The 20-year old Jordan Stone from Allen, Texas, announced his retirement from Major League Soccer on Monday. Appearing in parts of three seasons with the Burn after being drafted in the second round (15th overall) in 2002 right out of high school, Stone decided that going back to school would be a good route for him as he moves on in his life. After attending two years of corresponding classes at Texas Tech, Stone will head to Lubbock beginning in January.
"We are definitely sad to see Jordan go from a team standpoint," said FC Dallas President and General Manager Greg Elliott. "When you get a person as outstanding as Jordan around, you don't want to lose him but you can never fault anybody's personal vision.
"This will work out to be a good decision for him personally and our entire organization wishes him the best."
Stone appeared in 25 matches from 2002-2004 with the Burn, 16 of those matches coming in 2003. A contributor in the community, Stone never turned down a player appearance or a chance to help out with a worthy cause. Although he will definitely miss his teammates and friends he has made along the way, Stone believes this is what he needs to be doing at this time in his life.
"It was the hardest decision arguably I have ever had to make in my life," said Stone. "The coaching staff, the management and the players have been nothing but great to me my entire time with the organization.
"This was a decision led by the Lord and is something that I really feel is the next step for me in my life."
One of the more likeable players in the locker room, Stone will be missed by the organization, the fans and most of all his teammates. He made an impression on several people within the organization and within the locker room.
"Jordan is really an idealistic young professional who was very eager to learn and had great work ethic," said Jason Kreis. "It's disappointing to see him go because of the potential he had.
"He'll definitely be missed."
