2023 National Soccer Hall of Fame Inductees

Amy-Grace Shapiro, Online Co-Editor-in-Chief

On Friday, May 6, U.S. soccer players Landon Donovan and Hope Solo were among the many placed in the National Soccer Hall of Fame. 

Donovan played in three World Cups and scored 57 goals across 157 international appearances for the U.S. His career spanned 14 years, tying with Clint Dempsey for most career goals, and ranks second on the team’s all-time appearances list. Donovan was named the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010. He also won titles in Major League Soccer with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014. For LA and the San Jose Earthquakes, he scored 145 goals in 340 games, second only to Chris Wondolowski (171) on the career scoring list.

Solo, who was voted into the hall on the 2022 players’ ballot, was enshrined after deferring her induction last year amid legal issues. Solo delayed her induction last year to participate in an in-person treatment program following her arrest on a DWI charge. Solo made 202 appearances with the U.S. Women’s National Team, with 153 wins and an international record of 102 shutouts. She won a World Cup title and two Olympic gold medals with the team.

Other recipients include Jill Ellis, who won two Women’s World Cups as the U.S. coach and received an induction on the Hall of Fame builder’s ballot. Journalist Grant Wahl was posthumously named the Colin Jose Media Award recipient. Wahl died in December 2022 while covering the World Cup in Qatar.