CHICAGO (April 8, 2015) – Former U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper and four-time FIFA World Cup veteran Kasey Keller has been elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Joining Keller in the Class of 2015 are former U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team and Major League Soccer head coach Sigi Schmid on the Builder Ballot, and the late Glenn “Mooch” Myernick on the Veteran Ballot.
Further information regarding the induction ceremony will be announced at a later date.
Keller, one of the most successful and experienced goalkeepers in U.S. Soccer history, enters the Hall of Fame following a 19-year international career, having played 102 games for the United States between 1990 and 2007. Keller participated in four FIFA World Cups (1990, 1998, 2002 and 2006), and is the USA’s all-time leader in shutouts with 47. Keller is a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee.
“It’s a great honor,” Keller said of being elected. “You look at some of the guys that have been elected before; it’s not an easy process. It’s not like it’s an open-door policy. It’s cool to be voted in. I really saw it firsthand, when I was able to speak on (Brian) McBride’s behalf, of how cool it is. I’m proud and thankful for the people that helped get me to that point throughout my career: teammates, coaches, friends, family. It’s kind of a culmination of what you’ve done and how you got there and all the people that helped you get to get to that point, so I’m thankful for that.”
The two-time U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year was the first American goalkeeper to become a regular in the Bundesliga, the English Premier League and La Liga. He played for various European clubs throughout his career including, Millwall (1992-96), Leicester City (1996-99), Rayo Vallecano (1999-2001), Tottenham Hotspur (2001-05), Borussia Monchengladbach (2005-07) and Fulham (2007-08). His last stint was with Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer in 2009, where he played until his retirement in 2011 when he stepped down as the reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Currently, Keller works as the Sounders’ color commentator.
Schmid enters the Hall of Fame on the Builder Ballot after 35 years of coaching soccer in the United States, collecting numerous championships at the collegiate and professional levels.
As the winningest coach in Major League history, Schmid has been a staple of excellence for many years, accumulating over 200 victories during his time in the league.
He first brought success to the LA Galaxy from 1999-2005, earning MLS Coach of the Year honors during his first season with the team. He led the Galaxy to the 2000 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup title, the 2001 U.S. Open Cup title and its first MLS Cup title in 2002. After a year away, he came back to MLS to coach the Columbus Crew from 2006-08, helping the team win its only MLS Cup in 2008, and earning MLS Coach of the Year honors for a second time.
Serving as the current head coach of the Seattle Sounders, a role he assumed in 2009, Schmid has led the club to four U.S. Open Cup titles (2009-11, 2014) as well as to the MLS playoffs in every season during his tenure.
“I would like to thank U.S. Soccer for this incredible honor, as this is certainly right up there with the top moments I’ve experienced in this sport,” said Schmid. “I am honored to be inducted alongside Kasey Keller, who is a Seattle soccer icon. I knew Mooch [Glenn Myernick] for a long time, and as a colleague, a coach and a player, he dedicated his life to the sport, and he’s such a good person. Being inducted with those two guys is a tremendous honor, and I am very humbled.”
For the USA, Schmid served as the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach twice (1998-99 and 2004-05). In 1999, he guided the U-20’s to the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, where the team was able to advance out of the group stage but fell to eventual champion Spain in the Round of 16. Most recently, he led the U-20’s in 2005 at the FIFA World Youth Championship, where the USA once again bowed out in the Round of 16.
Schmid was an assistant to Bora Milutinovic for the 1994 World Cup team and also was head coach for the 1991 World University Games and 1995 Pan American Games.
After a successful career as a midfielder for UCLA from 1972-75, Schmid found his calling as a coach, taking the reins of his alma mater in 1980. He coached the Bruins for 19 seasons (1980-99), guiding them to a 322-63-33 record, and the 1985, 1990 and 1997 NCAA Championships.
The late Glenn Myernick, who passed away on Oct. 9, 2006 at the age of 51, will enter the Hall of Fame on the Veteran Ballot as an American soccer pioneer who represented the U.S. at every level as a player and coach across a lifetime of soccer success.
Myernick served as an assistant coach for the USA at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups and was an integral part of the USA's quarterfinal run at the 2002 World Cup. He also coached the USA in its championship victory at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup after head coach Bruce Arena was suspended for the final.
“This means everything to us; his whole world was soccer,” said his wife, Nancy Myernick. “It revolved around the game from the time he was a little kid playing in Trenton, to youth soccer, and then going to college, and being with the National Team. He could never get enough. We built our lives around soccer, and we traveled the country to make it happen for him and to be involved in whatever level he could be. He put 110 percent effort into whatever he did with soccer. We wish he could have received this honor himself, but knowing the family will be there is a huge honor.”
Myernick played more games for the U.S. National Team than any other U.S. National Team coach, serving as team captain in 1978 and earning 10 caps. He also started four games for the U.S. Olympic Team in qualifying for the 1976 Games in Montreal. He began his international coaching career as an assistant for the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team in 1993 at the FIFA World Youth Championship in Australia, and then coached the U-17’s at the FIFA U-17 World Championship in Ecuador.
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After serving as an assistant coach for Arena at the 1996 Olympic Games, Myernick took the reins of the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer for four seasons from 1997-2000. He would eventually compile a 63-61-4 record and guided the team to the 1997 MLS Cup title game during his first season at the helm.
Myernick took over as the head coach of the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team in 2002, guiding the team’s efforts to qualify for the 2004 Olympics.
He had a standout collegiate career at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York, winning the Hermann Trophy as the sport's outstanding player in 1976. He also starred in the NASL with numerous teams, earning team MVP honors for the Portland Timbers in 1982.
Complete information about the election and eligibility procedures is available online at ussoccer.com.
The election process is being administered by U.S. Soccer Federation staff under election and eligibility guidelines established by the Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
Established in 1950, the National Soccer Hall of Fame is dedicated to the sport of soccer in America by celebrating its history, preserving its legacy, inspiring its youth and honoring its heroes for generations to come.