MLS veteran Marvell Wynne retires one year after heart operation

MLS veteran Marvell Wynne announced his retirement on Friday, a little after a year following surgery to correct aheart abnormality.

Wynne, 31, signed with the San Jose Earthquakes ahead of the 2017 season but a preseasonphysical discovered the defect that ultimately ended his career.

An MLS-affiliated doctor concluded Wynne wouldn't be fit to play, and theleague stopped payinghim in July, multiple sources told ESPN FC last year.

"After 13 years in MLS and 11 years actually playing I am announcing my retirement from professional soccer," Wynne said in a video posted on social media.

"After my heart surgery, my surgeon and my cardiologist thought I could return with no problems but unfortunately they were in the minority when it came to the other doctors.

"So I have been going in and training on my own, but it's for my own physical benefit because actual playing professional soccer again I'm actually at a high risk of another injury."

Wynne, the first overall pickof the MetroStars -- soon to be renamed the New York Red Bulls -- in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, made 310 league and playoff appearances during his MLS career, scoring two goals and picking up 21 assists.

He spent parts of two seasons with the Red Bulls before he was traded to Toronto FC midway through the 2007 season. He played parts of three seasons with TFC, but was traded again to the Colorado Rapids just after the start of the 2010 season, and he was part of the Rapids' MLS Cup-winning side that year.

After spending five seasons in Colorado, Wynne was claimed by the Quakes in that year's re-entry draft, and went on to make 65 appearances over two seasons, picking up three assists.

He made five appearances for the U.S. national team, the last of which came in 2011.

"Soccer's been my everything since I was 3 but there's a whole lot of world out there to explore, so I'm actually excited to go out there and see it all," Wynne said.

"I want to thank all the fans, all my friends, everybody who supported me these last two years that were kind of rough, former coaches and former teammates, you've all been great. But it's time to go out and have some fun."