Yes, after a decade and a half in MLS, Benny of Sporting Kansas City has hung up his cleats. Such a successful pro career highlighted by a MLS title and a pair of Lamar Hunt US Open Cups while with SKC, at the national team he had equal success with a Gold Cup title and World Cup games for the USMNT.
The 35 year old had over 400 games with 56 goals from here to Europe with stops in Germany, England & Denmark. For his 9 seasons in MLS, he found the net 41 ties and assisted on 63 goals over 271 games from his midfield position, making him one of just 17 in league lore to have 40 goals and 60 assists in regular season games. Benny played for his country some 44 times, the Gold Cup coming in 2007, the first of his ten years there. He was with the team as they took 2nd in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and was in for all of the trio of games in the South Africa World Cup of 2010.
Feilhaber informed "I have had the humbling privilege to compete alongside so many great teammates and coaches for the last 15 years, and I am extremly thankful for the moments we have shared together, on and off the field., I also want to extend a massive thank you to all of the fans who supported me along the way., They have played an intergal part in my wonderful journey since day one. My 6 years at Sporting shaped me as a person and a player.I married the love of my life weeks before moving to Kansas CIty and we built our life and family during these special years. Peter Vermes and the coaching staff got me to play at a level I didn't know I had in me. "
Born in Rio, raised in Irvine, his numbers with SKC are, 35 goals with 58 assists over 198 games, 175 starts. Twice with the team, he was part of 5 playoff seasons straight from 2013-'17, coming back last year. He is 7th in goals and 3rd for assists, some rare air with Preki, Chris Klein & Graham Zusi only having at least 30 goals and 50 assists for the side.
By the stats out of Opta, he is the only one in all of MLS from 2011-'19 to have 40 goals, 40 assists, 250 chances & 250 tackles won during the regular season. FIrst with the Revs for 2011 & '12, then joining HC Vermes in KC via an off season trade. His presence was felt in his first year as he had a trio of goals and a quartet of assists in that first 2013 season. The same year, he was stellar for the post season, assisting on the GWG in the Eastern Conf. Semifinals of Bieler v who else but New England, another assist to the GWG in the Eastern Conference Championship against Houston, and all 120' of the 2013 MLS Cup final, naiilng his penalty as the game went to a shootout while SKC bested RSL at Children's Mercy Park.
2014, was also a good year with a quartet of goals and 7 assists. 205 saw a major uptick in his numbers, an All-Star nod and selection to the MLS Best XI and one of the last 3 to be considered for MLS MVP. A cllub record 20 assists and then only the 3rd player in club lore to hit dobule digits in goals and assists with 10 & 15. 5 of those assists came as they took the US Open Cup title, in another shootout, this one over the Union.
2016 and another 7 goals, with13 assists helped in establishing him as a top player in the league. His last year of his first term with SKC, saw him with 5 goals and a 2nd US Open Cp win as he assisted on the GWG of Salli over the NYRB.
2018 and he was off to the left coast and LAFC, getting 32 of 34 games, they made the 2nd season on their way to one of the best inagural seasons ever in the MLS as evidenced by their 16-9-9 mark. 2019 and the first 2 months in Colorado where he had a pair of goals and assists in 7 starts then back to SKC. Arriving in May, he finished with again a pair of goals and assists, over 18 games. His last touch on the ball was on Sept. 7, and an amazing one it was, a goal at Portland that became his 4th SKC goal of the Year, might they name the award after him now?
A pair of years at UCLA, he left early for Hamburg, he did well on their 2nd team, hitting the first in Oct. 2006. Next summer he was off to England and Derby County in the EPL for 2007-'08, next stop Denmark with 5 goals over 55 starts.
Internationally, he was with the U-20's who beat Argentina in the 2005 FIFA Youth Championships during the group stage, the asst., coach, Peter Vermes. The first senior game was in March of 2007, 3 months later, the Gold Cup win. He started 4 of those games, getting the GWG in a 1-0 win over Mexico in the title game, a volley still regaled in the annals of USMNT soccer and tourney lore. A trio of games in the 2008 Olympics in China, then back to the USMNT for a great result in the 2009 Confederations Cup Final facing Brazil , even a win over then #1 Spain in the semis. The 2010 World Cup saw him in a trio of games and the team topped their group C, geting to the Round of 16. His last cap would be in Oct. of 2017.
Please see video of his top goals with Sporting Kansas City on the Facebook of #SoccerLongIslandMagazine.