Celebrities Expected at 2006 Soccer HOF Induction Festivities

ONEONTA, NY (August 16, 2006) – 2005 Hall of Fame inductee Marcelo Balboa (three time USA World Cup team star most recently seen this summer as ESPN / ABC World Cup 2006 commentator) and 1991 Women's World Champion Carin Jennings Gabarra, voted the Golden Ball Award as the best player at the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup will be among the celebrities at the 2006 Induction Ceremonies on August 28th in Oneonta. They will join an expected gathering of sixteen returning Hall of Famers to include American heroes of the 1950 World Cup: Walter Bahr, Harry Keough, and John ‘Clarkie' Souza.

"The credentials of our returning Hall of Famers are impressive. Celo and Carin represented the United States in five World Cups and two Olympics. The 1950 ‘gang' played an integral role on a team that created the biggest upset in World Cup history, the United States victory of England in 1950," Hall of Fame President/CEO Will Lunn said. "Their nearly forgotten story was told in last year's motion picture "The Game Of Their Lives."

Also planning to attend the Induction Ceremony and the Hall of Fame Game on Monday August 28th are: George Brown (Player, inducted in 1995), Chico Chacurian (Player inducted in 1992), Peter Collins (Builder, inducted in 1998), Alex Ely (Player, inducted in 1997), Ted Howard (Builder, inducted in 2003), Jackie Hynes (Player inducted in 1977), Nick Kropfelder (Player, inducted in 1996), Lloyd Monsen (Player, inducted in 1994), Gene Olaff (Player, inducted in 1971), Len Oliver (Player, inducted in 1996), and Hank Steinbrecher (Builder, inducted in 2005).

Induction 2006 will take place on Monday, August 28th at 10:00 AM in the National Soccer Museum The Induction Ceremony is free and open to the public. The Hall of Fame Game featuring the New York Red Bulls and Columbus Crew will follow at 1:00 PM on At-A-Glance Field on the Hall of Fame Campus in Oneonta, NY. Game tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on game day and are available at the Hall of Fame or your local Ticketmaster outlet.

Three players and a Builder will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the annual ceremony. National Team stars Alexi Lalas and 2-Time World Champion and Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist Carla Overbeck headline the Class of 2006. The veteran inductee Al Trost was a U.S. National Team captain in the 70s and an NASL All-Star and Builder Philip Anschutz has been a key visionary and investor for Major League Soccer.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame located in Oneonta, N.Y., celebrates the history, honors the heroes and preserves the legacy of soccer in the United States. For more information, log on to soccerhall.org.