Former Southern Connecticut State men’s soccer players Joe Barroso and Brian Bliss will be inducted into the New England Soccer Hall of Fame on Nov. 14 at 12:30 p.m. at the Riviera Inn in East Providence, R.I.


Barroso was a part of the Owls’ National Championship team in 1990. A former USA Soccer ‘A’ National Team player, Barroso currently ranks sixth all-time at SCSU in goals (41) and ninth in points (99). He currently serves as head men’s soccer coach at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.

A three-time captain and four-year starter, Bliss led the Owls to a 60-14-8 record and appeared in three NCAA Division II tournaments. A member of the U.S. tam which played in the 1990 World Cup, Bliss was also a member of the U.S. team in 1995 in the Copa America tournament and the U.S. Cup tournament.

Bliss was the first player selected in the 1987 Major Indoor Soccer League draft, taken by the Cleveland Force. The Most Valuable Player in the 1987 MISL annual All-America Classic, he played professionally in Germany’s second division with the Carl Zeiss Jena Club and with three teams in Major League Soccer. He is currently the Technical Director with the Columbus Crew.