Danville Native, Star Athlete Chris Wondolowski, Retires From Soccer

DANVILLE, CA — San Jose Earthquakes striker and Danville native Chris Wondolowski, the all-time leading goal scorer in the history of Major League Soccer, announced his retirement earlier this week.

Wondolowski was drafted by his hometown club in 2005 and spent 17 years in MLS, 14 of them with the Earthquakes. He scored 171 goals, his final one coming on Sunday at home in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas. He owns nearly every scoring record in league history.

After Sunday’s match, the 38-year-old announced his retirement in front of the fans.

"I wanted to do this in front of fans instead of in front of a bunch of cameras," Wondolowski said to the crowd, according to MLSSoccer.com. "I wanted to do this in front of you because you guys have been there from day one. This is the last run. I told myself I would cry, and I knew that tears would be coming, but thank you guys. It's been an amazing ride."

Wondolowski, nicknamed “Wondo,” led the league in scoring in 2010 and 2012 and was named the league’s MVP in 2012. He also represented the United States in the 2014 World Cup and at three CONCACAF Gold Cups.

Wondolowski starred at De La Salle High School in Concord and played his college soccer at Chico State University.

He had planned to retire after the 2020 season, but returned for one more year, finishing with five goals in 32 games in 2021.

Wondolowski will remain a part of the Earthquakes organization as the special assistant to the general manager.

General Manager Chris Leitch praised Wondolowski for his work ethic throughout his lengthy career.

“He's literally the last one on the field after the training session, heading into his last game of his career,” Leitch said at a news conference. “If that doesn't tell you about Chris Wondolowski, I don't know what will. Not only was he a great goal scorer, but he also never stopped working.”