National Soccer Hall of Fame Announces the Six Members of Its 2023 Class
USMNT’s Beasley, Donovan to Join USWNT Icons Ellis, Holiday and Markgraf — and Indoor Legend Zungul — at May 6 Induction
FRISCO, Texas (Dec. 6, 2022) — The National Soccer Hall of Fame today announced that the six members of its 2023 class are DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan, Jill Ellis, Lauren Cheney Holiday, Kate Sobrero Markgraf and Slavisa “Steve” Zungul.
They will be inducted at a ceremony May 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, along with former U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo, who deferred her induction after being chosen for the Hall of Fame’s 2022 class.
Beasley, Donovan and Holiday were elected from the Player Ballot. Ellis was elected from the Builder Ballot, and Markgraf and Zungul were elected from the Veteran Ballot. Beasley, Donovan and Ellis were elected in their first year of eligibility.
A defender and midfielder, Beasley made 126 appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team between 2001 and 2017 and was the first American man to play in four World Cups. He played 11 seasons in Major League Soccer, with one Best XI selection and two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles.
Read: At Any Position — on Any Stage — Beasley Made His Mark
A forward and midfielder, Donovan made 157 appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team, including three World Cups and one Olympic Games. Donovan is second only to Cobi Jones on the list of all-time national team appearances, and his 57 goals with the USMNT tied him with Clint Dempsey as the all-time leader. Donovan played 15 seasons in MLS, with seven Best XI selections, and when he retired was the all-time MLS goal-scoring leader.
Read: Donovan Left an 'Unbelievable Legacy' for Club and Country
The coach who guided the U.S. Women’s National Team to World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019, Ellis led the USWNT for seven years (2012 and 2014-2019). She also coached the U.S. team at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in 2010.
Read: Jill Ellis' Coaching Career Began with a 'Leap of Faith'
A midfielder who starred in the U.S. team that won the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Holiday made 133 appearances for the USWNT and played five professional seasons with two Best XI selections. She also played in the 2011 Women’s World Cup and won gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
Read: On and Off the Pitch, Passion Defines USWNT Icon Lauren Cheney Holiday
A defender who was a regular in the U.S. team that won the 1999 Women’s World Cup, Markgraf played 201 games for the U.S. Women’s National Team between 1998 and 2010, including appearances in three World Cups and three Olympic Games. In addition to the 1999 World Cup, Markgraf played for the U.S. teams that won gold medals in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Read: At Every Level of Soccer, Markgraf Made Her Mark
A forward who defected from Yugoslavia in 1978 when he was a rising star on the Yugoslav national team, Zungul played 11 seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League for the New York Arrows, Golden Bay Earthquakes, San Diego Sockers and Tacoma Stars. He was a first-team all-MISL selection eight times, the league’s MVP six times, the league’s scoring leader six times and a league champion seven times (four with New York and three with San Diego).
Read: Lord of All Indoors: Zungul Had a Gift for Scoring Goals
The 48 Player Voting Committee members submitted ballots as follows: Donovan (46, 95.8%), Beasley (45, 93.8%), Holiday (40, 83.3%), Lori Chalupny (32, 66.7%), Nick Rimando (29, 60.4%), Josh McKinney (25, 52.1%), David Beckham (23, 47.9%), Cat Reddick Whitehill (17, 35.4%), Robbie Keane (16, 33.3%), Pablo Mastroeni (15, 31.3%), Dwayne DeRosario (14, 29.2%), Keith Johnson (14, 29.2%), Jermaine Jones (11, 22.9%), Thierry Henry (9, 18.8%), Shalrie Joseph (8, 16.7%), Brian Ching (5, 10.4%), Lori Lindsey (5, 10.4%), Maurice Edu (4, 8.3%), Oguchi Onyewu (4, 8.3%) and Eddie Johnson (2, 4.2%).
The 24 Veteran Voting Committee members submitted ballots as follows: Zungul (19, 79.2%), Markgraf (18, 75%), Mary Harvey (14, 58.3%), Chris Armas (10, 41.7%) Frankie Hejduk (10, 41.7%), Shep Messing (10, 41.7%), Tony Sanneh (10, 41.7%), Clint Mathis (6, 25%), Tisha Venturini-Hoch (6, 25%) and Chico Borja (5, 20.8%).
The 24 Builder Voting Committee members submitted ballots as follows: Ellis (20, 83.3%), Clive Charles (12, 54.2%), Lothar Osiander (5, 29.2%) and Frank Yallop (none).
Full 2023 voting results and complete information about election and eligibility procedures are available at NationalSoccerHOF.com. The election process is administered by National Soccer Hall of Fame staff under election and eligibility guidelines established by the Hall of Fame Board of Directors.