Long-time New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Ryan Meara is retiring after 12 seasons with the club, the team announced on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old is the longest-tenured player in franchise history. He primarily served as a backup keeper behind Luis Robles and Carlos Coronel.
“I am extremely proud to have spent almost all of my career with the New York Red Bulls; when you spend so many years with one club, it becomes so much more than just a team you play for,” Meara, a Yonkers, NY native, said. “This club and the fans have become a second home to myself and an extension of my family. There is no doubt I will miss playing, but I’m very excited for the next chapter and to be a fan of this great club.”
Meara was selected No. 31 overall by New York at the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. He posted 10 clean sheets across 44 MLS appearances. His 20 shutouts across all competitions rank fourth in franchise history.
“We are very grateful to have had Ryan [Meara] in our organization for as long as we did,” Red Bulls head of sport Jochen Schneider said. “Ryan exemplifies everything we look for in a player and is an incredible human being on and off the field – we will miss him very much, and we wish him the best in the next chapter of his life.”
Meara began his career as the Red Bulls’ starting keeper, making 18 starts and going 9-5-4 and posting a rookie-club-record of 321 straight shutout minutes.
After a short loan stint with NYCFC in 2015, he returned to the club and contributed to the Red Bulls’ run at the 2016 CONCACAF Champions Cup and the Red Bulls II USL Championship title-winning season, winning two penalty shootouts to secure the crown.
He appeared in all five of New York’s matches during their run to the 2017 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Final.
Meara is the franchise’s all-time leader in US Open Cup appearances (17) and US Open Cup shutouts (seven).
Kcassman