Moore Selected On Special Second Ballot Vote
Former U.S. Men’s National Team forwards Joe-Max Moore and Peter Vermes have been elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Moore is the sole Player representative, while Vermes enters the Hall of Fame as a representative from the Veteran ballot. None of the candidates in the Builder category received the required amount of votes to be elected into the Hall of Fame this year.
As a forward and midfielder who played for three U.S. World Cup teams, Moore enters the Hall of Fame in his second-to-last year of eligibility on the player ballot.
Starting with the 1992 Olympics, he made 100 appearances for the Men’s National Team over the next decade, including three FIFA World Cups and his 24 goals rank fifth all-time in MNT history.
He also spent six seasons in Major League Soccer – all with the New England Revolution – scoring 53 goals.
Moore scored plenty of big goals in big games for his country throughout his career, however, none bigger than his final two tallies.
On Oct. 7, 2001 in Foxboro, Mass. Moore scored both goals in the crucial 2-1 World Cup clinching victory against Jamaica, spearheading the USA’s best World Cup run in history the following year.
Moore was elected on a second ballot vote by electors after no one received the required 2/3 vote total in the first round of selection. Moore was joined on the second ballot by Chris Armas, Shannon MacMillan, Cindy Parlow and Marco Etche-verry, who were not selected.
Joining Moore in the Hall of Fame from the Veteran ballot is Vermes, the current Sporting Kansas City head coach. Vermes was an integral part of the U.S. Men’s National Team from 1988-97, making his debut in the ’88 Olympic Games.
He scored 11 goals in his 67 career caps and helped the MNT qualify for its first FIFA World Cup in 40 years in 1990. Following the ’90 World Cup in Italy, Vermes captained the MNT for its championship run in the inaugural CONCACAF Gold Cup in ’91.
“Soccer is the consummate team sport and being inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame is certainly indicative of that. It is humbling and a great honor” Vermes said. “My dedication and passion for soccer will never waver and I am so grateful for this recognition.”
The location and date for the 2013 National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is still to be determined and will be announced at a later date.
The National Soccer Hall of Fame, established in 1950, closed its Oneonta, N.Y., facility in 2010.