The

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

Hall of Tradition (formerly Tradition of Excellence) is an honor bestowed upon players, coaches and club management deemed by the franchise to have crucial to the club's success. Originally known as Tradition of Excellence, the honor was created in 2003 when the club honored midfielder

John Harkes John Andrew Harkes (born March 8, 1967) is an American soccer coach and former professional player who is the head coach of Greenville Triumph SC. A member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Harkes was the first American ever to play in the ...

. Since 2007, six fellow players, executives and media partners have been honored by United. The most recent inductee into the Hall of Tradition was United midfielder and current head coach,

Ben Olsen Benjamin Robert Olsen (born May 3, 1977) is an American sports executive, soccer coach, and former professional player who was formerly the president of Washington Spirit, a professional women's soccer club in the National Women's Soccer Leagu ...

was a member of the club during their late 1998 and 2009 dynasty, which included two

MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The game is held in November and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Conference ...

honors, three MLS Supporter's Shields, a U.S. Open Cup and a

CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typese ...

title.

Induction ceremony

On September 13, 2008, at halftime during a match against

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the le ...

, D.C. United honored the 1998 squad that won the CONCACAF Champions' Cup including the two finalists for induction into the Hall;

Richie Williams Richard "Richie" Williams (born June 3, 1970) is an American former professional soccer player and coach. Known for his diminutive height and his dogged tackling, Williams spent the vast majority of his playing career in the United States, pla ...

and Jeff Agoos. Agoos was inducted during a 2-1 playoff victory against the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

on December 16, 2008, after winning three

titles during five seasons with

. Díaz Arce and Dirón became the fourth and fifth inductees during a halftime ceremony while D.C. United faced the

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

at RFK Stadium on September 12, 2009.

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

was inducted in the Hall at halftime ceremony during a 2–1 loss against the

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pla ...

on July 18, 2010.

2011 induction ceremony

On June 13, 2011, D.C. United announced four nominees for the 2011 Hall of Tradition induction ceremony, including

Roy Lassiter Roy Lee Lassiter (born March 9, 1969) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He played the first few years of his professional career in Costa Rica. He returned to the United States to play in Major League So ...

Carlos Llamosa Carlos Llamosa (born June 30, 1969) is an American retired soccer player who played as a defender. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Portland Timbers. Early life and education Llamosa began his professional soccer career in 1 ...

John Maessner John Maessner (born June 2, 1969 in Hackensack, New Jersey) who spent six seasons in Major League Soccer, two in France, two in USISL, two in the National Professional Soccer League and one in Germany. Player Youth Maessner was a 1987 Parade Ma ...

, and

. On July 12, 2011, D.C. United announced that defensive midfielder

would be inducted into the Hall of Tradition during a match against the Portland Timbers on August 27. Before the induction ceremony D.C. United President and CEO Kevin Payne recognized Williams' accomplishments: Williams played for D.C. United six of his eight seasons in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

. During his first five seasons with the club from 1996 until 2000 Williams helped the team win several titles, including the 1996,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, and 1999

titles; the 1996 U.S. Open Cup championship; the 1997 and 1999 Supporters Shields; and the 1998 Champions Cup and

InterAmerican Cup The Copa Interamericana ( en, Interamerican Cup) was an annual club football competition contested between a representative from North America (CONCACAF) and South America (CONMEBOL). Established in 1969, it was discontinued in 1998 after CONCACA ...

victories. Williams played a final additional season with D.C. United in 2002.

2013 induction ceremony

On September 14, 2013, Jaime Moreno was inducted into the Hall of Tradition at halftime of a match against the

at RFK Stadium. The ceremony was particularly poignant due to the presence of Galaxy coach

Bruce Arena Bruce Arena (born September 21, 1951) is an American soccer coach who is the head coach and sporting director of the New England Revolution. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the NJCAA Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Arena has had ...

, who coached Moreno at DC United early in his career.

List of members

Members by position

Players only.

Members by nationality

References

External links

Hall of Tradition
page (D.C. United official website)
Eddie Pope Tribute
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Richie Williams induction ceremony
on

{{DEFAULTSORT:D.C. United Hall of Tradition members

Tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

Lists of soccer players by club in the United States Association football museums and halls of fame Halls of fame in Washington, D.C. Sports hall of fame inductees Awards established in 2003 2003 establishments in Washington, D.C. Association football player non-biographical articles