Oct. 6, 2008

UCLA Hall of Fame members Paul Caligiuri, Brad Friedel and Sigi Schmid are on the ballot for the NCAA Men's Soccer 50th Anniversary Team. Fans will have the chance to select the 11 best student-athletes and one coach throughout the last 50 years of the championship.

Voting for the 50th Anniversary team begins today at NCAA.com and will run until 9 am PT on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Individual fans will only be able to submit one vote. To vote, click HERE.

The student-athlete nominees are: Jeff Agoos, Virginia; Amr Aly, Columbia; Armando Betancourt, Indiana; Paul Caligiuri, UCLA; Richard Chinapoo, Long Island; Dan Counce, Saint Louis; Angelo DiBernardo, Indiana; Mike Fisher, Virginia; Brad Friedel, UCLA; Chris Gbandi, Connecticut; John Harkes, Virginia; Thomas Kain, Duke; John Kerr, Duke; Michael King, Fairleigh Dickinson; Dema Kovalenko, Indiana; Jason Kreis, Duke; Alexi Lalas, Rutgers; Brian Maisonneuve, Indiana; Pat McBride, Saint Louis; Tony Meola, Virginia; Joe Morrone, Connecticut; Bruce Murray, Clemson; Glenn Mynernick, Hartwick; Pat Noonan, Indiana; Barry Nix, Columbia; Fred Pereira, Brown; Farrukh Quraishi, SUNY Oneonta; Claudio Reyna, Virginia; Ken Snow, Indiana; Jim Stamatis, Penn State; Al Trost, Saint Louis; and Roy Wegerle, South Florida.

The coach nominees are: Bruce Arena, Virginia; Robert Guelker, Saint Louis/SIUE; Harry Keough, Saint Louis; Steve Negoesco, San Francisco; Sigi Schmid, UCLA; Jerry Yeagley, Indiana.

Caligiuri was a two-time NSCAA All-American (1985 and 1986) and the 1986 Soccer America Player of the Year. He led UCLA to the 1985 NCAA title, the program's first-ever in soccer. Caliguiri followed his successful collegiate career with a legendary career as a member of the U.S. National Team. In the 1990 CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying Tournament, he scored the historic goal against Trinidad & Tobago that earned the U.S. a World Cup berth for the first time in 40 years. His goal is known as "The Goal Heard Round The World." Caligiuri played in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, as well as the 1988 Olympics, and logged 114 caps with the U.S. National Team. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Brad Friedel

Friedel led UCLA to the 1990 NCAA title as a freshman, posting shutout victories in penalty kicks on consecutive days in the College Cup. Friedel was named the Soccer America Freshman of the Year and went on to earn All-America honors as a sophomore and the Hermann Trophy and ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year honors as a junior. He still holds UCLA's school record for career GAA (0.60). Considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Friedel recorded 82 international caps for the U.S. National team and participated in two Olympics (1992 and 2000) and three World Cups (1994, 1998 and 2002). He played a major role in leading the 2002 U.S. World Cup team into the quarterfinals, its best showing in 72 years. He currently plays for Aston Villa in the English Premier League, and while playing with the Blackburn Rovers in 2002, he became the first American player picked for the English Premier League team of the year.

Sigi Schmid

Schmid is the winningest coach in UCLA soccer history with a 322-63-33 overall record in 19 years. He led UCLA to NCAA titles in 1985, 1990 and 1997 and was the National Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1997. Schmid coached 12 U.S. World Cup players at UCLA, including fellow UCLA Hall of Famers Caligiuri, Friedel and Cobi Jones. In 1996, Schmid was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame as one of the first members of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). Schmid went on to coach the Los Angeles Galaxy to the 2002 MLS Cup and was named the 1999 MLS Coach of the Year. He is now the head coach of the Columbus Crew, which currently holds Major League Soccer's best record.

Members selected to the anniversary team will be honored at the 2008 NCAA Men's College Cup in Frisco, Texas, at Pizza Hut Park on Dec. 12-14.