The National Soccer Hall of Fame's 2005 Election Announcement, presented by "The Game of Their Lives," will be made on April 19 beginning at 2:00pm MT on ESPNEWS and in locations to be announced in Denver, New York, and Washington, D.C. The 2005 Election Announcement is one of the most anticipated announcements in Hall of Fame history with a number of well-known stars, such as Mike Burns, Thomas Dooley, John Harkes, Peter Nowak, Hugo Perez, Marcelo Balboa, Tab Ramos, Carlos Valderrama, and Peter Vermes, on the ballot. Most of these players were pioneers in the formation of Major League Soccer as well as stars for the U.S. Men's National Team. The ballot also includes several members of the U.S. Women's National Team who won the Women's World Cup in 1991 or 1999 (Wendy Gebauer, Linda Hamilton, Mary Harvey, and Sara Whalen).
"The Class of 2004 began a new era for soccer in the United States as the Hall of Fame inducted its first Major League Soccer veterans, Paul Caligiuri and Eric Wynalda," Hall of Fame President/CEO Will Lunn stated. "This year's announcement will be another outstanding event, the ballot is packed with stars and great players and the inductees will be announced on national television at simultaneous press conferences in three cities. The Hall of Fame's mission is to help build the sport by honoring its heroes and I can't think of a more public way to do just that." The players announced on April 19th will be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, NY at the official ceremony on August 29th.
Each location will include a national announcement on ESPNEWS anchored by Hall of Famer and ABC Sports and ESPN soccer analyst Eric Wynalda (Class of 2004) followed by a press conference open to all media. The newly elected Hall of Famer, national and local soccer officials, and a Hall of Fame representative will be available to respond to media questions at all locations.
