New England Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston is retiring from professional soccer after 15 very successful seasons in MLS. Ralston, who was one of two remaining “MLS Originals”, leaves Major League Soccer as the leader in assists (135), appearances (378), starts (372) and minutes (33,143).
Ralston began his career with the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1996 after playing collegiately at Florida International. In 2002, the Revolution selected Ralston with the sixth overall selection in the Allocation Draft, after the Mutiny and Miami Fusion folded operations. He played with the Revolution from 2002 through the 2009 season, after which he signed with his hometown AC St. Louis of the second division after suffering a season-ending knee injury last September. In June, Ralston re-signed with New England, making one appearance – a brief substitute appearance against Brazilian power Cruzeiro.
I played along side Steve in 2007, when he scored four goals and led MLS with 14 assists. In my opinion, he is probably one of the best right midfielders to have ever played the game! He had the complete package; he worked hard, new how to whip a ball into the box and he found the back of the net on a regular basis. On top of that, he was a pure professional on and off the field. You can read more about the announcement on the Revs website.
I wish Steve every success in his future endeavors, and thank him for his influence on MLS and US soccer! PS – Who could forget the Cranky Donkey celebration?
