FRISCO, Texas (Sept. 5, 2024) — The National Soccer Hall of Fame at Toyota Stadium today released the names of the finalists for election to the Class of 2025, including former University of Portland head coach Clive Charles and standout Pilot women's soccer defender Stephanie Lopez Cox.
Lopez Cox is one of 20 members of the Player ballot and joins the list on her first year of eligibility, while Charles is once again listed on the Builder ballot.
The Hall of Fame Voting Committees will meet over the next several weeks and then vote to select a maximum of six new members; as many as three Players and two Veterans can be selected, along with one Builder. The 2025 Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for May 3 in Frisco.
Lopez Cox is a defender who played in two World Cups for the United States and won an Olympic gold medal. Cox was a regular for the United States at both the 2007 and 2011 Women's World Cups, playing a total of eight games in those two tournaments. She also played five games at the 2008 Olympic Games, when the United States won the title. In her 10-year career in the U.S. national team, she played a total of 89 full internationals. She took a runner-up medal at the 2011 Women's World Cup. Cox played nine seasons in United States first-division leagues, three in WPS and six in the NWSL. She was a league runner-up three times in those six seasons, finishing second in WPS in 2009 with Los Angeles and in the NWSL in 2014 and 2015 with Seattle. During those nine seasons, she played a total of 111 regular-season games and eight playoff games. She was chosen as a second-team NWSL all-star in 2014 and 2015, and played five seasons in the WPSL and one season in the W-League.
A member of the University of Portland Athletic Hall of Fame, Lopez Cox helped Portland win the 2005 NCAA Championship with an undefeated 23-0-2 record. She was a three-time All-American and four-time All-West Coast Conference First Team selection. In 2003, she was named a First Team Freshman All-America and the West Region Freshman of the Year. As senior in 2007, Cox earned the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, she collected the Bill Hayward Oregon Amateur Athlete of the Year award and was named the WCC's Defender of the Year for the second time, with the first such honor coming in 2005.
Charles was the men's coach at the University of Portland for 17 seasons, 1986 through 2002, and the women's coach at the University of Portland for 14 seasons, 1989 through 2002. He coached Portland to the NCAA Division I women's championship in 2002, his final match on the sidelines before passing away in the summer of 2003. Charles had a career record of 439 collegiate victories, 144 defeats and 44 ties. He was coach of the United States team that reached the semifinals of the men's soccer tournament at the 2000 Olympic Games. The players he developed at Portland included Hall of Famers Kasey Keller, Shannon Mac Millan, Steve Cherundolo and Tiffany Milbrett.
Player Ballot Finalists
- Chris Ahrens
- Yael Averbuch
- Kyle Beckerman
- Matt Besler
- Lori Chalupny
- Stephanie Lopez Cox
- Dwayne DeRosario
- Maurice Edu
- Keith Johnson
- Jermaine Jones
- Shalrie Joseph
- Robbie Keane
- Carli Lloyd
- Chad Marshall
- Oguchi Onyewu
- Cat Reddick Whitehill
- Nick Rimando
- Amy Rodriguez
- Carlos Ruiz
- Chris Wondolowski
Five candidates —Besler, Lopez Cox, Lloyd, Rodriguez and Wondolowski — were selected to the Final Ballot in their first year of eligibility. In all, 13 of the 20 Player finalists return from 2024. Averbuch and Marshall were selected as finalists after not being chosen last year.
Veteran Ballot Finalists
- Chris Armas
- Kevin Crow
- Francis Farberoff
- Lorrie Fair
- Mary Harvey
- Lori Henry
- Clint Mathis
- Tony Sanneh
- Tatu
- Aly Wagner
Builder Ballot Finalists
- Mark Abbott
- Clive Charles
- William Cox
- Joe Cummings
- Richard Groff
- Burton Haimes
- Clark Hunt
- Tim Leiweke
- Lothar Osiander
- Kari Seitz
Builders are listed in three categories: referees, coaches and contributors. Beginning with the 2022 election, Builder selections have been limited each year to a rotation of the three categories — or to a selection from the full pool of candidates. The 2025 Builder election is open to candidates from all three categories.
The two Players, one Veteran and one Builder who receive the most votes and are named on more than 50% of the ballots are automatically elected to the Hall of Fame. A third Player and a second Veteran may be elected if they are named to at least 75% of the ballots.
Complete information about
election and eligibility procedures is available at
nationalsoccerhof.com. The election process is administered by National Soccer Hall of Fame staff under election and eligibility guidelines established by the Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
2025 Player Final Ballot Biographies
2025 Veteran Final Ballot Biographies
2025 Builder Final Ballot Biographies
List of NSHOF Selection Committee Members
