gold star for USAHOF
Our All Time Top 50 Tampa Bay Rays have been revised to reflect the 2025 season Not in Hall of Fame News

Yes, we know that this is taking a while! As many of…

13th Jul, 2026 Read More
The Notinhalloffame Baseball list has been revised: 276-300 Not in Hall of Fame News

Last January, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2026,…

13th Jul, 2026 Read More
Luke Kuechly believes Cam Newton should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Not in Hall of Fame News

The Carolina Panthers will be well represented in next month's Pro Football…

12th Jul, 2026 Read More
Jim Tressel named to the Ohio State Ring of Honor Not in Hall of Fame News

Regular visitors of notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the…

12th Jul, 2026 Read More
The Notinhalloffame Baseball list has been revised: 251-275 Not in Hall of Fame News

Last January, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2026,…

12th Jul, 2026 Read More
The Ultimate Predictor: How Modern Sports Analytics Forecast Future Hall of Fame Players From the Desk of the Chairman

Modern sports analytics has transformed the way fans, analysts, and bettors evaluate…

5th Jul, 2026 Read More
Legal Steps Following An Unexpected Accident At A Spartanburg Youth Sports Tournament From the Desk of the Chairman

Parents sign thousands of youth sports liability agreements annually without realizing that…

29th Jun, 2026 Read More
Country Music Hall of Fame 2026 Predictions: Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & More! | The Buck Stops Here The Buck Stops Here

Welcome to a special episode of The Buck Stops Here! Host Kirk…

26th Jun, 2026 Read More
Global Concert Tours Would Be Impossible Without Modern Aviation From the Desk of the Chairman

The modern music industry thrives on global connectivity, with artists performing in…

23rd Jun, 2026 Read More
The Rise of Ranking Culture: Why Sports Fans Can’t Leave History Alone From the Desk of the Chairman

If you’re a sports fan, the way you engage with your favorite…

19th Jun, 2026 Read More
How to Read Live MLB Odds Movement During the Midseason From the Desk of the Chairman

Major League Baseball's long season creates a betting environment where odds change…

17th Jun, 2026 Read More

100 Active Potential Football Hall of Famers

Visit the Fictitious Halls of Fame!

FAHOF JPGFicRockLogo

You May Also Like...

EDITOR’S CHOICE

If I Had a Vote in the 2026 Baseball Hall of Fame Election DDT's Pop Flies

This year yielded a bumper crop of five players inducted into the…

Baseball Hall of Fame 2026: Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, Players DDT's Pop Flies

When the veterans committee (VC), officially convening as the Contemporary Baseball Era…

Project/Object Live Music Head

Project/Objectan interview with André Cholmondeleyby Live Music HeadOriginally published at timessquare.com on…

A Conversation with Greg Wyard Live Music Head

A Conversation with Greg Wyardby Live Music Head“A good song is like…

LATEST RANKINGS

550. Gojira Rock and Roll

From France, Gojira became one of the most successful and influential death…

519. M83 Rock and Roll

M83 is a French electronic project led by Anthony Gonzalez, celebrated for…

12. John Wall Basketball

In his prime, there was nobody on the court faster than John…

2. Blake Griffin Basketball

An All-American at the University of Oklahoma, Griffin was named the 2009…

Committee Chairman

Committee Chairman

Kirk Buchner, "The Committee Chairman", is the owner and operator of the site.  Kirk can be contacted at [email protected] .

Frederik Andersen played in his native Denmark, playing well enough to earn a seventh-round pick by the Anaheim Ducks in 2010.  Three years later, Andersen made his NHL debut with a 23 Game rookie year.

24. Ruslan Salei

From Minsk, Ruslan Salei was taken Ninth Overall in the 1996 Draft, and he would play there until 2006 when he signed with the Florida Panthers.

23. Josh Manson

The son of former hockey pugilist Dave Manson, Josh Manson may not be as tough as his father, but he was a decent player in his own right.

Hall of Famer Brian McBride made baseball-mad Ohio fall in love with soccer

The criteria for getting into the National Soccer Hall of Fame means that it will stay an incredibly exclusive club, reserved for only the most distinguished pros from the United States. If you haven't represented the US more than 20 times or played at least five seasons in a United States first division professional league, and then been a postseason league all-star at least once, then don’t bother waiting for a letter in the post. It ain’t coming. 

But perhaps there is an exception to be made. And that exception is the player to capture the hearts and minds of a baseball-mad (or mad for any sport other than soccer) state. As it happens, and luckily for the NSHOF Board of Directors, Brian McBride would go on to have one of the most accomplished careers any player from the USA has had, so there wasn’t any need for a special category - we're just spitballing with that exception, just in case. Indeed, Brian McBride was the first-ever pick in the MLS draft in 1996 and it would be 18 years later that he would be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. 

The Columbus Crew had 160 other players to choose from but they made McBride the first pick of the 1996 draft and, in the process, set the striker on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats in the MLS. Following the draft, McBride spent eight years in Ohio and made a name for himself in a state that is obsessed with baseball, which it must be said, is no small feat. 
 
For anyone unfamiliar with the state's connection to baseball, there are two teams that compete in the MLB from Ohio and, before McBride arrived in the Buckeye State, there was very little space in the hearts of Ohioans for any other sporting interests. The Cincinnati Reds had, after all, won the World Series three times in twenty years before McBride's draft pick in 1996 and the Cleveland Indians were runners up in 1995 and 1997. These days it's the Indians who are the Ohio favorites to win another World Series as their MLB odds on bet365 see them at +900 to win the state’s first World Series since 1990. But the point stands: even if it's been a while since any team in Ohio took home a World Series, back in the mid-90s, they were the teams to beat and their news took up all the sports pages.
 
Needless to say, McBride didn’t have a captive audience on his hands when he arrived but, over the eight years, his 72 goals in 177 appearances slowly brought Ohioans to the soccer table. 
 
The center-forward was so prolific in the MLS for the Columbus Crew that he earned himself a transfer to the English Premier League, the world’s most competitive soccer league. After a short spell at Everton, McBride joined Fulham and the cult status he enjoyed in Ohio soon spread to southwest London, with the forward becoming a legend at Craven Cottage. 

The American would eventually leave Europe and head back to the states in 2008 after he joined the Chicago Fire but it was his influence in Ohio that makes him the fabled player that he is today.