Reign’s Manon Melis announces retirement

Manon Melis announced her retirement from soccer on Monday. The 30-year old Netherlands native spent 2016 with Seattle Reign FC leading the club with 7 goals. All but one of Melis’s goals came during the final eight games of the season when she was among the most dangerous players around.

On the international stage, Melis has been capped more than 100 times by the Netherlands and her 59 goals are the most in the program’s history. After helping the Netherlands into the World Cup for the first time in 2015, Melis retired from the international game earlier this year. That seemed an odd decision with next summer’s European Championship set to be held in the Netherlands.

Melis overcame a slow start to her career that included a broken fibula that cost her four games. Her second half surge was not enough to get the Reign into the playoffs after having won the NWSL Shield the two seasons before that. Putting the house back together will be no easy task with Melis joining Keelin Winters in retirement while Kim Little left to return to Arsenal. Additionally, Hope Solo’s contract status is in limbo following her termination of contract by U.S. Soccer.