National Soccer Hall of Fame Inducts 7 New Members

FRISCO, Texas – The National Soccer Hall of Fame today inducted seven new members – the six members of its 2023 class and one from the Class of 2022.

U.S. National Team alumni DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan, Lauren Cheney Holiday and Kate Sobrero Markgraf joined former U.S. Women’s National Team coach Jill Ellis and indoor soccer legend Slavisa “Steve” Zungul in entering the Hall of Fame from the 2023 class. U.S. National Team alum Hope Solo entered the Hall of Fame after deferring her induction last year.

The Hall of Fame also honored Grant Wahl as the posthumous recipient of the 2023 Colin Jose Media Award, which honors journalists whose careers have made significant long-term contributions to soccer in the United States.

A defender and midfielder, Beasley made 126 appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team between 2001 and 2017 and was the first American man to play in four World Cups. He played 11 seasons in Major League Soccer, with one Best XI selection and two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles.

“Without my family, I would not be here,” Beasley said. “I don’t mean here, on the stage. I mean as a person. My family stays with me. They’ve been to every World Cup, to all the countries I’ve played in. This is about family.”

A forward and midfielder, Donovan made 157 appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team, including three World Cups and one Olympic Games. Donovan is second only to Cobi Jones on the list of all-time national team appearances, and his 57 goals with the USMNT tied him with Clint Dempsey as the all-time leader. Donovan played 15 seasons in MLS, with seven Best XI selections, and when he retired was the all-time MLS goal-scoring leader.

“I’ve always tried to be mindful of those who came before and quite literally laid the foundation for us,” Donovan said. “Generations before us gave us the opportunity to be here, and I’m grateful. Part of our job has been to make it better for the next generation. When you stand in a building like the Hall of Fame, it makes you realize we did a lot of work to get to this point.”

The coach who guided the U.S. Women’s National Team to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, Ellis led the USWNT for seven years (2012 and 2014-2019). She also coached the U.S. team at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in 2010.

“I’ve been so very fortunate and blessed in soccer to experience incredible highs,” Ellis said. “But the times that were hard, the mistakes, the moments…