Injuries force Aly Wagner to retire at 29

• San Jose Mercury News, Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:30 PM

U.S. international Aly Wagner, who won gold medals in women's soccer at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, has announced her retirement because of injuries. In recent years, she underwent sports hernia surgery, suffered from torn cartilage in a hip joint and arthritis in the pubic joint.

"I mentally knew I was going to retire after last season, but I just sat on it to make sure it was the right decision," said the 29-year-old Wagner, who played for the Los Angeles Sol in the new Women's Professional Soccer last year.

Wagner helped Santa Clara University win its only NCAA Division I women's title in 2001 and won the Hermann Trophy in 2002.

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