STANFORD, Calif. – Three Stanford men’s soccer alumni were recognized when the Pac-12 Networks revealed the Pac-12 All-Century Men’s Soccer roster on ‘Pac-12 Sports Report’ Monday night.
Defender Ryan Nelsen (1999-2000) was voted to the starting XI, while forward Ted Rafalovich (1978-81) and defender Chad Marshall (2002-03) were named as reserves. Twenty-three players representing five different decades were chosen from a field of 64 players nominated by Pac-12 institutions.
A panel that was made up of current coaches, former players and members of the media conducted voting. Notable voting participants included Pac-12 Networks soccer analysts Christopher Sullivan and Kelly Gray; Olympian and USMNT member Chris Henderson; and Ridge Mahoney, senior editor of ‘Soccer America.’
***
Pac-12 All-Century Team Starting XI
Ryan Nelsen • Defense • 1999-2000 2000 NSCAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2000 Pac-10 Player of the Year
Scored 28 goals in 375 professional appearances
Christchurch United, D.C. United, Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers
Captained New Zealand at the 2010 World Cup
Named to the “World Cup Best XI” by ESPN in 2010Pac-12 All-Century Team Reserves
Ted Rafalovich • Forward • 1978-81 Seventy-nine points in 1978 is second NCAA single-season history
Twenty-three assists in 1978 is tied for second in NCAA single-season history
Career 0.73 assists per game ranks 12th in NCAA history
Sixty-two career assists is second in NCAA history
One of 24 players in NCAA history with 40 career goals and 40 career assists
Third in Stanford history in career goals (45) and tops in assists (62) and points (152)
Twenty-eight goals in 1978 is a school record as are his 23 assists and 79 points that season
Chad Marshall • Defense • 2002-03 Three-time MLS Defender of the Year (2009, 2009, 2014)
Three-time MLS Best XI (2008, 2009, 2014)
Started 11 times for the USMNT, helping his country to an 8-2-1 record in those matches
Has appeared in 312 MLS games for the Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders, scoring 17 times
2002 Soccer America Freshman of the Year
Four-time MLS All-Star