Sporting Kansas City defender Brad Evans announced on Monday his retirement from professional soccer after a decorated 12-year career in MLS.
Evans leaves the league as a two-time MLS Cup champion, a four-time Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion and a two-time Supporters’ Shield winner, having represented Columbus Crew SC (2007-2008), Seattle Sounders FC (2009-2017) and Sporting KC (2018) in addition to earning 27 caps for the United States Men’s National Team.
“The last 12 years have been an absolute privilege, and there are so many teammates, players, coaches and fans who I am excited to thank,” Evans said. “I’m extremely proud to have represented Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City and the United States and appreciate every opportunity I have been given. Although my playing career has ended, I look forward to keeping the special relationships I’ve made throughout my time in Major League Soccer.”
Including playoffs, Evans recorded 28 goals and 31 assists in 255 career MLS appearances as a defender and midfielder. His eight major trophies as an MLS player are tied for the fifth-most in league history.
“Brad was an excellent professional during his time with us and throughout his career,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said. “He was a great player and teammate who strengthened the culture of every club he played for, and we have tremendous respect for everything he has accomplished. We are sad to see him retire, but Brad can be extremely proud of the impact he has made on and off the field at every stage of his career.”
A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Evans began his storied professional career with Columbus Crew SC as the No. 15 overall pick in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. The UC Irvine product enjoyed a breakout sophomore season in Ohio, scoring a career-high six goals in 31 matches (including playoffs) as Columbus cruised to the MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield double in their most successful season to date.
Seattle acquired Evans in the 2009 MLS Expansion Draft, marking the start of his trophy-laden stint in the Pacific Northwest. Evans helped the Sounders reach the MLS Cup Playoffs in each of his eight seasons with the club and won three consecutive U.S. Open Cup titles from 2009-2011, during which time he played primarily as a midfielder.
Evans notched at least four goals and four assists each season from 2011-2013 before helping Seattle reach new heights as club captain in 2014, when the Sounders won another U.S. Open Cup and captured their first Supporters’ Shield title with a club-record 20 regular-season wins.
Transitioning primarily to a defender from 2015 onward, Evans helped Seattle reach the MLS pinnacle in 2016. He made 28 league appearances, including five in the playoffs, as the Sounders hoisted the MLS Cup with a penalty shootout triumph over Toronto FC. Evans converted his spot kick in the shootout after a 0-0 draw to claim his second MLS Cup and his eighth trophy as a professional.
Evans ended his fruitful stay in Seattle with 221 MLS appearances, including 16 in the postseason. In addition to featuring in six editions of the MLS Cup Playoffs with the club, he competed in three separate editions of the Concacaf Champions League, the premier international club tournament in North America.
Evans joined Sporting KC in February for his final MLS campaign, providing valuable leadership for a team that ended 2018 with 18 regular-season wins and 62 points, both the second-most in club history. Sporting KC finished atop the Western Conference regular season standings and advanced to the conference championship for the first time since 2013.
On the international stage, Evans first represented the United States U-20s at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship under head coach Sigi Schmid, who also coached him in Columbus and Seattle. Evans made his senior international debut in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup and competed in nine friendlies over the next four years.
Evans started five matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign, all wins, and scored his lone U.S. goal in second-half stoppage time of a dramatic 2-1 qualifying victory against Jamaica in June 2013. His contributions helped the Americans punch a ticket to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and led to a busy year in 2015, when he competed at his second Concacaf Gold Cup and played in the historic Concacaf Cup against Mexico at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Evans last appeared for the U.S. MNT in February 2017.
Evans had a prolific four-year career at UC Irvine from 2003 to 2006, where he scored a school-record 31 goals in 75 games. He was named the Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2005 and 2006, landing All-American honors as a senior.
Away from the soccer field, Evans championed numerous philanthropic causes as an active humanitarian in Seattle and Kansas City. While with Sounders FC, he participated in the Men in Kilts campaign, helped raise money for the Ronald McDonald House and served families of children being treated at Seattle Children’s Hospital. He also worked with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the Seattle Humane Society and assisted in the club’s United in Green efforts to positively impact local children.
Throughout 2018, Evans was regularly involved in The Victory Project, an initiative that unites Sporting KC players, staff and fans to help children fighting cancer and other serious challenges. He helped lead multiple fundraisers for the program-including the SKC Invitational golf event and Celebrity Bartending at No Other Pub-while participating in the Victory Project Blood Drive and TeamSmile, a dental outreach initiative for underserved children in Kansas City. He also presented a new, in-home gaming room to 15-year-old Jordan Rodriguez, a local teen battling cancer.
In other recent Sporting KC roster changes, Sporting KC signed free agent defender Rodney Wallace, 30, a Costa Rican international, to a one-year contract for the 2019 season.
Also, Sporting KC acquired forward Erik Hurtado in a trade with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Hurtado, 28, is a forward who has played six seasons with the Whitecaps.
Sporting KC gave the club’s natural second-round pick in the 2020 MLS Super Draft and natural first-round pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft in exchange for Hurtado.
- Story from Sporting KC