My Take on Reyna's Retirement

In what is now quite old news, I will offer up my view on the retirement of a Red Bull New York disappointment, but nonetheless, an American legend. As you likely know by now if you follow MLS, Claudio Reyna has decided to call it quits on his playing career midway through the MLS season. There has been much speculation as to the circumstances of his departure from the team. I hope I can put some of the rumors to rest in this post.

After 27 appearances with the Red Bulls and zero goals to show for his efforts, many were calling for Reyna to bow out with grace and allow the team to move on. While Reyna was certainly disappointing in his return to The States, we should have been more prepared for his statistics. We may have set the bar too high for a player that has been a career stopper and distributor. He wins the ball and makes the pass that maintains possession, and he did that as a Red Bull. Unfortunately in a designated player spot, he was expected to produce season numbers near 5 goals and 10 assists.

It is a difficult way to end a brilliant career, but I think it is far more important to remember all that we loved about Claudio. He was one of the best Americans to ever play the game, and has never been anything but the consumate professional. Many suspected he was more or less forced to retire. He will stay with the team in a lesser capacity to help with player development, and eventually hopes to be a coach. Staying on board does not sound to me like a player who was told to retire. I think Reyna expected better just as many of us did, and still hoped he could live up to expectations. Ultimately the nagging injuries caught up with him and the curtain fell on the final act of one of the more storied players in US history. Best of luck to Claudio as he moves on to the next stage of his life... GO USA!!!