KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Wizards midfielder and soccer legend Preki has announced that he will retire from professional soccer following the completion of the 2005 Wizards season. The two-time MLS Most Valuable Player and eight-time MLS All-Star will end his 26-year professional career as arguably the best player in Major League Soccer history.
"It has been a great ride and it's now coming to an end. I am very thankful to my family and the Wizards organization for giving me this opportunity to end my career right here in Kansas City," said Preki. "It is really something that I am going to miss, but it is time for me to hang 'em up and start going in a different direction. It is going to be difficult to walk off the field for the last time, I've been in this game for such a long time. But I will always be involved in the game and hopefully I will be involved again soon enough on the coaching side."
The 42-year-old Preki spent nine of his ten seasons in MLS with the Wizards, playing the 2001 season with the Miami Fusion before returning to Kansas City prior to the 2002 season. Entering this weekend's match against Chicago, he has scored 78 career goals (6th all-time) and added 112 assists, just two shy of the MLS record of 114 held by Carlos Valderrama. He also ranks as the all-time leader in shots (771) and became Major League Soccer's all-time leading scorer during the 2002 season and held that honor until the end of 2004.
"Preki retires as the greatest player in the ten year history of Major League Soccer," said Wizards General Manager Curt Johnson. "No matter how you quantify greatness, whether it be measured by talent, desire, style of play, clutch performances, statistics, longevity or the excitement one brings to the game, Preki retires as the best."
The leadership, work ethic and love for the game that Preki exhibited on the field were evident as he made those around him better. Preki helped guide the Wizards to the best overall record in 2000, earning the Supporters' Shield then capturing the 2000 MLS Cup Championship. A year later, with the Miami Fusion, his team won the Supporters' Shield for having the best overall record in MLS. Last season the Wizards captured the 2004 U.S. Open Cup Championship and earned a spot in the 2004 MLS Cup Final.
"Preki's contributions here have been immense. He has been, and still is one of the best players in this League," added Wizards Head Coach Bob Gansler. "He is a unique playmaker that scores. He is the best technician that I have ever worked with and he makes the ball obey, it is at his beck and call. It has been a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to work with him over the last half-decade or more. He has made me a better coach for sure."
Preki twice led the League in scoring, first in 1997 when he scored 12 goals and added 17 assists, and again in 2003 with 12 goals and 17 assists once again. In both season's he was named MLS Most Valuable Player. His 2003 MVP honor came at the age of 40, making him the first player over 40 in any professional sports league in the country to earn MVP honors.
The crafty midfielder was named to the MLS All-Star team each of his first eight seasons in MLS (1996-2003) and was named to the MLS "Best XI" four times - 1996, 1997, 2001 and 2003. He suffered a devastating injury during the 2004 preseason that forced him to miss all but two games during the year, but battled back to return to the Wizards lineup in 2005.
"To be that good is a gift, but for someone to maintain it like he has and be the MVP in 2003 is just amazing, said Gansler. "God was generous to him, but on the other hand the man has worked immensely to keep himself physically able to do it. His passion to play and his thirst to win are the same as when he was younger. He wants to compete and he doesn't want to lose."
Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Preki began his professional career at the age of 16 with Red Star Belgrade. He came to the United States for the first time at age 22 and played seven seasons of indoor soccer with the Tacoma Stars and St. Louis Steamers of the MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League). He amassed 399 goals and 384 assists in 370 games before moving back overseas to join English side Everton of the English Premier League (EPL) in 1992.
He spent two seasons with Everton, alongside future Wizards teammate Mo Johnston, and one season with Portsmouth of the English First Division before descending upon American soil once again playing two seasons (94-95) in the CISL (Continental Indoor Soccer League) for the San Jose Grizzlies.
In 1996, when Major League Soccer began its inaugural season, Preki was the 4th player allocated to the Wizards and instantly become a fan-favorite and embarked on what would become an unparalleled career in Kansas City.
Shortly after receiving his U.S. citizenship in 1996, he made his U.S. National Team debut against Guatemala in a World Cup Qualifier. He went on to earn 28 caps with the U.S. and appeared in the 1998 World Cup in France. He scored four career goals for the U.S., the most notable was the game-winner that beat Brazil on February 10, 1998 to send the U.S. to the 1998 Gold Cup Final.
Preki and the Wizards will host the Chicago Fire on Saturday, October 1st at Arrowhead with kickoff at 7:00 p.m. CT. His final regular season home game will be next weekend when the Wizards host Eastern Conference leading New England Revolution on Saturday, October 8th at 7:00 p.m. CT. Tickets are available for both matches by calling Ticketmaster at 816-931-3330 or online right here.
