MONTREAL – Impact goalkeeper Greg Sutton announced on Friday that he will be retiring at the end of the 2012 season.
“I am proud of the great career that I’ve had. It’s been everything that I could have expected,” said the 36-year-old keeper. “We’ve won a couple of championships and to be a part of the changes and the growth has been great. I am proud to have been able to contribute and be a part of the successes here.”
“We want to thank Greg for his services over the years,” said Nick De Santis. “He’s always been a professional and has had a great career, especially here in Montreal, where he won a championship and had a lot of success. We want to wish him the best in the future.”
An extensive career with the Impact and in MLS
Sutton signed with the Impact on December 8, 2011, making one appearance as a substitute in regular season play and three starts in Reserve League action.
In 2011, Sutton registered three wins, two losses and five ties in 10 starts with the Red Bulls. He played 900 minutes, recording two shutouts. He was then loaned to the Impact on July 15, in the North American second division, playing one game.
Sutton had previously played six seasons in Montreal between 2001 and 2006, where he became the team’s all-time leader with 67 career shutouts, 72 wins, 132 games played and 12,309 minutes played. He was the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year for four straight years, from 2003 to 2006, and won the Giuseppe Saputo Trophy as the Impact’s Team MVP in 2003. He was also named League MVP and the Impact’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, after helping the team win its second championship in club history.
Sutton was drafted in the second round of the 1999 MLS College Draft by the Chicago Fire. He also played for the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and Cincinnati Riverhawks (A-League) before signing with the Impact in 2011. He resumed his career in MLS in 2007, playing 34 games in three seasons with Toronto FC before joining the New York Red Bulls on April 27, 2010.
Sutton has played 53 career games in MLS, including 50 starts, totalling 4,636 minutes, and has a record of 14 wins, 24 losses and 15 ties. He has also earned 11 shutouts.
He has represented Canada 16 times with the national team, playing in the 2005, 2007 and 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He made his debut on January 18, 2004, in a 1-0 shutout win against Barbados.
