Shalrie Joseph and Jermaine Jones both etched their names into the New England Revolution record books as two of the best central midfielders in club history, and now the duo is looking to cement their place in American soccer lore, as both have been named to the final ballots for the National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Joseph, currently an assistant coach on Bruce Arena's staff, is firmly in the conversation for best player in Revolution history. He's top three all-time in games played (261), games started (254), and minutes played (22,867), while he racked up 37 goals and 34 assists while consistently dominating matches from the middle of the park. He holds club records with four MLS Best XI selections and eight MLS All-Star nods, while he was also a finalist for MLS MVP in 2009. Joseph was part of four Eastern Conference championship teams (2005, 2006, 2007, 2014), while he also helped guide the Revs to titles in the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and SuperLiga 2008.
Jones' tenure in New England was much shorter, but similarly impactful during his time with the club. Arriving in Foxborough shortly after his standout performance for the U.S. Men's National Team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Jones immediately turned the Revs into contenders, as they closed that season on a 9-1-1 run and eventually won an Eastern Conference title, falling to Bruce Arena's LA Galaxy in extra time of the MLS Cup final. Jones spent just one more season in New England and totaled just 34 appearances for the club between the regular season and playoffs, but he'll always have a place in Revolution history as one of the catalysts for that magical 2014 run.
Finalists were announced during halftime of Wednesday night's U.S. Open Cup final, and the National Soccer Hall of Fame Voting Committees will now vote in the coming weeks to determine the Class of 2023. The new class will consist of a maximum of six individuals (three players, two veterans, and one builder), with both Joseph and Jones on the player ballot.
