The nominees for the National Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2021 announced its full list of candidates eligible for induction, with four retired players having been a part of Philadelphia Union's history. Former Union captains Sebastien Le Toux and Maurice Edu are eligible for the first time along with Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Ruiz. The group are also joined by former Union broadcasters and USWNT standouts Lori Lindsey and Heather Mitts.
Le Toux leads the Union in numerous offensive categories that earned him the club's first Ring of Honor member with 50 goals and 50 assists during his time with the Union. For his MLS career the veteran scored 59 goals and added 57 assists while earning Best XI honors in the Union's inaugural 2010 season. Edu served as captain for the Union during his four years with the Union, making 53 starts and scoring four goals and adding three assists. The former No. 1 pick of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft and Rookie of the Year also earned 46 caps with the U.S. Men's National Team.
Onyewu and Ruiz both spent one season with the Boys in Blue during the careers with "Gooch" making 22 starts in 2017 while Ruiz bagged six of his 89 career MLS goals for the Union in 2011.
Both Mitts and Lindsey were members of the Union's broadcast team over the years with Mitts helping out as a sideline reporter and after her retirement from professional soccer in 2013 while Lindsey served as a studio analyst in 2019.
A full list of candidates can be found on the National Soccer Hall of Fame's website. The 2021 National Soccer Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled for May 22, and is set to celebrate both the 2020 (Carlos Bocanegra and Colin Jose Media Award Winner Andrés Cantor) and 2021 class of inductees.
