CHICAGO (Sept. 25, 2015) – Former U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper and four-time FIFA World Cup veteran Kasey Keller, former U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team and Major League Soccer head coach Sigi Schmid and American soccer pioneer and former Men’s National Team assistant coach Glenn “Mooch” Myernick will be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, Washington.
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.
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 Moenchengladbach (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 a commentator and analyst for ESPN and the Sounders.
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. 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 three NCAA championships (1985, 1990, 1997), and a career 322-63-33 record. As the winningest coach in Major League Soccer history, Schmid has been a staple of excellence for many years, accumulating more than 200 victories during his time in the league. Serving as the current head coach of the Seattle Sounders since 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.
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 reached the Round of 16.
The late Glenn Myernick, who passed away on Oct. 5, 2006 at the age of 51, enters 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.
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.
Myernick’s family will be in attendance for the ceremony in Seattle.
The National Soccer Hall of Fame election process is 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.