CHICAGO (March 3, 2017) – U.S. Women’s National Team legends Brandi Chastain and Shannon MacMillan will be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, March 24, at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif

The Class of 2016 induction ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m. PT, prior to the U.S. Men’s National Team World Cup qualifying match against Honduras. The ceremony will be invite-only but fans will be able to watch live on U.S. Soccer’s Facebook page.

Chastain, who gained world-wide fame – and the covers of Sports Illustrated, Newsweek and Time – for her game-winning penalty kick in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, enters the Hall of Fame on the Player Ballot.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist (1996 and 2004) and silver medalist (2000) enjoyed a 12-year international career while playing 192 matches and scoring 30 goals for the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1988-2004. Chastain, a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee, competed in three FIFA Women’s World Cups (1991, 1999 and 2003), winning world titles in 1991 and 1999.

MacMillan, a 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and 1996 Olympic gold medalist, enters the Hall of Fame on the Veteran Ballot. She had a 12-year career with the U.S. WNT, playing in 176 matches from 1993-2005. Her 60 career goals are currently ninth all-time in U.S. women’s history. She also won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics and played in the 2003 Women’s World Cup. She was the 2002 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year.

In addition to the Class of 2016 induction, the Colin Jose Media Award will be presented to Paul Kennedy, Editor in Chief and General Manager of Soccer America, during the ceremony.

The award is named after Colin Jose, who served as the official historian of the National Soccer Hall of Fame from 1997-2007, and is designed to honor members of the media who specialize in communications with respect to soccer in the U.S. It is awarded to those whose contributions in the field are deemed to be of exceptional and sustained quality.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who is also part of the 2016 Hall of Fame Class, will be inducted at a later time.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame election process is administered by U.S. Soccer Federation staff under election and eligibility guidelines established by the Hall of Fame Board of Directors. Established in 1950, the National Soccer Hall of Fame is dedicated to the sport of soccer in America by celebrating its history, preserving its legacy, inspiring its youth and honoring its heroes for generations to come.

Brandi Chastain Bio:
While playing with the Women’s National Team from 1988-2004, Chastain became a two-time Women’s World Cup Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist and was the first U.S. player to score five goals in a single match. Chastain played club soccer in Japan for Skiroki Serena for one season in 1993 before playing in the U.S. for the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) from 2001-2003 and in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) in 2009. In 2013, U.S. Soccer’s Centennial year, she was named to the U.S. WNT’s All-Time Best XI. Currently, Chastain continues to coach women’s soccer at her alma mater Santa Clara, where she was an All-American, assisting head coach and husband Jerry Smith.

Shannon MacMillan Bio:
From 1994-2006, MacMillan played for the U.S. WNT, earning a Women’s World Cup title (1999) and an Olympic gold medal (1996). At the University of Portland, she was honored with the 1995 Hermann Trophy and MAC Player of the Year awards, and in 2002, was named U.S. Soccer’s Female Player of the Year. She was one of the founding players of WUSA, playing three seasons for the San Diego Spirit. Currently, she is the director of club operations for the Del Mar Carmel Valley Sharks soccer club in her native San Diego.