2005 NATIONAL SOCCER HALL OF FAME

Contributed photo by Ed Clough/National Soccer Hall of Fame Marcelo Balboa (17), Fernando Clavijo (21), Tab Ramos (9) and John Harkes (6), shown here as part of the United States 1994 World Cup team, will be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Monday morning.

INDUCTION

By Jeff Vella

Staff Writer

When Marcelo Balboa established himself as the defensive backbone of the U.S. men’s soccer team during the early 1990s, he said entering the National Soccer Hall of Fame was never on his radar.

For good reason.

Balboa said he didn’t know it existed.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]"And if anyone on our team said they did, they’d be lying," Balboa said. "But as our careers went on, we started to hear more about the Hall. As a player, you always want to leave your mark. And with the Hall, people will have a way to remember us."

Balboa, 38, will be among 10 inductees enshrined at 10 a.m. Monday at the Soccer Hall in Oneonta. He’ll be joined by former U.S. national teammates Tab Ramos, John Harkes and Fernando Clavijo, along with builder Hank Steinbrecher.

The other five inductees played in the 1920s and ’30s and were selected by a Blue Ribbon panel. John Nelson, Alexander McNab, Werner Nilsen, Tom Fleming and Fabri Salcedo will be honored posthumously during a dinner reception at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Hall, along with Colin Jose Media Award winner Seamus Malin.

Balboa’s day won’t end with the inductions. He, Clavijo and Harkes will play in the 1 p.m. Hall of Fame Game on Monday between Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids and D.C. United.

"It’ll be the perfect ending to a perfect weekend," Balboa said. "I’ll get to spend the weekend with my family, share a bunch of stories, get emotional during the ceremony and top it off with some soccer."

Balboa gets the bonus of sharing his big day with Clavijo, his roommate on the U.S. team during the early 1990s. Clavijo, a native of Uruguay, was the oldest member of the 1994 World Cup team at age 37.

"He was like a second father to me," Balboa said of Clavijo, a Veterans’ selection who is now 48 and the head coach of the Rapids. "He and his wife took care of me when my family was thousands of miles away. It will be special to be inducted with Tab and John, but it will be extra special to go in with Fernando.

Balboa, Harkes and Ramos raised the profile of U.S. soccer starting with the 1990 World Cup. In the 1994 Cup, they helped the host Americans advance to the Round of 16. In the first round, the Americans upset Colombia, 2-1, in front of a packed stadium in Pasadena, Calif. One of the signature moments of that game was when Balboa just missed scoring on a bicycle kick.

"People ask me about that more than anything," said Balboa. "Everyone always tells me they were right behind the net when I missed. There must have been 100,000 fans behind the goal. Everyone says it was the best miss in World Cup history. What a great thing to be remembered for.

"I think people were shocked because it was an American," he continued. "They were used to seeing that kind of flair from South Americans and Europeans."

Balboa, a native of Chicago, also played in the 1998 World Cup with Harkes. They are two of three Americans in history to play in three straight Cups. The other was 2004 inductee Eric Wynalda.

Harkes and Ramos, also 38, played youth soccer together growing up in Kearny, N.J. Ramos was born in Uruguay and came to the U.S. as an 11-year-old. He and Harkes went on to anchor the midfield for the U.S. throughout the ’90s.

The Class of 2005 marks the second straight year featuring inductees who spent time in Major League Soccer and played their careers on television. Balboa, Harkes and Ramos were all original members of MLS in 1996; Ramos was the first player signed by the league.

Last year’s class included Wynalda, Paul Caligiuri and Michelle Akers.

"We’re building off last year because now it’s two years in a row with names people recognize," Soccer Hall spokesman Jack Huckel said. "Last year’s class raised the platform, and we started this year with a higher profile. The inductees are growing in recognition. They had commercials and were known beyond core soccer fans. They did more than kick the ball around."

First-time eligible players next year include Alexei Lalas and Roy Lassiter — standouts during the ’90s — and former women’s star Carla Overbeck. In 2007, the biggest name in U.S. soccer history, Mia Hamm, becomes eligible.

"The blip is getting brighter," said Huckel, who added ESPN called to ask for Induction Ceremony highlights this year for the first time. "We seem to be making progress."

The Induction Ceremony, which is free to the public, will be moved from the Hall’s atrium to the museum to provide more seating. About 300 people packed into the atrium last year, and Huckel said the museum has room for at least 100 more.

Sunday’s ceremony for the five posthumous selections figures to be much more intimate. Family members for four of the five honorees be in attendance. McNab will be the only one not represented.

Huckel said the Hall decided to form the Blue Ribbon panel to correct past oversights. Huckel said the selection process in the early years was based on state nominations, and since the five inductees were all born in Europe and bounced around during their American Soccer League careers, they were never nominated.

"These players kind of got lost," said Huckel, who added the panel was likely a one-time thing and inducting players from that era won’t be an annual practice. "These players deserved recognition but didn’t receive it for whatever reason."

The 2005 class brings the number of player inductees to 122 and builders to 138.

———

D.C. United’s Freddy Adu came back from his sprained right knee to play in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals Wednesday night. Adu suffered the injury Aug. 7. He entered in the second half against FC Dallas, which rallied with a late goal and advanced on penalty kicks.

Adu’s return appears to clear the way for him to play in the Hall of Fame Game on Monday. United (11-7-5) visits first-place New England (12-5-6) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, so any setback to his knee could affect his status.

"We’ve said all along we expect him to be there," Huckel said. "And that hasn’t changed."

———

Jeff Vella can be reached at jvella@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 209.