Ten finalists have been named on the final builder ballot for election to the National Soccer Hall of Fame, it was announced Tuesday morning.
The list included:
Esse Baharmast
Clive Charles
Joe Cummings
Richard Groff
Brian Hall
Sandra Hunt
Tim Leiweke
Francisco Marcos
Kevin Payne
Kari Seitz
The selection committee will vote Friday through Feb. 10 to select a class of two to four members. The 2021 class will be announced in March.
Depending on the year, only referees, coaches or contributors will be considered for induction, and every four years — including 2021 — all eligible Builders will be considered for election.
New voting rules and procedures ensure that two to four candidates will be elected annually.
* If both a veteran and a builder are being elected, the top two vote earners from the player ballot also will be elected.
* If either a veteran or a builder are not being elected, the top three vote-earning players will be elected if all three received at least 66.7 percent of the voting committee’s votes.
* If neither a veteran nor a builder are being elected, the top three vote-earning players will be elected if all three received at least 50 percent of the voting committee’s votes.
* Candidates must be named to at least 50 percent of voting committee ballots to be elected.
The 2021 Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled for May 22 and will enshrine both the 2020 class (Carlos Bocanegra and Colin Jose Media Award Winner Andrés Cantor) and the 2021 class. The ceremony will take place in the National Soccer Hall of Fame, which is powered by NEC, followed by the Hall of Fame game between FC Dallas and a yet-to-be-named opponent and a concert featuring Willie Nelson.
