ST. LOUIS -- The phone call came at his New Jersey home. On the other line was Steve Baumann and Jack Huckel of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. They were informing Jeff Agoos that he has been elected to the Hall's 2009 class; however the former U.S. national team defender thought it was a prank call.
Once the New York Red Bulls sporting director was convinced, he began to think about all the people who have helped him get to the pinnacle of the sport in the USA -- from his parents, to club coaches to coaches and teammates at the University of Virginia as well as those during his storied Major League Soccer career.
He especially remembered the trips to and from practices during sweltering summers in Dallas.
"I can still smell the back of an old beat up Volkswagen," Agoos said. "We had to be in the back by the engine and it's just boiling. All those memories just come flooding back. You don't stand up there by yourself."
Agoos joins former U.S. women's national team standout Joy Fawcett in the Class of 2009, it was announced at the St. Louis Convention Center on Thursday evening. The announcement was at a press conference that had 11 other Hall of Famers in the room.
"To see the faces of the people who have come behind me, to be inducted with Joy, who was not only a class athlete and person, I'm very fortunate to be around such gifted individuals," Agoos said.
In a career that spanned 18 years, Agoos had 134 caps for the U.S. national team and competed in two World Cups, he won five MLS Cups (three with D.C. United and the final two with the San Jose Earthquakes) and he won an NCAA national championship with the University of Virginia in 1989.
"I was never the fastest guy, never the tallest guy, but the one thing I did always was work harder than anybody else," Agoos said.
Fawcett won two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals during her storied career. Her 239 international matches played is fourth in U.S. women's national team history, surpassed only by the currently active Kristine Lilly and Hall of Famers Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm (Class of 2007).
In her remarkable 15-year national team career, often paired with Hall of Famer Carla Overbeck (Class of 2006) in the central defense, she received just two yellow cards and was never red carded.
"This is a surprise and a great honor to be considered with other distinguished athletes, coaches and leaders of soccer," Fawcett said. "I just want to thank my family, my friends and my teammates. I would have never had gotten here without them."
A total of 159 ballots were cast in the Players Election. Agoos was named on 108 ballots (67.9 percent) and Fawcett was selected on 106 ballots (66.7 percent). A player must be selected on 66.7 percent of the ballots cast to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
They will be inducted into the Hall during ceremonies in Oneonta, N.Y. the weekend of July 31-Aug. 2.
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