As I always say when one of my favorite athlete retires: I am getting old.
The latest to bid adieu to their playing days in the beautiful game are LA Galaxy midfielders Eddie Lewis and Chris Klein (not the American Pie actor), who are done at the end of the MLS season.
Los Angeles is atop the league standings with 17 victories and 56 points. The Galaxy will finish their regular season Sunday against FC Dallas before attempting to win their first MLS Cup since 2005.
The 36-year-old Lewis played for the United States at the World Cup in 2002 and 2006. After starting his MLS career with San Jose from 1996-99, the former UCLA star and Cerritos, Calif., native spent nearly nine years with four different English clubs before joining the Galaxy in August 2008.
"Eddie Lewis is arguably the finest left-sided midfielder in the history of U.S. soccer," said Bruce Arena, Lewis' coach with the Galaxy and on both World Cup teams. "We will miss having him here with us every day, and we thank him for his outstanding contributions to our organization."
Lewis hasn't scored for the Galaxy this season in 12 games, including one start.
This name probably doesn't register with casual fans (but let's be honest if you're reading this, you're a die-hard like us) however Lewis was one of their most underrated players when the U.S. team began to be respected worldwide. He also was a groundbreaker in terms of being an American playing overseas (England).
Klein's 332 regular-season appearances are the fifth-most in MLS history, and he played in a league-record 141 consecutive games. He has scored 49 goals and 69 assists over 13 seasons with Kansas City, Salt Lake and Los Angeles, which acquired him in June 2007.
The 34-year-old Klein has made 22 appearances with the USA, scoring five goals. He has two assists while playing in 10 games for the Galaxy this season, including three starts.
"Chris has established an outstanding legacy in MLS as an All-Star performer, an MLS Cup champion and a key figure in a historical collective bargaining agreement," Arena said. "Through these endeavors, Chris has always exhibited the character and professionalism that he has become synonymous with."
I don't have such distinct memories of Klein with the U.S. team, I associate him more with his MLS career and he's had a fine one in that.
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