Atlanta United 2 defender Tyler Ruthven today announced his intent to retire from professional soccer at end of the 2019 season. The 31-year-old center back played 10 professional seasons, including the last two with ATL UTD 2.
“We want to thank Tyler for his service to the club and wish him the best of luck going forward,” Atlanta United 2 head coach Stephen Glass said. “Over the last year, Tyler has been a first-class professional and his leadership skills, both on-and-off the field, have been invaluable to the younger players on our team.”
Born in Alpharetta, Ruthven signed with ATL UTD 2 on Aug. 14, 2018. He appeared in 13 games and made 12 starts over the last two seasons. Prior to joining the club, he had stints in Major League Soccer, USL, NASL and Europe. He played collegiately at the University of South Carolina and began his professional career in USL Pro with the Harrisburg City Islanders, now Penn FC, where he made his debut in 2010. Ruthven briefly returned home and spent the 2011 NASL season with the Atlanta Silverbacks where he made 27 appearances.
“I want to thank Atlanta United for giving me the opportunity to come home and play for my city,” Ruthven said. “It was an incredible club to be a part of and I’ll always fondly remember my time with Atlanta United 2 and being a part of the beginning of something special.”
He went on trial with the New York Red Bulls the following season and earned a contract with the MLS club in March of 2012. He made his league debut April 22 against D.C. United. He started the next four consecutive matches for the Red Bulls while keeping a clean sheet in three. Ruthven then went to Europe in 2013 and played for Sweden’s IK Brage and Finland’s KuPS. He returned to the U.S. the following year and joined Arizona United, now Phoenix Rising, for the 2014-15 USL seasons. Ruthven anchored the Jacksonville Armada defense in 2016 before signing with fellow NASL club Miami FC the following year. In Miami, Ruthven was a part of the squad which finished first in both the 2017 spring and fall seasons and reached the semifinals of the NASL playoffs and the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup.
ATL UTD 2 (8-16-7, 31 points) returns to action Saturday, Oct. 5 against Pittsburgh Riverhounds at 7:00 p.m. EST at Highmark Stadium. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
