SECAUCUS, N.J. - New York Red Bulls midfielder Chris Henderson, Major League Soccer's all-time leader in regular season games played, announced his retirement from professional soccer today after a career that has spanned for over 15 years.
"For me to be able to retire feeling great physically, I've been really lucky," Henderson said. "It's been a fun ride since the 1990 World Cup. I've always appreciated what I did for a living and I never took it for granted, so I am a little bit sad. But, I am also looking forward to the new challenges that lie ahead."
With 52 goals and 80 assists - good for seventh all-time in league annals - Henderson played a total of 317 MLS regular season games and 31 playoff matches, including a successful 2000 MLS Cup championship run while he was with the Wizards. Perhaps his finest play came during his time with the Colorado Rapids (1996-1998, 2002-2005), where he ranks as the organization's all-time leader in points (115), assists (53) and games played (178) and is third in goals scored (31). In 2002, he scored a career-high 11 goals and seven assists for the Rapids and was named to the MLS All-Star team for the third time in his career.
In 2006, Henderson played in each of the Red Bulls' 32 regular season games, starting in 29, and he recorded three goals and an assist. Coming into the 2006 season, Henderson was one of 10 players who had played at least one game in MLS' first 10 years.
At age 19, Henderson was the youngest player on the 1990 U.S. National Team that qualified for the World Cup in Italy for the first time since 1950. Over his international career, Henderson earned 80 caps and scored three goals for his country. He was a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team and an alternate on the 1994 and 1998 World Cup squads.
Off the field, Henderson was actively involved in the community. In 2004, Henderson established the Chris Henderson Foundation - an organization which raises funds to provide cash grants to aid underprivileged children and to fight leukemia. Through his "Henderson's Heroes" program, he also invited children stricken with leukemia and their families to several Red Bulls home games. He was named the Red Bulls' 2006 Humanitarian of the Year.
Henderson's MLS career saw him play for five organizations - Colorado, Kansas City (1999-2000), Miami (2001), Columbus (2005) and New York (2006).
Henderson is married to wife, Dee, and they have two children, Aidan and Annelise.
