US Soccer are celebrating its 100-year anniversary with festivities in New York City that will span four days.
The celebrations commenced earlier this week and will end on April 5, the exact date the federation was founded back in 1913.
US Soccer Centennial Week will involve a number of American soccer personalities including current national team men's head coach Juergen Klinsmann, US Soccer president Sunil Gulati and former men and women's team players Alexi Lalas, Cobi Jones, Michelle Akers, April Heinrichs, Walter Bahr, Tab Ramos, John Harkes and possibly more.
Below is the rundown of the week's revelries directly from US Soccer.
TUESDAY, APRIL 2New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell
U.S. Soccer will have the honor of ringing the New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell at 4 p.m. ET. Sunil Gulati, Jurgen Klinsmann and Carli Lloyd are scheduled to ceremonially close the market on Tuesday. Be sure to check U.S. Soccer's social channels for photos from the bell-ringing.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 32013 National Soccer Hall of Fame Induction Class
U.S. Soccer and the National Soccer Hall of Fame will announce the 2013 Induction Class in the Player, Veteran and Builder categories. A second round of voting in the Player category occurred after none of this year's 22 candidates collected the necessary 66.7 percent of the ballots to be inducted. The five players who received the most votes in the first round were eligible for the second ballot, and include Chris Armas, Marco Etcheverry, Shannon MacMillan, Joe-Max Moore and Cindy Parlow.
THURSDAY, APRIL 4U.S. Soccer in Times Square
U.S. Soccer is putting on a special event for fans and supporters in Times Square (specifically, the Fence Island space) on Broadway between 45 th and 46th streets. All day, fans will be able to: play soccer on a small-sided field; sign their name and make a pledge to the future of U.S. Soccer; take pictures with the 1991 and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup trophies; and share their favorite soccer stories with U.S. Soccer. Representatives from U.S. Soccer - including Gulati, Klinsmann, Lloyd, Lalas and many more - will be on hand throughout the day playing soccer and chatting with fans. Follow U.S. Soccer's social channels leading up to the event to get updates on event details and which U.S. Soccer representatives will be in attendance at which times.
FRIDAY, APRIL 5 (CENTENNIAL DAY)Press Conference at New York City Hall U.S. Soccer and Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office will hold a joint press conference in the morning to honor U.S. Soccer's Centennial. Howard Wolfson, the Deputy Mayor for Government Affairs and Communications, and Sunil Gulati, President of U.S. Soccer, will speak about the influence U.S. Soccer has had on the sport during the past 100 years.
