COMMERCE CITY, CO (September 28, 2017) – Colorado Rapids Striker Kevin Doyle announced his retirement today, effective immediately. Doyle had ongoing injury concerns, with two concussions this season and several others throughout his career.
“Kevin is both a terrific player and a terrific person. His contributions on the field have been invaluable, and off-the-field he has been a wonderful influence on the locker room as well as the community as a whole. His efforts will be sorely missed,” said Rapids Sporting Director and Interim General Manager Pádraig Smith.
BREAKING: Kevin Doyle Retires Amid Head Injury Concerns, Effectively Immediately
The Irish International hangs his boots up after 16 years as a professional in Ireland, England, and the United States. The 34-year-old played 63 games internationally for the Republic of Ireland, scoring 14 goals. He was the federation’s Player of the Year in 2009 and played in the UEFA Euros 2012.
Doyle started his career on youth team, Wexfords Youths near his hometown of Adamstown, Ireland. He made his professional debut with St Patrick’s Athletic FC and then had a successful stint at Cork City FC.
After winning the Premier Division in Ireland, he moved to England to play for Reading FC. Doyle scored the promotion clinching goal in 2006 to send Reading to the English Premier League for the first time ever. He went on to play for Wolverhampton Wanderers and other teams in the first two divisions in England, scoring 87 goals total.
In March 2015, Doyle moved to America to play for the Colorado Rapids as a Designated Player. He played in 71 games, scoring 16 goals. Doyle captained the team at times and helped them have one of the most successful seasons in club history last year. The striker scored a huge goal in the playoffs against Seattle Sounders FC.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time with the Colorado Rapids and playing in MLS has been a fantastic experience,” said Doyle. “The staff, players and fans here have made me, and more importantly, my family feel at home in Denver and we will miss it.”
Doyle has not played since September 2nd however, after sustaining a concussion in a match at LA Galaxy. He penned an open letter on Twitter to announce and explain his decision:
Statement on my retirment pic.twitter.com/3dTXdk4EXU
— Kevin Doyle (@KevinDoyle1983) September 28, 2017
“This year has been clear to me that heading the ball was becoming problematic,” he wrote. “After consulting the experts in this field, it has been decided that to avoid the possibility of these symptoms becoming more serious and permanent, I will be hanging my boots up for good,” he added.
“I will play no further part in this season.”
The Rapids host Montreal Impact on Saturday night. They’ll be doing so without Doyle on the field, but he’ll be there in spirit.
