1987-92
A former staple in the back for the US National Team, Balboa is arguably the best defensive player in the league’s history. After making the All-League Second Team in his 1987 debut, he went on to make the First Team the next four consecutive seasons and was honored as the league WSA Most Valuable Player in 1988. He is the only defender in USL First Division history to be named MVP. He played for the San Diego Nomads from 1987-89, the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks from 1990-91 and the Colorado Foxes in 1992, winning three championships (1987, 1991, 1992) in five appearances in league finals. His international career began that same year with eight appearances, and spanned 13 years to 2000 before he retired from international play after 128 caps, 13 goals, two US Soccer Chevrolet Male Athlete of the Year Awards (1992, 1994) and an appearance in the FIFA World All-Star Game in Tokyo (1995). He was also the first player in US Soccer history to reach 100 caps. His MLS career ended in 2002 after playing just one game for the MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls), spending the first six years with the Colorado Rapids, where he made 152 appearances with 24 goals and 23 assists. He was the team’s Defender of the Year and MVP twice (1997, 2000) and played in five of his seven MLS All-Star Game selections. Balboa was a 2005 inductee of the US Soccer Hall of Fame and was named to the MLS All-Time Best XI as the league celebrated its 10th Anniversary.