Wisconsin Soccer Central

A trio of players with Wisconsin ties are on this year's National Soccer Hall of Fame Player Ballot.

Whitefish Bay's Kate Sobrero Markgraf, Tony Sanneh (UW-Milwaukee) and Lindsay Tarpley (Madison) are among the 31 players up for consideration.

To be eligible in the Player Category, an individual must be retired for at least three years, but for no more than 10 years, and have either earned least 20 caps for the U.S. or have played at least five seasons in an American first-division professional league and been named to a postseason all-league or All-Star team at least once. Tarpley is one of 13 players on the Player Ballot for the first time this year.

After a standout college career at North Carolina, the midfielder-forward scored 32 goals in 125 caps for the U.S. women's national team from 2003 to '11. Tarpley was part of the Americans' gold-medal winning teams at the 2004 and '08 Olympics and was on the team that finished third at the Women's World Cup in 2007.

She had eight goals in 42 professional appearances in Women's Professional Soccer from 2009 to '11, playing with the Chicago Red Stars, Saint Louis Athletica, Boston Breakers and magicJack. Tarpley's last competitive match came in 2011, when she tore the ACL in her right knee for the second time in three years during the U.S. team's preparations for the Women's World Cup in Germany.

Markgraf ranks ninth in women's international history with 201 caps, and was part of three U.S. teams that won major title: the 1999 Women's World Cup and the 2004 and '08 Olympics. The defender also was part of the 2000 Olympic team that claimed silver and helped the U.S. finish third at the Women's World Cup in 2003 and '07.

A three-time All-American at Notre Dame, Markgraf was named the Defensive MVP of the tournament as the Fighting Irish won the 1997 national title. She played professionally with the Boston Breakers in the Women's United Soccer Association from 2001 to '03, then with Swedish club KIF Örebro DFF before returning to the U.S. to join the Red Stars in WPS in 2010.

Sanneh starred at UWM from 1990 to '93 before a 15-year pro career that saw him play in Europe and with five Major League Soccer teams. He ranks first in Panthers history with 32 assists and second with 53 goals, and was named a second-team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 1993.

In his first pro season, he had 14 goals and 14 assists in 18 matches for the Milwaukee Rampage of the USISL and he also played for the Milwaukee Wave indoors before joining D.C. United for the inaugural 1996 MLS season – the club won the first two MLS Cups, with Sanneh scoring in each final. He joined German club Hertha Berlin in 1999, playing in the UEFA Champions League, then spent three seasons at 1. FC Nuremberg.

Sanneh earned 43 caps for the U.S., playing all five matches at the 2002 World Cup – the midfielder was an integral member of the team that advanced to the quarterfinals, being one of only three American players to play every minute in the tournament.

He returned to MLS in 2004 and spent time with the Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Galaxy before retiring after the 2009 season. Sanneh finished his MLS career with 16 goals and 28 assists in 130 regular-season matches and six goals and four assists in 20 playoff appearances.

The pool of voters for the National Soccer Hall of Fame includes all past and present U.S. men's and women's national team coaches, all active MLS and National Women's Soccer League head coaches with a minimum of four years of experience as a head coach in a first division league, MLS and NWSL management representatives, MLS commissioner Don Garber, NWSL commissioner Jeff Plush, U.S. Soccer CEO/Secretary General Dan Flynn, U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati, all members of the Hall of Fame and selected media members.

Voters can list as many as 10 candidates on their ballots, which are due March 20. Players appearing on at least 66.7 percent of ballots earn election, while players who don't appear on at least 5 percent of ballots are dropped from future ballots.

The panel also will consider nine candidates in the Veterans Category – those standards are the same as the Player Category, except it is for players who have been retired for more than 10 years – and nine individuals in the Builder Category.