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2018 didn’t go quite the way David Horst had hoped, as the now 33-year-old defender saw his season cut short after suffering a season-ending torn achilles in June after only making five appearances for the Claret-and-Cobalt. Sure, he was a depth player in a central defense that needed it. but it was valuable peace of mind for RSL and its fans knowing they had someone as solid as Horst coming off the bench whenever he was called upon.
Of his five appearances this season, three were starts and two were subs, making a grand total of 312 minutes played before his season would end.
In a turn of events that really didn’t surprise many of us given the circumstances, David Horst just recently announced his retirement from professional soccer, citing his latest major injury as a pitfall that he won’t be able to make a comeback from.
Horst found himself on three different teams throughout his 11-year career in MLS, which both began and ended with Real Salt Lake. He was drafted 14th overall by RSL in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. While only making three appearances for RSL, he spent time on loan with USL side Austin Aztex in 2009, and USSF Division 2 league side Puerto Rico Islanders in 2010. He played 34 games between the two teams and scored three goals while on loan.
In 2010, he was selected by the Portland Timbers in the MLS Expansion Draft, and after spending three seasons there, he was traded to the Houston Dynamo for another three seasons before he ended up back in Salt Lake in 2017 where he would eventually end his career.
Real Salt Lake declined his contract option at the end of the 2018 season prior to his retirement announcement.
Horst played 20 games overall for RSL in his career, but it feels like much more than that since he ended up being such a bright personality in the RSL family. He even teamed up with former RSL striker Chad Barrett to start a podcast called The Horse, the Bear, and the Lion which saw the two players discussing everything soccer-related and beyond.
Even though his playing career may be over, it seems as though he’s got a future in the sports world, as he helped out Jamison Olave and the Real Monarchs coaching staff as well as worked as a commentator on several Monarchs broadcasts while he was off duty from RSL.
Where he goes next, nobody knows, but we anxiously await to see what his next move is and we wish all the best to David Horst and his family in the coming years.