D.C. United left back Taylor Kemp announced his retirement on Wednesday, calling time on a career that included a US men's national team call-up and 101 appearances (95 starts) over six years in Major League Soccer.
Kemp, 28, was D.C.’s starting left back from 2015-17 and earned a spot in the USMNT’s January camp last year, but struggled to move past a litany of injuries in recent months, including issues that required hip and hernia surgery, and did not take the field in 2018.
"We want to thank Taylor for his years of commitment to the club and for being a model professional throughout the course of his career,” said United GM and VP of Soccer Operations Dave Kasper in a statement. “We wish Taylor the best of luck in the next chapter of his life."
The University of Maryland product finishes with three goals and 14 assists in regular-season play and six appearances with one goal and one assist in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Kemp revealed his decision via Twitter, and subsequently added that he’s currently making the traditional Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage from southern France to northwestern Spain:
