The Carolina RailHawks' preseason friendly against Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls in March was a rather unremarkable affair. The Red Bulls won 1-0 before a crowd of 5,426 at WakeMed Soccer Park.
Little did we know at the time but it turns out that evening was one of the last times anyone saw New York midfielder Claudio Reyna play. According to Ives Galarcep, Reyna will announce his retirement Wednesday afternoon. Beset by various injuries, he appeared in only six games for the Red Bulls this season.
Before the game in March, Carolina coach Scott Schweitzer joked he might try to convince Reyna, with whom he was teammates in high school, to join the RailHawks to finish out his career. Though Reyna might be available, it's more likely that I will play with the RailHawks before he will.
Not only was that night one of the final times to see Reyna, the best field player to ever come out of the U.S., it also gave Triangle soccer fans the chance to see 18-year-old forward Jozy Altidore before he left New York, too. Altidore last month signed with Spanish giant Villareal. If or when Altidore appears for El Submarino Amarillo, he will become the first American field player to play in La Liga.
