SAN JOSE - The National Soccer Hall of Fame announced today that San Jose Earthquakes head coach Dominic Kinnear and Earthquakes assistant coach John Doyle are among the 53 players on the 2005 ballot for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York. Kinnear and Doyle are joined on the ballot by four other players who performed for San Jose in the past, midfielder Paul Bravo (1996), defender Zak Ibsen (2001-02), defender Mike Burns (2000) and forward Raul Diaz Arce (1999).
Up to three eligible players will be elected to the Hall of Fame by a panel of voters made up of current and past U.S. National Team coaches, MLS coaches with at least four years tenure, the Secretary General of U.S. Soccer, the commissioner of MLS and selected media members. Two players will be elected to the Hall of Fame from the 2005 ballot as long as each receives a minimum of 50 percent of the vote, while a third player may be elected if that individual receives a minimum of 80 percent of the vote.
Kinnear enjoyed a stellar playing career before joining the Quakes coaching staff in 2001, earning 54 caps for the U.S. National Team, scoring nine goals and registering two assists. Kinnear played five seasons in MLS, including the 1997 season in San Jose. The Fremont, CA resident also played with Colorado and Tampa Bay in his 117-game MLS career, scoring six goals and recording 26 assists. Before joining MLS, Kinnear played professionally in the APSL and Mexico. He spent five seasons with the San Francisco Blackhawks before joining Necaxa of the Mexican First Division in 1995. Following Necaxa's championship season, Kinnear signed with the APSL's Seattle Sounders, where he again was a part of a championship team.
Kinnear joined the Earthquakes coaching staff as an assistant coach to Frank Yallop in 2001 and helped lead the team to two MLS Cup Championships (2001, 2003) before taking over as head coach prior to the 2004 season.
Current Quakes assistant coach John Doyle was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team and the 1990 U.S. World Cup team and enjoyed one of the most decorated playing careers in U.S. Soccer history. The Bay Area native was known as a solid defender, making 53 appearances for the U.S. National Team. Doyle played for the APSL Blackhawks and Atlanta Ruckus while also spending time with teams in Sweden and Germany before returning to the Bay Area for San Jose in 1996. The former University of San Francisco All-American played five illustrious seasons for the Quakes and until 2003 held the team records for games (132) and minutes (11,385) played. A two-time MLS All-Star (1996, 1997), Doyle scored 11 goals and dished out 15 assists in his MLS career. He was the 1996 MLS Defender of the Year and named to the MLS Best XI team that same season. Doyle took over as the Quakes assistant coach in 2003 and is entering his second season in that role.
About the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum
Eligibility criteria:
In order to be eligible for election, a player must meet No. 1 and either No. 2 or No. 3 of the following three criteria:
• No. 1 - He or she must have been retired as a player for at least three years, but for no more than 10 years (for the 2005 election, this means that he or she must have retired no later than 2002 and no earlier than 1995).
• No. 2 - He or she must have played at least 20 full international games for the United States. This 20-game requirement is reduced to 10 games if the games were prior to 1990.
• No. 3 - He or she must have played at least five seasons in an American first-division professional league, and won the league championship, or won the U.S. Open Cup, or been a league all-star at least once.
Players who have met either No. 2 or No. 3 but who retired more than 10 years ago are eligible for election to the Hall of Fame through the Veterans Committee election process.
Located in Oneonta, NY, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a 30,000 square foot, state-of-the-art museum in 1999. The Hall of Fame tells the story of soccer in America through artifacts, photographs, and video clips. The new Hall features an extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks Zone where visitors have fun kicking, heading and playing computer trivia stations and video soccer games. The VideoWall portrays some of the greatest moments and the greatest goals in history as well as live soccer action with World Cup, MLS, and U.S. Soccer matches. Unique and rare artifacts on exhibit range from the world's oldest soccer ball to the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy won by the USA in 1999, Pelé's and Mia Hamm's uniforms, Kristine Lilly's golden shoes, NASL championship rings, the original MLS championship trophy, MLS gallery - it's all at the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In addition to the interactive Museum, the National Soccer Hall of Fame complex boasts the Kicks Hall of Fame Museum Shop, a research library, four world-class soccer fields and office/meeting facilities. The Hall plans to add a stadium, an indoor soccer arena and housing facilities in the future.
