Houston Dynamo defender Andrew Wenger announced his retirement from Major League Soccer earlier today, making the announcement via his own Instagram and Twitter accounts.
The Lititz, Pennsylvania native played in 181 games with 115 starts for three clubs during his eight-year career, scoring 23 goals and adding 15 assists. He entered the league as the first overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft for the Montreal Impact.
Wenger spent the last three seasons with the Dynamo after joining the club via trade from the Philadelphia Union in December 2015, starting 56 matches and appearing in 76. He scored 10 goals for the club in league play and added six assists, along with a goal and an assist in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Wenger earned the club’s Golden Boot in 2016, tying for the team lead with six goals and adding three assists in league play.
“We’d like to thank Andrew for his hard work, dedication and commitment, both on and off the field, since joining the Houston Dynamo,” said Dynamo Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Jordan. “He has always been a top-class professional and we wish him nothing but the best in the next stage of his career.”
One of the most versatile athletes in the league, Wenger saw action on all three lines during his career, starting matches at forward, in the midfield and in defense. After winning the Golden Boot for Houston in 2016, Wenger transitioned to right back in 2018, starting 16 matches there. He started the first four matches of the season at forward and scored the opening goal of the 2018 season for Houston when he tapped in a cross to open the scoring in Houston’s 4-0 win over Atlanta United FC on Opening Day.
Prior to turning professional, Wenger enjoyed a highly decorated collegiate career at Duke University. He anchored the defense for the Blue Devils as a freshman and sophomore, earning ACC Freshman of the Year honors in 2009 and ACC Defender of the Year in 2010, and being named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top male college soccer player. As a junior, he moved to forward and led the ACC with 17 goals and 42 points, good for fourth in the country, and won the Hermann Trophy.
