By P.J. Harmer

Staff Writer

Tab Ramos and John Harkes can’t get away from each other.

The two grew up together in Kearny, N.J., playing youth soccer together. They went on to anchor the midfield for the U.S. National Team in the 1990s, leading the Americans into international prominence.

On Wednesday, they were together again, as the National Soccer Hall of Fame announced the two as part of its 2005 Induction Class. They will be joined by Marcelo Balboa, a U.S. teammate of theirs during the 1990s.

The three will be enshrined Aug. 29 during Induction Weekend in Oneonta, bringing the total number of Hall of Famers to 116.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]"Now I can’t tell others I did it on my own," Ramos said by phone with a laugh. "I had another Hall of Famer playing next to me. I knew John could do this. He was a warrior on the field. To play next to him — I feel like a lucky man.

"Knowing not only one kid from a youth team can make it, but two, it’s an amazing story," he continued.

Ramos and Balboa each received 108 of 123 votes (87.8 percent), and Harkes got 107 (86.9 percent). A player must receive at least 80 percent of the votes to earn election. Former Hartwick standout Mike Burns was 13th with 22 votes (17.89 percent).

Ramos, 38, said he learned of his election nearly two weeks ago.

"I’ve kept as much of a secret as I could," he said from New York City.

Ramos played in 87 games for the U.S. National Team, scoring eight goals. He and Balboa are two of three Americans to play in three World Cups (1990, ’94, ’98). The other is 2004 inductee Eric Wynalda.

Despite his resume, Ramos still seemed humbled by the news.

"When I was notified, I had to take a seat," Ramos said. "You can’t say it’s something you’ve been dreaming about. You dream of playing ball. When you get this call, it’s overwhelming."

All three players were original members of Major League Soccer, with Ramos being the first player to sign with the U.S. pro league.

"It’s probably our single greatest class of the modern era," Hall of Fame director of communications Jack Huckel said. "The one thing that makes it great is it’s an all-MLS class and probably not the last one we’ll see."

They follow the 2004 class of Wynalda, Paul Caligiuri, Michelle Akers and Michael Windischmann, giving the Soccer Hall a second straight class featuring players that starred in the television era and are known by casual sports fans.

This year’s announcement was carried live on ESPNEWS.

"That ESPN was willing to pick it up was amazing," Huckel said. "Getting on ESPN is something we never had in the past. We have to keep working to raise the profile of the Hall of Fame and I think we did it today."

The trio could have company on Induction Weekend, as the Veterans Committee is expected to announce its results in early June.

A closer look at the 2005 inductees:

As good as Ramos was, he probably could have been even better if he avoided injuries. He fractured his skull against Brazil in the 1994 World Cup, and he tore the ACL in his left knee twice.

But when Ramos was on the field, he got things done.

The first player to sign with the MLS in 1995, he scored his first MLS goal on June 25, 1996, to help the MetroStars to a 2-0 victory over Kansas City.

A native of Montevideo, Uruguay, Ramos emigrated to the U.S. in 1978 when he was 11. He became a citizen in 1992 at age 15. Drafted originally by the New York Cosmos in the first round of the 1984 NASL draft, he opted to attend North Carolina State when the league folded.

Ramos was named the U.S. Soccer Federation Player of the Year in 1990.

In the 1994 World Cup, he started all four games and assisted on the winning goal against Colombia. In the round of 16, he was elbowed in a 1-0 loss to Brazil, suffering a concussion and a broken bone behind his left ear.

Though injured several times throughout his MLS career, he played in 112 regular-season games and nine playoff games. He now runs Tab Ramos Soccer Programs.

A fixture in the midfield for the National Team as a captain, Harkes was a five-time Major League Soccer All-Star.

He captained the D.C. United to the first MLS championships in 1996 and ’97, and he also played for the New England Revolution and Columbus Crew.

In 1996, he also led the United to the U.S. Open Cup, making them the first team in U.S. history to win the MLS and Open Cup in the same year.

Harkes assisted the winning goal in the 1997 MLS Cup. D.C. was a finalist in 1998 and also won the Interamerican Cup championship.

He played in the 1990 and ’94 World Cups, but he was cut shortly before the 1998 World Cup by then-coach Steve Sampson.

Besides being a youth soccer teammate with Ramos, he was also on the same high school team as former U.S. goalie Tony Meola.

Harkes, who wore No. 6 after his childhood idol Franz Beckenbauer, scored six international goals in 90 caps. He played in 167 MLS regular-season games and 22 playoff games.

Harkes, 38, now works as the director of youth development for the United. He is also an assistant coach for the U.S. Under-20 National Team.

Balboa, a defender, played in 128 international games for the U.S. from 1988-2000, including 10 World Cup qualifiers in 1989 and 1997 and eight World Cup matches.

Balboa, 37, was named the U.S. Soccer Chevrolet Male Athlete of the Year twice — in 1992 and 1994.

In World Cup competitions, he played in all three games in 1990 and played every minute in 1994.

In 1992, he helped the Colorado Foxes win the American Professional Soccer League championship. He played for the Colorado Rapids in 1996, the first year of the MLS.

A five-time MLS All-Star, he was awarded the league’s Goal of the Year in 2000 for a bicycle kick he scored on against Columbus. He scored five goals and had six assists that year en route to becoming the first defender in league history to have 20 goals and 20 assists in a career.

He played in 152 MLS regular-season games and 12 playoff games.

Balboa works as a color commentator for ESPN and is also a community ambassador for the Rapids.

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P.J. Harmer can be reached at pharmer@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 229.