Tierney hangs up his boots after 11-year Revolution career

FOXBOROUGH — Chris Tierney can go no further.

The Wellesley native and longest-tenured player on the Revolution has called time on his 11-year career, announcing his retirement in front of his squadmates during a press conference at Gillette Stadium Thursday afternoon.

With his family sitting alongside of him and with Revolution investor/operator Robert Kraft and team president Brian Bilello standing nearby, Tierney said good bye to the game -- and club -- he loves.

“As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now,” Tierney said in a six-minute speech, “I’m here to announce my retirement after 11 seasons, living my dream and playing for the New England Revolution.

“(Playing for the Revs), it has meant that every opportunity to wear this shirt and represent this club, I did so with the same feelings of local connection and pride that I felt sitting wide-eyed in the stands at the old Foxborough Stadium. Looking back over my time here, my hope is that I was able to inspire a few of the next generation of soccer-loving New Englanders to chase their dreams the same way that I did.”

Tierney said that he had been thinking about retirement “for a long time.”

“I didn’t make a definite decision until probably a few months ago,” he said. “I had to see how the knee rehabbed, but there are other issues with my hip; it was always an issue for me, and still is.”

He added that manager Brad Friedel was behind his decision.

“Brad’s fully supportive of me, has been since the injury,” he said. “He’s been spectacular with me since he came in. He was fully respectful; he thanked me for my service, and he told me when I was injured that the door’s always open to come back, that I had a spot in preseason to prove if I wanted to play. I really appreciate that from him.”

Set to become a free agent after this season, Tierney’s retirement comes after a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered back in May. Nearing the end of the first half of New England’s 1-1 draw with Atlanta United FC on May 30, Tierney had gone up for a 50-50 ball with an Atlanta player and landed awkwardly on the Gillette turf.

Two days later, he was diagnosed with the ACL tear in his right knee. He had surgery at Mass. General Hospital in Boston on June 28.

On Aug. 1, Tierney stood on the touchline of the training pitch.

“The first little while post-surgery was a little tough but it’s starting to feel better,” Tierney told BostonSportsJournal.com that morning. “It’s just a grind, you know? It’s a whole different schedule for me on a daily basis now, which is an adjustment. It’s going to be a long road, but a lot of good challenges to look forward to.

“(Playing again is) the ultimate goal, but I’ve set shorter term goals to keep me going … if I start thinking too much about the big picture, it gets a little daunting.”

Since then, Tierney noted that multiple injuries over the course of his career “kinda started to pile up on me.”

“They say when you know, you know, and I knew,” he said. “I knew. I didn’t want to come back and not be able to play at a level that I thought was deserving of the career I’ve had so far. It’s really the only decision I’ve had considering the injuries. It was just the right time.”