Top Stories

Michael Parkhurst to retire at end of 2019 season

Michael Parkhurst is hanging up his playing boots at the end of the 2019 Major League Soccer season.

The club announced Monday that the 35-year-old will retire at the conclusion of the current season. Parkhurst played 15 seasons, including the last three with Atlanta United where he won the 2018 MLS Cup, 2019 U.S. Open Cup and 2019 Campeones Cup.

Parkhurst’s MLS honors include a six-time MLS All-Star, three-time Fair Play award winner, Defender of the Year (2007), MLS Best XI Selection (2007), Humanitarian of the Year (2006) and Rookie of the Year (2005).

“We want to congratulate Michael on an illustrious career and thank him for immense contributions to Atlanta United,” Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said. “His career accolades speak for themselves, but during his time in Atlanta, he was a consummate professional and played an integral role for us, both on-and-off the field. In addition to solidifying our back line for the 2018 MLS Cup Championship run, he was also an influential figure in building our club’s culture and we’re forever indebted to him for that. We wish him the best in his future endeavors and he’ll always be welcome back at Atlanta United.”

Parkhurst was acquired by the Five Stripes in a trade with the Columbus Crew in Dec. 2016. The club captain has made 299 career league appearances with 293 starts. He’s only made 18 appearances in 2019 after totaling 66 in his first two seasons in Atlanta.

His MLS career also saw stops with the New England Revolution (2005-08′) and Columbus Crew (2014-16′). Parkhurst also spent five seasons in Europe, appearing 107 for Danish side Nordsjaelland and twice for Bundesliga outfit Augsburg.

A winner of 25 caps with the U.S. Men’s National Team, Parkurst won two Concacaf Gold Cups in 2007 and 2013. His last appearances came in a pair of 2014 friendlies against Mexico and South Korea.

Parkhurst will look to help the Five Stripes win back-to-back MLS Cups as the club continues regular season play on Wednesday at NYCFC.

Comments

Leave a Comment