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Brian McBride, Kristine Lilly and Bob Bradley elected to National Soccer Hall of Fame

Brian McBride

By IVES GALARCEP

Brian McBride, Kristine Lilly and Bob Bradley have been elected to the 2014 class of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Lilly was honored after a national team career that saw her play in a world record 352 games for the United States between 1987 and 2010.

McBride, a veteran of three World Cups, joined Lilly as a first-ballot inductee into the Hall of Fame after a career that saw him play 95 times, scoring 30 goals for the national team.

Bradley enters the Hall of Fame after 13 years of coaching soccer at the highest levels in the United States, both in MLS with the Chicago Fire, New York/New Jersey MetroStars and Chivas USA, and with the U.S. Men’s National Team from 2007 to 2011.

The date and location for the induction ceremony have yet to be determined.

Here is a video tribute to the 2014 National Soccer Hall of Fame class:

http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=MzA3Y2QyZTc2MGNjN2U3ODgxNmNmNzVj&ec=trc250azrKGWWBtoyOU5jKJuYQ1AoMwy

 

What do you think of this trio of Hall of Fame inductees? Who missed the cut that you felt should be inducted?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I can’t believe they put a guy in the Hall for coaching while he is still coaching.

    Not saying I don’t like Bradley or that this happens, but what if whoever you are worshipping does something stupid…do they have a process to vote him out ?

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  2. You mean like JB kicked it in the Gold Cup, fool. All he has done is warm the best for years in Mexico for other players. I’ll tell you what, I’ll talk to you on June 27 when Klinsmann gets out of the group. BB blew it badly in the 2010 WC. He had an easy group and almost messed up horribly. Yes, they won the group but almost made a mess of things. A last second bailout by Donovan saved his butt. That was the year, the U.S. could have gone to the semis. If Klinsmann were the coach, the U.S. would beaten Ghana. BB bunker ball is just right. You don’t like Klinsmann but you know he is the better man for the job. Bornstein and Klinsmann a Match made in heaven LLOOLLL

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  3. The disrespect for Bob Bradley is unbelievable. He was the first American manager to win the group at the World Cup. His “bunker” tactics beat the reigning European champs (Spain), a team which is one of the great national team dynasties in the sport. He took the US to a senior mens FIFA final for the first team. Sure his time was up for the US as they needed to advance their tactics but never doubt the #AmericanPharaoh.

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    • He should be disqualified from the HOF for playing Bornstein in that gold cup and starting Ricardo Clark against Ghana in a game we otherwise probably woulda won.

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      • Clark was key to winning the Gold Cup Final to get into the Confed Cup. He also won us a qualifier with a late goal in the run up to 2010. He deserved to be on that WC team. Unfortunately, the US was not particularly deep at his position, and he was a little out of form (and a little over his head) and made a huge error against Ghana. In this case, Bradley’s loyalty (one of his biggest strengths overall) was both a strength and a weakness. Both Clark and Bradley deserve better than they get with the Monday Morning Quarterbacking.

      • Bornstein came on as a substitute at what was arguably the weakest position for the US. Perhaps there was some untested player who (not on the roster) might have done better, but JB and Ricardo Clark did have good games in the Confederations Cup and qualifying in the past year.

  4. better NT coach?

    Milutinovic or Sampson or Arena or Bradley or Klinsmann

    M got the NT to the round of 16 and lost unfairly to Brazil who later won the trophy

    Sampson got us to finish 4th in Copa America ’95 which was Unbelievable

    Arena got us to the quarter-finals in 2002 after a horrible finishing in 1998

    Bradley got us runner-up in the Confederation Cup which we almost won and round of 16 in 2010. don’t forget we won the group. 1st time that has been done

    Klinsmann has the best winning record of any year with the NT. We’ve beat the likes of Italy, Bosnia, Slovakia in Europe.

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    • Gotta consider them all with their time period context, which you did. All have headline achievements. Considering the pressure and state of US Soccer in ’94 amazed at what Bora did. Pressure is on Jurgen to make his history in an international tournament!

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    • M got to the round of 16, but with a caveat, as we were the host and got lucky against Colombia. Brazil obviously didn’t take us seriously in the round of 16 game. Sampson got 4th at the Copa, but finished last out of 32 teams in the 1998 World Cup. Arena made the quarter finals and barely missed going through to the knockout stages in 2006 despite a harder group than we have now. Too early to tell with Klinsmann.

      For me, I’d give the edge to Bradley because of the Confed Cup run, but I can be talked into Arena. The 2002 team essentially really started the soccer tide in the US.

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      • That is a reasonable assessment. Sampson’s failure in the WC probably puts him last. Bora probably achieved the most with the least, he was king of teaching defending and did not coach the most exciting team, but that would have been asking a lot.

  5. Yesss for McBride! Obviously Lilly and Bob deserve their place too but so pumped for McBride. I remember being in high school and throwing the TV remote against the wall in sheer joy when he scored his diving header against Portugal. That was in 2002, for all you born in the nineties 🙂

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    • McBride was a very good striker for the USMNT and during his time at Fulham, believe he has a bar named after him there. He was good before that as well obviously but that is when he really got to shine. Was very dangerous in the air and a major part of the USMNT for the better part of a decade.

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      • Don’t forget his Ironman persona. Will always remember him getting his cheek broken against Italy, but still wanting to play on.

    • McBride was probably the best pure striker we’ve ever had. Deadly in the air, underrated touch, and incredible work rate. Left everything on the field, every game he played. He’s revered at Fulham.

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  6. As a DC fan, I gotta ask what’s up with Etcheverry never getting inducted. If he fits the profile of a nominee, he should get in. If the hall of fame is entirely devoted to contributions to the national teams, that’s one thing. But if MLS greats can get inducted, I call insanity on this trend.

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    • Yes kind of an odd decision. Personally, I think the items on his CV probably are probably enough to make a credible case (not an expert in the soccer HOF standards but know they vary widely between sports). But why now? Why not wait for him to complete his body of work? if he is a borderline case, seems the sensible thing to do would be to defer the decision, which would allow a more full accounting of his accomplishments (

      A glance at the other comments suggests not everybody agrees on his qualifications… seems needless to subject the credibility of the process by forcing premature decisions. Of course, if Bob Bradley is doubling as the keynote speaker, I’d say it’s practical. Particularly if Lalas was Plan B.

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  7. McBride obviously yes!!!

    But Bob Bradley? Really? So if you coach the men’s team you get an automatic ticket to the hall of fame?

    Reply

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