On Thursday morning the National Soccer Hall of Fame began unveiling its 2018 induction class, ahead of this year’s Hall of Fame Weekend at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, set for Oct. 20.
Part of a $55 million renovation at the home of FC Dallas, the National Soccer Hall of Fame is a public-private partnership among FCD, the City of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District and U.S. Soccer.
The celebration on Oct. 20 will also include the 2018 Hall of Fame game, an MLS match featuring FC Dallas and Sporting Kansas City, an NASL Legends game to mark that league's 50th anniversary, and a concert headlined by Imagine Dragons.
The first honoree of the day was the leader of Major League Soccer – and the architect of the league as we know it today.
Don Garber
Commissioner Don Garber was announced as the first member of the 2018 class, with his MLS colleague and fellow Hall of Famer Jeff Agoos springing a surprise at the league’s offices in Manhattan to present him with the trappings of his induction, a commemorative scarf and coin.
Garber was technically elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2016, but opted to defer his official enshrinement until construction of the new Hall of Fame was completed in Frisco this year. He enters under the Builder category.
Garber was named commissioner of Major League Soccer in 1999, and in the nearly two decades under his guidance, the league has grown dramatically in many ways. MLS had only 10 member teams when he took over, and currently has 23 clubs competing today across the United States and Canada, as well as three expansion sides on the way, with 22 new owners coming on board during his tenure.
The Queens, New York native also played a large part in bolstering the league’s visibility and popularity by negotiating long-term broadcast deals with ESPN, FOX and Univision as well as international partnerships with major broadcasters in Canada, Europe, Asia and South America. In addition, Garber serves as CEO of Soccer United Marketing, the commercial arm of MLS and multiple soccer properties.
Garber led the process that saw 19 soccer stadiums constructed in the United States and Canada, with five more soccer venues set to open in the coming years, a major factor in MLS’ average attendance growing from some 14,000 fans per game when he became commissioner to more than 22,000 today.