Hendrickson goes out on top

COLUMBUS -- Ezra Hendrickson sat in front of his locker in The Home Depot Center and took in the scene around him.

The Columbus Crew players were still filing in after celebrating with the fans following a 3-1 victory against the New York Red Bulls on Nov. 23 for the team's first MLS Cup and Hendrickson had a look of satisfaction and reflection.

He accepted and offered congratulations to his teammates, some of whom were in elementary school when he began his Major League Soccer career with the MetroStars in 1997.

"Winning never gets old," said Hendrickson, who became a champion with his third different club. "You have to enjoy the moment; soak it all in."

Hendrickson did, like the carpet that would soon absorb the torrents of champagne from the victors. His gut told him this would be the last go-around for the almost 37-year-old (on Jan. 16) defender from the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

His head and heart eventually agreed and Thursday Hendrickson announced his retirement.

"Immediately after the season I kind of knew I wanted to but I had to get some things in place first," he said. "It was hard because I've been at it 12 years now. It's hard to leave it all behind. That being said, I'm very happy I came to that conclusion and I'm content with the way my career went."

There's nothing like going out on top.

"That played a part in it and I just reached a point where I had done basically everything in the league. I had won the championship and every competition an MLS team can join, I had won," he said. "I felt like it was an accomplished career and I was content with what had transpired."

He consulted with recent retirees in former Los Angeles teammates Cobi Jones and Greg Vanney before making his decision but it might have been the advice of former Crew player and current Real Salt Lake assistant coach Robin Fraser that he weighed the heaviest.

"He said when you wake up every day and can hardly move you'll know that the sport is not for you," Hendrickson said in late August, just before going on the disabled list for the second time during the season.

Hendrickson was not immobilized by any means after missing four games with a quadriceps strain, but that injury and a groin strain that sidelined him in early June had him contemplating retirement.

"I had a couple of injuries this year. For the first time in my career I missed several months," he said.

While Hendrickson appeared in only 13 of 30 regular-season matches (7 starts) he contributed in other ways. He was a veteran voice of experience for a club that missed the playoffs for three consecutive seasons until 2008.

"He's a guy who set an example for the rest of the team, especially the young guys because he brings his lunch pail to work every day," Crew president and general manager Mark McCullers said. "He did whatever he could to help the club, whatever that means, and guys see that and then they say, 'OK, if Ezra can conduct himself in that fashion then what can I do to help the club be successful?' I'm going to miss seeing him around."

Hendrickson made one playoff appearance this year, that being in stoppage time in the second game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals vs. Kansas City to help preserve a 2-0 victory.

The Crew acquired Hendrickson from Chivas USA on April 28, 2006, as part of the massive overhaul of the roster by coach Sigi Schmid during his first season in Columbus. The Crew struggled for two seasons before everything clicked in 2008 when they won the Supporters' Shield and advanced to the MLS Cup Final for the first time in five tries.

"A lot of players should be Ezra-type guys over the course of their careers in terms of how he played the game, carried himself off the field and came to play and train every day. He was a true professional," Crew technical director Brian Bliss said.

Hendrickson appeared in 60 games with 48 starts in his Crew career and had two goals and two assists.

"The first couple of years we really got bit by the injury bug and the team wasn't as deep as it needed to be to win a championship in MLS," he said. "Once Sigi got the players in that he wanted and it was finally his team the team would eventually become a good team and win a championship."

Schmid was Hendrickson's coach when LA won its first MLS Cup in 2002. Hendrickson started in the league with eight games for the MetroStars before being dealt to the Galaxy during the 1997 season. He was with LA for championship match losses in 1999 and 2001 before defeating New England in overtime the next year.

"The LA one was the most special, for one, because it was my first ever and, two, we had been there a couple of times before and lost both," he said.

Hendrickson was traded to Dallas midway through 2003 and then found himself playing for Charleston in the A-League at the start of 2004 before being signed by D.C. United. It was a fortuitous move. He played 12 games in the regular season and two more in the playoffs as D.C. won the MLS Cup.

"I never gave up on my confidence," said Hendrickson. "What happened to me in Dallas, it was a situation where it didn't work out for me there. When I got to D.C., I was able to play and contribute on the field. It reaffirmed what I believed all along that I could still play and was a big part of that championship."

Yet, he was dealt to Chivas the following season before finally settling with the Crew for the better part of three seasons. He made 266 MLS appearances (225 starts) with 23 goals and 30 assists. Hendrickson played in 32 postseason games and had five goals and three assists.

"He's had a great career," said Bliss. "He was a little known player coming into the league but was a guy who made a big impact over the course of his career."

Hendrickson has already moved toward a post-playing career by acquiring his 'B' coaching license last month. He definitely wants to give it a try, especially at the professional level. While McCullers said the Crew's situation won't allow Hendrickson start his new career in the organization he has no doubts that "EZ" will succeed.

"He's got an opportunity to be a great coach. He has a great understanding of the game," McCullers said. "He's played all over the field so he brings a lot of perspective and he's great with the guys. His demeanor and experience are going to make him effective pretty quickly as a coach."

Hendrickson said he has several options and could land a job in the next couple of weeks to start a new chapter in his life.

Asked how he would like to people to remember his career, he said, "Here's a guy that loved the game and enjoyed the game and always played with a smile on his face and was a winner, a champion. He gave effort day in and day out.

"There wasn't a day from when I was a rookie to last November when I didn't give the same effort every day. I played the game for this long because I had a love for it."