Chad Marshall’s decision to retire did not come lightly, even if it came rather suddenly. The 34-year-old had been informed that there was a chance complications could arise following offseason surgery to repair his torn meniscus. The Seattle Sounders had been monitoring his knee since preseason, but became worried when there was some “rapid” degeneration detected following the Minnesota United match.
Playing through pain was not new to Marshall. Like most players, he’s dealt with injuries. At one point in 2007, he even considered retiring after sustaining three concussions in the same year. Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer spoke about how Marshall was “shattered” after virtually every match, a product of him simply pushing himself as hard as he could.