CARSON, Calif. -- As the news of Stuart Holden's retirement spread across the American soccer-sphere on Wednesday, there were plenty of people ready to wish the former Bolton, Houston Dynamo and U.S. national team midfielder well.
There was also lots of reminiscing about the player he was and could have been had a laundry list of injuries -- including three broken legs and four ACL tears over the last five years alone -- not derailed his ascendant career.
But mostly, those who played alongside him remember Holden as the consummate teammate.
"For the national team, Stuart played a huge role in what we were about in terms of what he gave to the group -- both when he played and when he didn't play," U.