After 20 seasons, D.C. United have broken a new frontier on the local sports scene.
Legendary midfielder Marco Etcheverry has been included in a 10-member 2016 induction class for the D.C. Sports Hall of Fame, The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg tweeted out on Monday. The honor makes Etcheverry the first D.C. United player inducted into the D.C. Sports Hall of Fame.
The honorees are usually inducted in an April ceremony at Nationals Park, home of MLB's Washington Nationals. Per last year's official announcement:
"Each new inductee will receive a Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame plaque commemorating their induction during the pregame ceremony, and their names will be added to the large Hall of Fame display at Nationals Park, overlooking the left field concourse."
Etcheverry, nicknamed "El Diablo," played United's first eight seasons, racking up personal and team accolades during his time with the club. The Bolivian international was MLS MVP in 1998, a four-time MLS Best XI selection, and won three MLS Cups, a US Open Cup, the CONCACAF Champions League and the Copa Interamericana with D.C.
According to local blog Black & Red United, Etcheverry will be the third soccer inductee to the local Hall of Fame, joining former coaches James "Ted" Chambers (Howard University) and Gordon Bradley (Washington Dips/George Mason).
