Eddie Gaven retires from soccer at age 27

In a surprising move, Columbus Crew and Major League Soccer veteran Eddie Gaven retired on Thursday, at age 27. In a prepared statement, he said he wants to pursue other options.

Gaven’s full statement, published on the Crew website, reads:

I would like to thank my teammates, the Crew organization and the fans for all their support over the years. I will always cherish the memories, especially winning MLS Cup in 2008. I am incredibly blessed to have been a professional soccer player and am extremely grateful to MLS and the Crew for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to fulfill my dream. For personal reasons, I will be retiring from professional soccer. I realize this may come as a surprise, but it is something I have been contemplating for some time, and after discussing it thoroughly with my family, I know in my heart that now is the right time to start the next chapter in my life. I wish the Crew nothing but the best moving forward. Thank you.

A torn anterior cruciate knee ligament knocked Gaven out for the season in May. He went down in the 85th minute of the Crew’s U.S. Open Cup victory over the Dayton Dutch Lions and had surgery shortly thereafter.

However, the wording of his statement and reaction from franchise chairman Anthony Precourt suggest that Gaven’s retirement is not related to the injury.

Losing a mainstay and class act in Eddie Gaven today. We had big plans for him, but respect his decision. Cheers to your future EG. #Crew96

— Anthony Precourt (@APrecourt) October 31, 2013

Eddie, you are welcome back any time if you change your plans! #Crew96

— Anthony Precourt (@APrecourt) October 31, 2013

Gaven was drafted in 2003 by the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, where he spent three seasons before moving to Columbus. Bob Bradley was the coach of that team, and Gaven scored his first MLS goal in memorable fashion, after Bradley exploited a loophole in the old league rules to get him on the field as a fourth substitute.

In the early days of MLS, teams could make three field-player substitutions plus one goalkeeper sub per match. Before overtime kicked off against D.C. United, Bradley put goalkeeper Tim Howard on the field and brought a 16-year-old Gaven on as a substitute in goal.

Almost immediately, John Wolyniec put the ball out of play to allow Howard to switch with Gaven and go back in between the pipes, 15 seconds into the overtime period. In the ninth minute, Gaven found the back of the net for his first of 51 MLS goals.

There’s no better tribute to Gaven and the early days of the league than to watch the video:

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