Team Captain for the MLS Cup Champion team is marginal to some eyes? Good grief. Those "eyes" need to be gouged out.
I don't know if there's anything marginal at all about his contribution, but part of me feels that the longevity of your DCU career matters too.
Would it be too corny to induct the supporters groups? You ask me, BB, SE, and La Norte are as synonymous with the team as most of the players. The Magic, Seahawks, and Wild are the teams I know of who have done that.
Here's my United all time best 11 team: ...Jaime......Lassiter..... Diablo.....Olsen...Gomez....Harkes Agoos...Sanneh...Nelson...Pope ........Rimando...... Subs: Diaz Arce, Llmosa, Emilio, and Williams
------------------Garlick Reyes-------Nelsen-----Llamosa---------Agoos Sanneh-----Olsen------Ethceverry------Fred ------------Moreno------Gomez Subs : Perkins Burch Pope Kovalenko Adu Diaz Arce Emilio
This seems like a pretty easy Hall to get into if we're talking about 15-20 players - we're just 12 years old. I think it should be very limited, to only the greatest of the great, and to those who served the team for a good amount of time. In that regard, my vote goes to Etcheverry, Moreno, Olsen, Pope, Agoos, Gomez and Nelson. That's it. I even feel a bit on the fence with Agoos, Gomez and Nelson. Great as they were to us, they still didn't/haven't played for even 5 years with the team. Now if you're talking about a "ring of fame" type of thing, that's different. Then we can start including players like Llamosa, Sanneh, Harkes, Williams, RDA, and Lassiter. I'm thinking more along the lines of the busts out in center field at Yankee Stadium. As for not giving more props to guys like Llamosa and Harkes. - I loved 'em then, I love 'em now, and it's a shame the league wasn't founded soon enough for them to enjoy long long careers here in DC. Arena and Payne? Of course. You have to give credit to the creators. That's why guys like Sammy Baugh and Don Hutson will keep showing up on pointy ball all-time teams for decades more to come.
Considering that the club is in it for the long haul, I'd think you'd want to include fewer rather than more in a Hall of Fame to make inclusion in it special. They would have to be players/managers who contributed through outstanding play/management, preferably over a long period of service. Marco Etcheverry, Jaime Moreno, Kevin Payne and Ben Olsen are obvious choices. Next come players/managers who contributed outstanding play/management, but maybe had shorter careers with the club: Eddie Pope, Richie Williams, Jeff Agoos, John Harkes, Mark Simpson, Bruce Arena, Brian Namoff. There may be others who fit in here, but it's debatable whether they belong in a DCU hall of fame, in my view. Last come those who may have made outstanding contributions, but whose short span of play/management don't rate inclusion in a Hall of Fame, in my opinion: Roy Lassiter, Tony Sanneh, Raul Diaz Arce, Peter Nowak, Ryan Nelsen, Earnie Stewart, Troy Perkins (assuming he's Norway-bound), Nick Rimando, and the like. I like these guys, but their inclusion diminshes the Hall of Fame for those who come afterwards.
I am totally in agreement about the limited entry system. The player should play the VAST MAJORITY of their MLS career at DC United - which eliminates some great people - Pope, Llamosa, Agoos, RDA, Harkes. At this point, I'd only include Etcheverry because he's retired. The players inducted should have also played at DC United for a minimum number of years 5 to 7 in my book - which eliminates Nellie, Gomez, Stewart. Future hall of famers would be Moreno and Olsen. Keep it exclusive so that it means something...
I've always thought that United needed an official HOF. Or actually it would be more of a DC United museum, that included a Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame would be broken into several categories, with the first being the most significant and difficult to achieve: + A Wall of Honor - The players who made the most significant contributions to DC United, either in number of years of service, in their performance on and off the field, or in general have brought the highest level of honor to the Club, its fans, and its city. Obvious choices here would be Kevin Payne, Bruce Arena, Marco Etcheverry, and John Harkes. Once they retire, I think Jaime Moreno and Ben Olsen would be the next inducted + A Wall of Champions - The players and coaches who have won Championships with United. + A Hall of Captains - The names and number of games a player wears the Captain's armband. They'd have to have started the games as captain and have played a certain amount of time with the armband. + Honorable mentions - Individuals honored for special service to the club. This is obviously a little more open, but also where those names who don't make it to the Wall of Honor are presented. From this list (and it's obviously open for debate) I would expect to see the likes of Eddie Pope (could be on the Wall of Honor), Mark Simpson, Jeff Agoos, Roy Lassiter, Thomas Rongen, Raul Diaz Arce, Richie Williams, Carlos Llamosa, Peter Nowak, Ryan Nelsen, Ernie Stewart, and the founders of La Barra Brava and the Screaming Eagles. This would also include individuals in the organization itself. After he retires, is traded, or whatever, Christian Gomez would be added. + National Team Representatives - Players who have represented their National team while playing for United. I'm sure I've missed players for the list, but they're just suggestions. Notice simply winning a championship doesn't get you to the Wall of Honor. I think that the Wall of Honor should require a much greater contribution to the club than simply helping the team to win a single Championship. Anyway... that's what I think the team should do once they have a permanent place to call home.
Most of those guys would be on your 'wall of champions' so I don't see the need for this one. Otherwise I like.
That's true, but there would also be names listed on the Hall of Champions that wouldn't necessary have earned a special mention. The Honorable Mentions would be to distiquish the likes of the Ryan Nelsen's from the Kevin Ara's of club history.
So, the simple solution is just to build a DC United museum. That way, you can feature every year, mentioning all the Championship Team members, but then have special rooms for the "honored players". We could even have a Supporters Room, with video of us bouncing in the stands, perhaps a piece of the stands - like the aisle between 134 and 135 with a chair or two on each side (suitably game-damaged)... The years 2000 through 2003 will be in a special room outback by the dumpsters...
I'd put him at about: - equal-to-slightly-ahead of Nicky Rimando (very good skills, good on penalties, but vulnerable to the occasional brain-lock); - maybe a little ahead of Tom Presthus (who had one or one and a half really good seasons) Scott Garlick (who also had one or one and a half really good seasons) and Mike Ammann (never really stood a chance with that "defense" in front of him); - well ahead of Jeff Causey (who was totally crap); - and maybe a little behind Mark Simpson (solid professional). Troy is not DCU Hall of Fame material, though, in my view.
Well, Bryan Namoff has played over 150 matches for United, and started at least 135. He has played over 12,000 minutes. He has been our most consistently good defender for many years, and has won the coach's award for being our best defender. When Ryan Nelson won Defender of the Year, he said Namoff was really our best defender. He's not flashy like Gori or as celebrated as Pope, but please note that year after year he is a fixture at right back. We've been looking for a left back since Agoos left; we've been experimenting in the center ever since the days of Pope/Llamosa or Nelson/Petke; but Namoff soldiers on without a serious challenge. Is it a career worthy of a spot in a DCU HOF? I think a good case can be made.