JUST IN: Sounders midfielder announces retirement

The image that people remember most of Kelyn Rowe is of him shirtless in a two-toned green faux fur jacket that has checks on it, covered in booze and wearing ski goggles on his head. The Sounders midfielder, who has decided to retire from soccer, will remember the kind of memories that come with winning a CONCACAF championship.

The announcement was made by 32-year-old Rowe on social media on Friday morning. The native of Federal Way played in the league for 12 years, the last three of which were spent in Seattle, after being chosen third overall by New England in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.

When speaking of ties with former colleagues who retired before him, Rowe remarked, “It’s never a game that you speak of.” You discuss things like the changing room, jokes, pranks, going out at night, lengthy trips, and situations when you had to ride a bus for seven hours after your flight was canceled due to snow. You discuss about a wide range of topics, yet games are not one of them.

“Thank you for your contributions both on and off the field, both when I left previous clubs and now. I feel best about that. I was a person, not just a soccer player. I hope that these teams and clubs are in better shape now than when I arrived.

The Bogey Boys apparel line by Macklemore included Rowe’s well-known jacket. Before facing Liga MX team Pumas UNAM in the pivotal CCL encounter at Lumen Field in May 2022, Rowe claimed he purchased the purchase to lighten things up in the locker room.

Teammates broke with laughter when the generally somber dresser strolled into the Lumen Field clubhouse. Rowe replaced an injured Nouhou in the eleventh minute of the game and went on to play 79 minutes in the 3-0 victory. After being drafted by the Revs, Rowe’s professional career featured spells in Real Salt Lake and Kansas City before culminating in the CCL championship.

The thrilling season was succeeded by an agonizing 2023. In April, during an away encounter against RSL, Rowe sustained a left knee strain in the second half of stoppage time, which caused him to miss nearly a month of soccer. The reserve left back, who played a drastically diminished role, strained his right quadriceps versus Houston at Lumen in July.

Rowe’s season was cut short by a career-low 360 minutes across all competitions, which came to an end in November when he came on for six minutes against FC Dallas during the postseason. The growth of former academy players Cody Baker and Reed Baker-Whiting as fullbacks presented another challenge to Rowe’s return to the starting utility reserve position.

In the offseason, Rowe had not planned to retire. He tested his agility in games while he continued to rehabilitate his quad and knee. Rowe stated he couldn’t perform to his standard and that the last two weeks had been the hardest of his career.

“I got myself back into fitness,” Rowe said, adding he was in communication with multiple teams about playing this season. “It came down to do I want to push my body even more so for maybe one or two years or do I call it and start my new life and be able to walk pretty happily every day and not have to struggle? It was also tough for me because I don’t want to put a team in a position where I am injured most of the season.

“Being in the locker room is great. Being on the field is amazing. But the second you have to sit in that training room for weeks and months and years on end, it weighs on you mentally because you aren’t a part of the team as much anymore. You have these separations and it’s not something that’s easy to go through. I wanted to make sure my body felt good every day and end

on a high note.”

The U.S. international totaled 32 goals and 50 assists in 325 appearances, through all MLS competitions. He earned four caps with the U.S. men’s national team, helping it win the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2017.

Rowe started setting up his retirement life the past two years. He has a Level 2 wine certification and is the owner and founder of Vino FC — a monthly wine subscription the includes access to hosted events and tastings in addition to curated wine deliveries.

Retirement also offers Rowe more time to continue charity work with his NEGU (Never, ever, give up) Crew. He has been assisting kids dealing with cancer since 2014 through his work with the Jessie Rees Foundation.

But up first comes a lengthy vacation.

After Friday’s announcement, Rowe said he received an unbelievable amount of texts and phone calls from people thanking him for what he has seen or shared during his career. He likened it to the time he joined the Sounders in 2021, when everyone was eager to watch him play professionally because the majority of Rowe’s eight-year career was spent on the east coast.

“The best part for me is that I got to do this and end it in a place where I find love,” Rowe added.