RENTON, WASH. – Taylor Graham, Sounders FC defender and a seven-year MLS veteran, has announced his retirement, Seattle Sounders FC announced today.

“We want to thank Taylor for all of his contributions to the Sounders and the Seattle community,” said Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid. “He has been a Sounder for many years and will always have a special place in the hearts of our supporters.”

“It’s always tough to say goodbye to something that I’ve been doing for so long,” said Graham. “I love Seattle and I love the Sounders, but I’m ready for the next step in my life.”

Graham, 31, signed with Sounders FC on January 21, 2009 after spending three seasons (2005, 2007-08) with the USL-1 Sounders. Graham made one league appearance in his three seasons with Seattle and started nine of his 10 appearances across all competitions, logging 822 total minutes. He started four matches during Seattle’s three consecutive Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title runs and started five CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage games in 2010.

“I feel really lucky to have had the opportunity to play for both Brian Schmetzer and Adrian Hanauer for six years,” said Graham. “They were both instrumental in my growth as a person and my success on the field.”

Prior to joining Sounders FC, Graham played four MLS seasons for Kansas City (2003-04) and New York (2006-07), appearing in 34 games. He was a member of the 2005 and 2007 USL-1 Seattle Sounders championship teams. Graham was named USL-1 Defender of the Year in 2005 and first team All-USL-1 in 2005 and 2008. A graduate of Stanford University, Graham was also named the club’s Humanitarian of the Year in 2009.

Transaction: Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) – DEF Taylor Graham retired