Austin FC forward Aaron Schoenfeld announced his retirement from soccer ending a 10-year career cut short because of a knee injury.
Schoenfeld, 31, signed with Austin FC as a free agent last year, but he was injured all of last season and didn’t play a game. He underwent minor arthroscopic surgery on his left knee after the injury, but the recovery has been slow.
“(My) knee can’t keep up with the demands of the sport anymore,” Schoenfeld said.
After playing collegiately at East Tennessee State, Schoenfeld entered the MLS in 2012 with Columbus Crew SC after being selected in the second round of that year’s Supplementary Draft by CF Montréal. He spent the 2020 season with Minnesota United FC upon his return from Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he won an Israeli Premier League title in 2018-19. Across five seasons in MLS, Schoenfeld has six goals and three assists in 65 games (17 starts).
When the 6-4 forward signed with Austin FC, he brought depth and leadership to the roster built through the expansion draft. But his injury kept him from having the impact he and the team had hoped.
He seemed satisfied with his decision.
“I feel so fortunate to have lived out my childhood dream for so many years,” Schoenfeld said on Instagram recently. “I was able to wake up every day for the last 10 years and be surrounded by others who loved their job. Being in such a positive environment made me feel so grateful each and every day.”
Schoenfeld thanked his family, including his wife, Manchester City defender Abby Dahlkemper.
“I want to thank my amazing wife for being my rock while I battled this injury for the past eight months,” he said. “You always were able to find a way to make me smile on the hardest days.”
The two met through mutual friends after following each other on Instagram.
"It's kind of weird if you're ever around us," Schoenfeld told KVUE. "We're the same exact person – same personalities, same mannerisms, same everything."