D.C. United F Moreno retires from international play

Oct 20, 2008 - 9:03 PM WASHINGTON (Ticker) - D.C. United forward Jaime Moreno on Monday announced that he will retire from international play.

Moreno's last game with the Bolivian national team will take place Wednesday at RFK Stadium when his country takes on El Salvador.

During his career, the 34-year-old striker has represented his country 73 times, scoring 11 goals.

"The time has come for me to say goodbye to the Bolivia national team after 17 years," Moreno said. "It's time to step aside and let the new group of young Bolivian players take over.

"It will be very special for me to play my last national team game in front of all the fans that have closely followed my career in Washington, D.C., a place that has been my second home for the last 12 years. I want to thank head coach Erwin Sanchez for giving me the chance to come back to the national team, and my family and the fans for their continued support all these years."

After making his international debut as Bolivia's youngest player at the 1994 World Cup, Moreno became a fixture on the roster throughout much of the 1990s. He made his comeback to the team in June 2007 as a member of the Bolivian team that competed in Copa America, scoring two goals in three matches.

Later that year, he was called up again to participate in a World Cup qualifier vs. Uruguay. Moreno's most recent appearance with the team was on August 6, when Bolivia lost to Guatemala in an international friendly played at RFK Stadium.

Moreno is Major League Soccer's all-time leading goal-scorer with 122 goals and is a single assist from becoming the league's first member of the 100 goal-100 assist club.

He collected his 99th assist in United's 2-1 win over the New England Revolution on Thursday. With 10 goals and 10 assists this year, United's captain has achieved 10-plus goals and 10-plus assists for the fourth season during his career.

Only retired forward Jason Kreis has matched the feat, and no other player in MLS history has achieved a "10 and 10" season more than twice in a career.