Colorado Rapids legend Pablo Mastroeni is on the ballot for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
The long-time Rapids midfielder and captain is among 20 Players, 10 Veterans and 10 Builders up for enshrinement in Frisco. Known for his tenacity and reliability, Mastroeni anchored the Rapids midfield for nearly 12 years. A nine-time MLS All-Star, Mastroeni was named Rapids team MVP in 2007, 2008 and 2010, and still holds the club record for MLS games played (225), games started (217) and minutes played (18,669). Mastroeni was team captain from 2004 until his departure in 2013 – the longest tenure in club history – and led the Rapids to their first MLS Cup championship in 2010.
Born in Argentina but raised in Arizona, Mastroeni represented the U.S. 65 times, including at the 2002 FIFA World Cup—where he helped the U.S. reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 1930—and in 2006 in Germany. He was on the U.S. Gold Cup-winning teams in 2002, 2005 and 2007, and was a Gold Cup Best XI selection in 2007. In February 2007, Mastroeni captained the U.S. to a 2-0 friendly win over Mexico in his hometown of Phoenix.
Mastroeni was inducted into the Colorado Rapids Gallery of Honor on July 25, 2014, and is one of just six players to earn the honor. In June 2020, Mastroeni was named to the Colorado Rapids All-Time Best XI.
His dedication to the club continued after his playing days. In 2014, just months after retiring, Mastroeni was named Rapids head coach. Two years later, in 2016, Mastroeni led Colorado to its best-ever record: 15 wins and 58 points, good for second in the West, and MLS-lows of six losses and 32 goals allowed. Colorado reached the Western Conference Final and Mastroeni was second in MLS Coach of the Year voting.
Mastroeni continued his coaching career as an assistant with the Houston Dynamo in 2019 before joining the Real Salt Lake technical staff ahead of the 2021 season.
If the voting goes his way, Mastroeni could join Rapids original owner/investor Philip Anchutz, for whom the MLS Cup trophy is named; former Rapids head coaches Glen Myernick and Fernando Clavijo; former Rapids defender and current broadcaster Marcelo Balboa; and former Rapids defender and current Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes in the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Clint Mathis and Tony Sanneh are also finalists in the Veterans category. Mathis played 12 seasons in MLS and earned 46 caps with the U.S. men's national team. He was a part of the Rapids for the 2006 season, playing in 25 games and starting in 16. Sanneh played eight seasons in MLS, including nine matches with Colorado in 2007. Sanneh earned 43 international call-ups and played several additional seasons in Germany's top-tier Bundesliga.
The overhauled National Soccer Hall of Fame voting process begins on Feb. 5, with the deadline to cast ballots being Feb. 10. Click here to view the full ballot.
