Five Inducted Into Soccer Hall of Fame

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The National Soccer Hall of Fame inducted Cobi Jones, Eddie Pope, Earnie Stewart, Bruce Murray and Bob Gansler in a ceremony held at Showcase Live in Foxboro on Saturday. Jones, Pope and Stewart were inducted in the player category, while Murray was inducted on the Veteran’s ballot and Gansler was inducted as a builder.

Cobi Jones played for the U.S.A. in three World Cups between 1994 and 2002 as well as the 1992 Olympics.  His 164 appearances for the U.S. are the highest in U.S. Men’s National Team history and the seventh highest in world history. Jones won U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the year in 1998, scored 21 goals for the U.S., and helped the U.S. win the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2002. He played 306 regular season games with the Los Angeles Galaxy, tallying 70 goals and 91 assists while winning two MLS Cups, two U.S. Open Cups, and a the 2000 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Eddie Pope was a staple in the U.S. backline throughout the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Pope played in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cup and the 1996 Olympics, appearing in 82 matches for the U.S., including a team record 31 World Cup Qualifiers. Pope scored eight goals for the U.S. from his center back position. In MLS, Pope won three MLS Cups and a CONCACAF Champions Cup with D.C. United and appeared in 254 regular season games.

Earnie Stewart, a Dutch-American midfielder/forward, also appeared in three World Cups for the U.S. from 1994 till 2002 while making 101 appearances and scoring 17 goals for the U.S. Stewart played most of his career in the Netherlands, becoming the first American to score over 100 career goals while playing overseas. He also won an MLS Cup during his brief time with D.C. United.

Bruce Murray was a fixture on the U.S. Men’s National team from 1986 till 1993, appearing in every U.S. ‘A’ International. Murray left the U.S. National team in 1993 to play in Europe, holding a then U.S.-record 86 caps and 21 goals. In Europe, Murray played for Luzern in Switzerland and Millwall in England. He won two NCAA titles with Clemson and took home the M.A.C. Herman Trophy in 1987.

Bob Gansler made most of his impact on the game as a coach, leading the U.S. Men’s National Team to the World Cup in 1990, their first appearance since 1950. Gansler coached the team to a 15-16-6 record from 1989 till 1991. He was named MLS Coach of the Year in 2000 after leading the Kansas City Wizards to an MLS Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup title. He also won a title with the Milwaukee Rampage in 1997 in the A-League. Gansler assisted the U.S. Men and U.S. Under-20 Men in the late 1970s.

The five were then honored again at Gillette Stadium prior to the U.S. Men’s National Team match with Spain.