‘Feels right’ for Davis to walk away in orange
Former midfielder signs a one-day contract to cement final goodbye
Brad Davis did not play the last game of his career in Dynamo orange. But nearly five months after the MLS legend walked off the pitch for the final time, he and the club he helped guide to a championship level made everything right again.
Davis, 35, officially announced his retirement in October after playing one season with Sporting Kansas City. On Thursday, the left-footed wizard returned to Houston to sign a one-day contract and retire all over again — this time as a Dynamo.
Davis, who had the greatest accomplishments of his 14-year career during his decade with the Dynamo, said Thursday’s ending was fitting.
“This is what it was supposed to be like,” said Davis, who before the 2016 season asked to be traded to Sporting Kansas City so he could play closer to his family in Missouri. “(Dynamo president) Chris (Canetti) and I talked about a few different things. We agreed this is what needed to happen. I owe pretty much everything in my career to this club and to this city.”
Among the best in MLS
The accomplishments and statistics need no embellishment. Davis finished his career high in a handful of MLS rankings. He is third in assists (123), fourth in games played (392), eighth in games started (339) and 10th in minutes played (29,577).
Nobody in the history of the league took more corner kicks than his 1,269.
Canetti has been with the Dynamo since their arrival in Houston, but that is not the first time he met Davis. Canetti was with the Metrostars when they drafted Davis in 2002.
Canetti got to watch up close from 2006-15 as Davis helped the Dynamo win two MLS Cups and reach two more MLS Cup finals. During that time, Davis became the club’s career leader in five categories.
“He was always somewhat underrated,” Canetti said. “He has always been a top-level player, but maybe not always considered that when comparing him to others. Hopefully, now that his career is over and the numbers are on the table, we can all look back and appreciate the greatness that he was.
“Maybe some of these records stand forever. As time goes on, maybe his legend grows even more.”
Davis’ legend will be more than his accomplishments in MLS. He appeared in 17 games for the U.S. men’s national team. The highlight was when he made the 2014 World Cup roster and started a group stage game against Germany, the eventual champion.
A return to soccer?
Two years later, he felt his game and role declining as he played in Kansas City. Injuries were harder to return from, too. Rather than hanging on for the final season of his two-year guaranteed contract, he said he felt it was best for his career and for Sporting Kansas City that he retire.
Davis hopes to return to the soccer world eventually, but for now he is going to spend time with his family, which includes his wife Heather and their three young children, and make up for lost time from all his years focusing on soccer.
He had one more stop to make this week in Houston, where he lived for many of his greatest moments.
“I wanted to be able to come back and say thank you,” Davis said. “I know last year I was in Kansas City. You could call it a retirement, but this is what I was looking for. This gives me closure on my career. It just feels right. It feels the way it should after 15 years to do it in a place that gave me so much.”