Rhine, Vanney bid adieu to MLS
MLS original Vanney, Hoops lifer Rhine head into retirement
LA Galaxy defender Greg Vanney, who started with the league's inception, and Bobby Rhine, who spent the entirety of his MLS career with Dallas, both brought down the curtain on their active careers as their teams battled to a 2-2 draw. Rhine, whose decade-long career that featured 212 regular-season games, more than 12,000 minutes and 23 goals, wore the captain's armband, started and played 58 minutes on Sunday in his final game. When he was taken out of the match, he took off the armband, handed it back to Duilio Davino and walked quietly to the end of the bench.
"If the game went on 180 minutes today, I wouldn't have liked coming out," Rhine said. "The fact was, coming out when I did, that was tough."
In the end, though, Rhine said he felt he made the right decision. Rhine, 32, announced his retirement prior to the 2008 season finale. The game was his sixth start of the season and seventh match overall. And although Rhine said he knows the game better now than he ever has, his body told him it was time to call it quits.
"It's funny because you feel as though you see the game better than you ever have," he said. "You know the way it should be played. You know scenarios and decisions that should be made on the field but when you can't keep up physically, it helps to make the decision a little bit easier. It's a young man's game and I'm not a young man."
As a veteran, though, he earned respect among young players and fellow veterans. Prior to the game, Davino gave the captain's armband to Rhine and the Missouri native wore the armband, perhaps a fitting gesture for one of the club's all-time greats.
"When Duilio made that suggestion for the coach, that I be the captain for the game, I was honored. He's a class act, a guy that had 10 years at Club America. Tremendous career," Rhine said. "I think he knows what it's like for a player when he's at the end. That meant a lot to me, that a player like him wanted to honor me for the game."
Vanney's announcement to call an end to his career came just before the season finale, in his fourth season back in MLS after a four-year stint in France's Ligue 1 with Bastia. Vanney was signed by the Galaxy for the inaugural season of MLS in 1996 and spent six years before heading to Europe. Upon returning to MLS, he played two years with FC Dallas and split 2007 with Colorado and D.C. United before coming back to his original club.
"I came back to the Galaxy at the beginning of this year, with the intention and hope that I would finish my career here at the Galaxy. I feel like even when I left many years ago for France that this was the club my dreams and my heart was, even all those years I was gone. It feels that every year I was gone, I tried to find ways to get back and it happened at the beginning this year," Vanney said.
Vanney ended his career with 270 league appearances and another 32 in MLS Cup play. While he was with the Galaxy for three MLS Cup Finals, of which they were on the short end, he did win a U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions' Cup with the club.
"I'm proud that I'm that I'm retiring a Galaxy player, but I'm disappointed the way the season went this year. I'm disappointed on both a personal level and a team level that I didn't do more to help the team go further this year. Having said that I've always been a harsh critic of myself. I've had a wonderful run. I've seen and done many great things in my career, and I'm at peace with that," Vanney said.
Vanney's final appearance with the Galaxy was mainly symbolic, coming on late in the match in a final substitute role. But as he came onto the field, David Beckham came over and gave Vanney the captain's armband to wear to his final match's conclusion.
"David's decision to give me the armband was spur of the moment. It was a very respectful move by him. We've gotten to be fairly close this year. It was a great move and I was touched by it," Vanney said. "It was one of the highlights of my day, actually." Said Beckham: "I think it was a given, really. Someone like that, that's had a great career. Coming on for his last game in his whole career, like I said he's become a good friend of mine and every one of the players respects him, so I think it was only right that he had the band. If he would have started the game he would have had it coming in."
Yet while both players have made their mark on the field over their careers, perhaps unnoticed is the mark they've left on their teammates -- especially younger players -- along the way.
"He's been fantastic. I've spent the last four years with him and I've learned so much from his attitude and his character," FCD defender Drew Moor said of Rhine. "He's taught me so much just about being a good professional -- he comes in and doesn't complain, just keeps his head up and he's going to continue to have his head up in whatever he moves on to do."
Of Vanney, Landon Donovan said: "I want to say thanks to Greg Vanney for just being an awesome pro and having a great career. He's been fantastic. I used to watch him as a kid."
The sunny afternoon ended with Vanney and Rhine swapping jerseys on The Home Depot Center field, then walking off to start down the road toward whatever is next.
"I will leave here and go back to start coaching, get some experience. I definitely see myself staying in the game, I'm a soccer junkie," Vanney said. "I feel like I've survived this far in the game more because of brain rather than my athleticism. With that I will hopefully continue on in the sport and pass on some of my advice, teaching and will hopefully be back at this level some day."
"My hope is that I can be a part of the front office," Rhine said. "That's where I'd really like to be. I think one of the things that I like to offer is my experience as a player and knowing how the league works but kind of from a player's perspective, knowing what players look for kind of from every facet. I'd certainly like to learn the business side of the game and would like to be involved in that."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
