The founder and original chairman of Major League Soccer, Alan Rothenberg, was part of the Class of 2007 inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Honored by the Hall as the 2007 Builder Inductee, Rothenberg served as the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation from 1990-1998 and as chairman/CEO of the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He also served as chairman of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and was part of the 2006 FIFA World Cup organizing committee.
Also headlining the 2007 class were United States women's national team legends Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy. The duo led the U.S. to two Olympic gold medals and two Women's World Cup championships. It was the first time in 57 years that the Hall of Fame inducted an all-female player's class. Former U.S. national team and New York Cosmos defender Bobby Smith was the 2007 Veteran Inductee.
"It's a distinct honor to be inducted into the Soccer Hall of Fame, at any time. It is particularly special to be inducted alongside Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm," said Rothenberg of his classmates.
"I was privileged to be a part, along with thousands of others on and off the field, of many momentous milestones in U.S. Soccer during the 1990s: The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 1996 launch of Major League Soccer, the rise of the U.S. men's national team to the elite level in FIFA's rankings, the creation of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. But, at the top of my memory list are the achievements of the women's program: the 1991 FIFA World Cup championship, the 1996 [Olympic] gold medal in Atlanta, and the historic 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup and the U.S. championship, thanks to Julie, Mia and their exceptional teammates."
Rothenberg was the first chairman of Major League Soccer, serving in that role as a founder and investor of MLS and overseeing the formation of the USA's Division I league.
Rothenberg began his personal involvement with soccer when he became an investor in the NASL's Los Angeles Aztecs in 1977, then in 1984, he took the role of commissioner of soccer for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. Elected president of the U.S. Soccer Federation in 1990, he served in that position for eight years, during which the country hosted the FIFA World Cup, which is still the highest attended World Cup in history and highest attended sporting event in United States history.
On June 1, 1998, the Hall of Fame awarded Rothenberg as the first-ever recipient of the National Soccer Medal of Honor, and in 2006, FIFA, soccer's international regulating body, honored Rothenberg with its highest honor: the FIFA Order of Merit. A vice-president of CONCACAF, Rothenberg has served on the FIFA Executive Committee.
Dante Carnevale is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
