Longtime Mexican international midfielder and former Sounders FC stalwart Gonzalo Pineda announced his retirement from professional soccer on Thursday, ending a 13-year career that spanned seven teams and two countries.
Pineda, 33, spent two seasons with the Sounders from 2014-15, appearing in 56 regular-season games for the club and three more during the team’s postseason push to the Western Conference Championship in 2014. A veteran presence in the central midfield who played with Mexico in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Pineda combined with longtime Sounders defensive midfielder Osvaldo Alonso to form one of the strongest midfield parings in MLS over the past two seasons, serving as the engine room for the team’s surge to its first-ever Supporters’ Shield in 2014.
The Sounders opted last month to decline the option on Pineda’s contract as he considered retirement.
Pineda wasn't clear on his next career steps, but he alluded to a new job within soccer.
The Sounders signed Pineda in March 2014 after a preseason trial with the club, the first contract he signed outside of his native Mexico. Pineda started his career in 2002 with Liga MX side Pumas and won a pair of titles with the club in 2004, but eventually made his name with legendary Mexican club C.D. Chivas, where he appeared in more than 120 matches over seven years with the club.
Pineda also suited up on loan stints for San Luis, Cruz Azul, Puebla and Querétaro during his time in Mexico.
A veteran with the Mexican national teams for five years, Pineda earned 44 caps with El Tri between 2004-08. He appeared in five games during the 2005 Confederations Cup before later starting three games for Mexico during the 2006 World Cup in Germany, when Mexico reached the Round of 32.
