significant contribution for a minimum of 10 years.

More Information 

Complete information about the election and eligibility procedures is available online at NationalSoccerHoF.com. The election process is administered by National Soccer Hall of Fame staff under election and eligibility guidelines established by the Hall of Fame Board of Directors.

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