Former top USMNT prospect Sebastian Soto retires at 25

6 days ago 2

Sebastian Soto, who was once considered a future star for the U.S. men's national team, has announced his retirement at age 25.

Soto made the announcement on his Instagram account.

The forward made the leap to Europe as a teenager, signing with German club Hannover 96. Soto made his Bundesliga debut in 2019 when he was just 18. He would go on to make five total senior appearances for Hannover.

As he made his way in the club game, Soto excelled at the youth international level with the United States.

Soto scored four goals in five games at the 2019 Under-20 World Cup, including a brace against France in the round of 16.

That led to Soto's first call-up to the U.S. men's national team, where he scored two goals in his debut against Panama in 2020.

Soto was the fifth USMNT player to tally a brace in his debut and only the second to do it as a substitute. It would be the first of two career USMNT caps.

But injuries began to slow Soto down at the club level as he moved from Hannover to Norwich City, then on loan to Telstar, Porto and Livingston, then back to Norwich.

Soto's final stop was at Austrian top-flight club SK Austria Klagenfurt, where he made 19 appearances before his contract was terminated in October 2024.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sebastian Soto, former top USMNT prospect, retires at 25

Read Entire Article