Former Fire MVP Mike Magee announces retirement

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Mike Magee became known as a smart forward who had a knack for scoring goals by being in the right place at the right time.

Magee announced his retirement on Wednesday, ending a 14-year Major League Soccer career.

To Fire fans Magee will be best remembered for his 2013 MVP season when he joined the Fire from the LA Galaxy on May 25 and finished the season with 21 goals and seven assists. Magee was a Chicagoland product who was with the Fire through the 2015 season. He is the only Fire player to have won MVP.

The 32-year-old wrote a lengthy Instagram post thanking a number of different people and clubs for his career.

View this post on Instagram

Thank you.Thank you to AYSO soccer and Team Elmhurst. Thank you Fox Valley Strikers. Thank you Chicago Sockers. I owe everything I am as a soccer player to David Richardson and Bret Hall. Those were the best days of my life. Thank you to U.S. Soccer and John Ellinger for taking me from my family at 15-years-old and making me a man. Thank you to the New York Metrostars/Red Bulls and Bob Bradley for believing in me. Thank you to all the fans in NY/NJ too. I sometimes regret celebrating my first goal back in New York, but I needed to let some people know they didn't get the best of me and I promise it wasn't directed at supporters. Thank you to the LA Galaxy. You have my heart, love and support forever. I'll spare you guys some time by leaving it at - I'll see you guys soon and often and hope you knew when it mattered the most you could count on me. Thank you to Frank Klopas and the Chicago Fire. Despite the fact you changed my position after my MVP season, I still love you Fire family. Thank you to Nike for being the best sponsor in the world. I am lucky to have been part of the Nike family for the past 14 years. I promised Gray Griffin the day he died I'd smile, laugh and love life enough for the both of us and I know he's enjoyed the ride as much as I have. I miss you brother. Thank you to my family for allowing me to chase my dreams. You've dedicated your lives to making mine better and I'm going to spend the rest of mine trying to return the favor. Thank you to every player I've ever played against for the battles. I'll miss all of you guys asking me if I ever shut up. Thank you to every player I've ever played with. I'll miss you guys and the banter more than anything.Instead of saying goodbye to soccer I want to say thank you. Thank you for the people I've met and the places I've been. You and I got through some tough times together and I’ll always be thankful for this game, the lessons it taught me and the love that it brought me.Thanks again. See you around.Mike

A post shared by Mike Magee (@magee18) on Jan 4, 2017 at 10:44am PST

A couple sections stand out as typical Magee and fitting for his retirement announcement. He was an outspoken player and was also known for his animated interactions with refs over the years as well. Magee showed off his competitive side in how he wrote about the New York/New Jersey Metrostars, the club which drafted for him as an 18-year-old in 2003.

"Thank you to all the fans in NY/NJ too," Magee wrote. "I sometimes regret celebrating my first goal back in New York, but I needed to let some people know they didn't get the best of me and I promise it wasn't directed at supporters."

Magee also had some words for the Fire, which didn't come without a parting shot as well.

"Thank you to Frank Klopas and the Chicago Fire," Magee added. "Despite the fact you changed my position after my MVP season, I still love you Fire family."

Magee joined the Galaxy in 2008 and won the 2011 and 2012 MLS Cups with the club. He rejoined the Galaxy as a free agent for the 2016 season.

Magee finished his career with 70 goals in 316 appearances.

The 'Mike Magee's Day Off' video which came out in 2014 must also be mentioned. Magee's spoofing of 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' goes down as a classic.

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