Eddie Pope retires from international play

Eddie Pope (pictured) joined the growing list of US players to retire from the international game. Eddie was, without a doubt, the best defender the US has produced to date.

He earned 87 caps in his career and eight goals, but those numbers cannot explain the speed and discipline he brought to the US defense.

In 2004 and early 2005 Pope suffered a number of injuries, calling into question his form for World Cup play. However, he worked his way back to top form and earned himself a spot in Germany.

Sadly, his last big international game saw him get an unjust red card (against Italy*), but that one moment does not reflect on his full career.

Like all the other retirements, we knew this was coming, but it is still a sad day now that it is here. Thank you Eddie for everything you have done for the US team over the years.

* I first listed this as Ghana goal, but wires in my brain were crossed. For whatever reason, I was thinking of Claudio Reyna not Eddie Pope as I wrote this. Sorry.