Grizzly Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 No surprise as he was the oldest player in MLS. Nice to see him able to finish out his career with a year in MLS. He didn't get a lot of time and it would have been nice to see him score (he didn't) but he looked pretty good whenever he was on the pitch including the game last Saturday. Even at 39 he was far more an MLS-level player than Justin Braun was. Good luck Eddie and develop a lot of great Impact/CMNT players as youth coach for the Impact. http://www.impactmontreal.com/en/news/2012/11/forward-eduardo-sebrango-retires MONTREAL – Forward Eduardo Sebrango announced his retirement from professional soccer on Thursday, following a 14-year professional career in both first and second division soccer in North America, including eight seasons with the Montreal Impact. The Canadian citizen, originally from Cuba, played seven games in 2012. He joined the Impact for MLS on February 21, following a successful trial with the club during preseason training camp. “I’m happy and comfortable with my decision,” said Sebrango, 39, the oldest player in MLS. “I’m satisfied with my whole career and my accomplishments. I’m ending a career as a player but it’s the beginning of a new one. I’m thankful towards the Montreal Impact for giving me my first chance and for trusting in me for MLS. I have enjoyed every minute I played in the first division. This experience in MLS and the opportunity to play with star players like Alessandro Nesta, Nelson Rivas, Matteo Ferrari and Marco Di Vaio was the icing on the cake.” “We want to thank Eddie for his services with the club over all these years,” said Impact sporting director Nick De Santis. “Again this year, he handled himself in the most professional manner. His everyday preparation and commitment to the club and training was exemplary and it’s great to hear from players like Nesta and Di Vaio on how they respect him. In the end, it’s because of all these reasons that he has been able to play until the age of 40. He will always remain a role model for any young athlete. On a personal note, I’ve played with and coached him, and he is the most professional and human person I’ve ever seen. We will now discuss how to work out a future for him with us.” Sebrango is one of the most successful players in the history of second division soccer in North America, winning five championships, two with the Impact in 2004 and 2009, and two with Vancouver in 2006 and 2008, as well as one with the Rochester Rhinos in 2000. He currently ranks second place all-time in North American second division scoring, with a total of 104 goals, 31 assists for 239 points in 270 games and 18,430 minutes of play. Sebrango played with the Impact between the 2002 and 2005, and the 2009 to 2011 seasons. With the Impact, he registered 51 goals and 11 assists for 112 points, in 149 regular season games. He is currently ranked second place all-time in team history for most goals and points, behind Mauro Biello, current assistant coach of the team. In his first season with Montreal in 2002, Sebrango scored 18 goals and won the Giuseppe Saputo trophy as the team's MVP. In 2009, Sebrango scored three goals in two matches during the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals against Mexican club Santos Laguna, scoring twice in front of 55,571 supporters at the Olympic Stadium on February 25, 2009. Sebrango first retired on April 18, 2011 and joined the Academy coaching staff, but returned to the pitch later that year, on June 21. On the International scene, he scored 16 goals in 24 games for the Cuban National Team between 1992 and 1998. He was named Cuban player of the year in 1997, and took part in the Gold Cup tournament and World Cup qualifying games in 1998. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Bob Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Great player, great career. He will be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 He is a Canadian citizen now and played most of his career here so I think he would be a great candidate for the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 He is a Canadian citizen now and played most of his career here so I think he would be a great candidate for the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in the near future. I think he is a guarantee so long as he's eligible. Although not an Impact supporter I'll never forget the goals he scored for you against Santos Laguna, did he actually score the 1st one though? Anyhow, class player and Montreal showed class by allowing him a year in MLS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizzly Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 Anyhow, class player and Montreal showed class by allowing him a year in MLS. To be honest I don't think this was Montreal showing class, he legitimately made the team. I talked to him before the tryouts and he really was not sure if he would make the team. Several other longtime Impact veterans younger than him were also invited and many of them also had a legitimate claim to be retained for nostalgia purposes but only Sebrango made the final team. And we had a number of players who played for this team and did not look MLS level but Eddie was not one of them. In the short time he saw the pitch (7 games, 120 minutes only 1 start) he was always dangerous and came close to scoring a few times. I think if he had got more playing time and did not get injured for the middle part of the season he would have put up some decent numbers. If he had the playing time game after game that Di Vaio did when he first came I don't think it would have taken Eddie 8 games to score his first goal. He looked as dangerous as either Di Vaio or Wenger did in our last game even though none of them scored (and Eddie only had 11 minutes). Had he gotten the 1366 minutes Di Vaio did this year I am pretty sure he could have at least equalled Di Vaio's 5 goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Bob Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Maybe if the Impact are struggling for goals in the first half of next season Sebrango will make another comeback. Worked last time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unnamed Trialist Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I remember seeing Sebrango running around False Creek in Van, like after a road trip, first day back. Team wasn't training and Eddie was running his butt off, not jogging, running like hell the day after a road game. You'd see Caps players down there a lot, the out of towners, but they'd be kicking a ball around casually on the grass and shooting the sh·t. But Sebrango was out pushing it. Meaning he was a serious pro and took it seriously, and you have to give him credit for the passion he put into it and the dedication, he was already "old" but he was far from done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Impact Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 All the best Eddy.Great player, Great person. end of an era ... **** I'm getting old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Class guy and a real legend both for Montreal and Vancouver. I'd be surprised if he doesn't make the Soccer Hall of Fame considering what he achieved at both franchises. Best of luck to him with the Impact youth teams! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmcmurph Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Maybe if the Impact are struggling for goals in the first half of next season Sebrango will make another comeback. Worked last time... Yea nothing like having an old geezer outworking and beating all the kids to the ball to make them double up their efforts and play/practice harder! Good luck in your future Eddie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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