Eduardo Sebrango announces his retirement

MONTREAL - Forward Eduardo Sebrango announced his retirement, Monday at Saputo Stadium, following a 12-year career, six of which were played with the Montreal Impact. Sebrango, a Canadian originally from Cuba, who turned 38 on April 13, wore the Impact colours from 2002 to 2005, and then again in 2009 and 2010. He scored 45 goals and added 10 assists for 100 points in 136 regular season games, 104 of those games as a starter, for a total of 9,440 minutes played. Sebrango finished his career in Montreal as the club's second all-time leading scorer, behind Mauro Biello.

Sebrango has also donned the uniform of the Vancouver Whitecaps in 1999, and then from 2006 to 2008. He also played for Rochester in 2000 and Hershey in 2001. Sebrango finished his career as the second all-time leading scorer in the American second division with a total of 98 goals and 30 assists for a total of 226 points in 257 career games for a total of 17,659 minutes played.

"It's a very sad moment for me because I felt this day would never come," said Sebrango. "It's a difficult decision for me because I still have the passion and energy to play and live the life of a pro player. I have been very lucky to have played all these years and to leave my sport with my health and with the respect of my peers. I would like to thank Joey Saputo, his family, and the entire Impact organization who gave me the opportunity to make a career by playing the game I love. I would also like to thank the Whitecaps organization, all my coaches and teammates, my parents, my family, as well as my children Gabriella and Donovan.”

"He was one of the best offensive players to ever play in this league," said Impact president Joey Saputo. "He played an important role in the success of the team. He was a true professional on and off the field, and was always devoted to the club."

"Eddie had a great career and he should be very proud of all his accomplishments," said sporting director Nick De Santis. "He has always played on winning teams because he was a big part of those teams’ success. We were lucky to have him in our locker room. He was a great role model for the younger players."

In the playoffs, Sebrango scored 10 goals in 35 career games, winning five championships, two of which were won with the Impact in 2004 and 2009.

In his first season with Montreal in 2002, Sebrango scored 18 goals and won the Giuseppe Saputo trophy as the team's MVP. In 2009, upon returning to Montreal, Sebrango scored three goals in the quarter-final round of the CONCACAF Champions League against Mexican club Santos Laguna.

He also played a total of 24 games for the Cuban national team, scoring 16 goals. He was named Cuban player of the year in 1997, and took part in the Gold Cup tournament and World Cup qualifying games in 1998.

Eduardo Sebrango was named coach with the Impact Academy. He will be responsible of the secondary 2 players, assistant coach of the U16 team and coach of the Academy forwards.