Jun 25, 2023; Harrison, New Jersey, USA; Carli Lloyd before the game between the Chicago Red Stars and NJ/NY Gotham FC at Red Bull Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images Former United States women’s national team star Carli Lloyd headlined the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s 2025 class inducted in a ceremony Saturday in Frisco, Texas.
The five-member class also included former men’s players Chris Armas and Nick Rimando, women’s player Mary Harvey and former executive Mark Abbott.
“We’re proud to recognize this year’s inductees as true champions of the game whose passion and dedication have helped soccer flourish in the U.S.,” said Djorn Buchholz, executive director of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. “They’ve made their mark at every level, from the world and national stages to the building blocks of our professional leagues, and their contributions perfectly capture the spirit of the Hall of Fame.”
Lloyd, 42, played on two Women’s World Cup championship teams (2015, 2019) with the United States women’s national team and also won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
“There was no greater honor than wearing the red, white and blue,” said Lloyd, who won the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2015 Women’s World Cup. “Yes, it was extremely hard. There were countless sacrifices along the way, but every bit of it was worth it, because I loved the game, the lessons I learned, the relationships that I forged and the experiences I gained were more than I ever could imagine.”
Lloyd played internationally for 17 years (2005-21) and scored 134 goals with 64 assists in 316 matches.
Armas, 52, coaches the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. As a player, he earned 66 caps for the United States men’s national team and had two goals.
He also was a six-time All-Star midfielder while recording 12 goals and 48 assists in 264 MLS matches with the Los Angeles Galaxy (1996-97) and Chicago Fire (1998-2007). He also won four U.S. Open Cups and an MLS Cup with the Fire.
“People say, ‘Do you love to win or hate to lose?'” Armas said. “I’m not so sure. All I know is that the fire is burning bright, and I learned at a young age that I had to empty my tank in pursuit of that victory.”
Rimando, 45, holds the MLS records for appearances (553), victories (223) and shutouts (154) while playing 20 seasons (2000-19).
“I stand here today, not because of the games or the records, but because I never stopped believing through the setbacks, the noise and the rejection,” Rimando said. “If my story says anything, that would be this: You’re always more than what they say you are.”
The six-time All-Star was MVP of the MLS Cup in 2009 when Real Salt Lake beat the Galaxy to win the title. Rimando, who retired in 2019, played in 22 matches for the USMNT.
Harvey, 59, was the goalkeeper when the USWNT won the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991. She also won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics, the first including women’s soccer.
“I learned that the national team is about excellence,” Harvey said. “It’s about being the best you can be, the best teammate you can be, and about doing incredible things together. Today, I challenge people on the teams that I manage to develop an awareness about how what they say and what they do impacts everyone around them and their ability to perform.”
Abbott served as president and deputy commissioner of MLS from 2013-22. In 1993, he was hired as the league’s first employee, three years before the MLS began play.
“I had a cool job, and I got to do a lot of cool things, but the thing I always appreciated the most was being a part of a community,” Abbott said. “That community had a common objective of trying to make our league as accessible as it could be.”
–Field Level Media
