With 2016 coming to a close, Columbus Crew SC is looking back on some of its most memorable moments of 2016. This year was full of moments that will be remembered forever.​
Tyson Wahl
Columbus Crew SC announced that defender Tyson Wahl would retire at the conclusion of the 2016 Major League Soccer season. Wahl, a veteran of 11 years in MLS, has compiled 160 regular-season appearances (138 starts) over the duration of his career. A native of Newport Beach, California, the defender has spent the past four seasons in Columbus.
Wahl first entered MLS in 2006, when he was drafted 19th overall by the then-Kansas City Wizards in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft after an All-American college career at the University of California. Wahl made 32 appearances with Kansas City between the 2006 and 2008 seasons, including two starts in the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The defender was then selected by Seattle Sounders FC in the 2008 MLS Expansion Draft and was part of that club's inaugural MLS roster in 2009. As a member of the Rave Green, Wahl helped Seattle win three consecutive Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He made 39 League appearances over three seasons in Seattle, registering his first and only MLS goal on a free kick against the New England Revolution on June 26, 2011.
Following the 2011 campaign, the Montreal Impact acquired Wahl in a trade from Seattle, as the defender joined another expansion side ahead of its first-ever MLS campaign. Wahl played in 11 matches for Montreal before being acquired by the Colorado Rapids midway through the season, where he made four additional appearances.
After signing with Columbus on January 3, 2013, the 32-year-old is currently in the midst of his fourth season with Crew SC. In his time with the club, he has amassed 74 appearances for Columbus, the most he has recorded with any one team. In the Black & Gold’s MLS Cup Playoff runs under Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter in 2014 and 2015, Wahl made five appearances, with three of them coming as a member of the starting 11.
Before turning professional, Wahl started every game for the University of California from 2002 through 2005. During his senior season, he anchored the Golden Bears' defense, leading the club to a 15-4-2 record and the quarterfinals of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. As a junior, he was named to the All-Pac 10 second team as well as the Pac-10 All-Academic second team.
Conor Casey
Columbus Crew SC forward and 10-year Major League Soccer veteran Conor Casey announced his retirement from professional soccer in 2016.
The 35-year-old forward’s career included experience in the Bundesliga as well as with the United States Men's National Team in addition to a decade of Major League Soccer experience. With 71 career tallies in MLS, Casey is tied for 23rd all-time in regular-season goals and retires an MLS Cup champion after winning a title with the Colorado Rapids in 2010.
PHOTOS: Conor Casey's career
In his final season and one year with the Black & Gold, Casey played his last match as a member of Columbus Crew SC, earning a substitute appearance – MLS regular-season appearance number 195 — on Sunday, October 23 at New York City FC. A two-time MLS All-Star, Casey finished his MLS career with 12,699 regular-season minutes played and added 24 assists.
Casey’s MLS Cup title with the Colorado Rapids came back in 2010, his fourth year with the club. He scored the game-tying goal in the 57th minute of the 2010 MLS Cup against FC Dallas and was named MLS Cup MVP following the match. In 2009, following a career-best 16 goal campaign, Casey was named to the MLS Best XI. He was named as an MLS All-Star twice, including to the gameday roster for the 2009 MLS All-Star Game.
After two years at the University of Portland, Casey began his professional career in Germany by signing with Borussia Dortmund. In Germany, he played for Dortmund in addition to Hannover 96, Karlsruher SC and 1. FSV Mainz 05 through 2006, totaling 44 appearances in the first-division Bundesliga as well as 49 in the 2. Bundesliga.
In 2007, Casey returned to North America after joining Toronto FC. He was traded to the Rapids on April 19 of that year, where he went on to score 50 goals over 119 appearances with the club. Casey moved to the Philadelphia Union ahead of the 2013 campaign, where he notched his fourth double-digit MLS goal-scoring season that year after scoring 10 times.
Internationally, Casey earned 19 caps for the United States, scoring two goals. He made his senior debut for the Stars & Stripes on March 31, 2004 against Poland. On October 10, 2009, he scored two goals at Honduras in a qualification match ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. At the Under-23 level, Casey played in the 2000 Summer Olympics for the United States before becoming a professional.
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