At a ceremony on May 3, 2025 in Frisco, Texas, Chris Armas was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Armas, a Long Island native, played in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) with the Brentwood Soccer Club before blossoming into a United States National Team player, notching 66 appearances for the Stars and Stripes.
Professionally, Armas was a stalwart in Major League Soccer (MLS) for 12 seasons. He was drafted in 1996 by the Los Angeles Galaxy, but fully made his mark after being traded to the Chicago Fire in 1998. With Chicago, he won the 1998 MLS Cup as well as winning the U.S. Open Cup four times between 1998-2006. He was also named to the MLS Best XI five times during his career, including fourth straight nods from 1998-2001.
Prior to MLS, he helped the Long Island Rough Riders win the U.S. Interregional Soccer League (USISL) Championship, scoring in the title game.
Armas starred locally at the collegiate ranks with Adelphi University, where he was an NCAA Division 2 First Team All-American his senior year.
After his playing days finished, Armas has had a second successful career in the game as a coach. He coached his alma mater’s women’s program from 2011-2015. He has also been the head coach of MLS sides New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC, and the Colorado Rapids, which is his current position. Armas has also coached in England where he was an assistant at Manchester United and co-interim head coach at Leeds United.
Armas was inducted in the Class of 2025 alongside Mark Abbott, Mary Harvey, Carli Lloyd and Nick Rimando.
