Shep Messing will be inducted into the Lancers Wall of Fame. (Andy Mead/YCJ Photo)

The Rochester Lancers will welcome five new members to their Wall of Fame this year, it was announced Monday night.

The inductees include:

* Rudy LePore and Patsy Frank, who were among the founders of the team

* Frank Tata, an original Lancer and a former Italian American Sport Club player that won the 1963 U.S. Amateur Cup title, which led to the formation of the Lancers in 1967

* Ron DeFrance, former Lancers TV play-by-plya man and longtime Rochester radio and television sports personality

* Former goalkeeper Shep Messing, who performed for the Cosmos and New York Arrows, played for the Lancers in 1979. He is currently a color commentator for Red Bulls’ TV games on MSG Networks. Messing and soccer announcer JP Dellacamera are co-owners of the Connecticut Fusion in United Women’s Soccer. The Fusion will play the Rochester Lady Lancers in the latter’s home opener at Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. May 27 at 2 p.m.

The five inductees were announced by Andrew Battisti and Joe Sirianni on the “Soccer is a Kick in the Grass” radio show.

The five will be inducted at a Lancers’ National Premier Soccer League game in June.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.