D.C. United goalkeeper Tally Hall has retired from soccer, corroborating reports from earlier today. This development was first reported by the Washington Post’s Steve Goff this morning, and has since been confirmed by the club. Hall leaves United without having made an appearance, though he has been in the gameday 18 for much of the season as a back-up for Bill Hamid and Travis Worra. According to Goff’s report, Hall plans to make a career in law enforcement.
Hall was signed on April 1st, during a pretty chaotic time for United as far as goalkeepers go. A month before, United had traded for Charlie Horton’s MLS rights, but the 21 year old had been without a club for a few months and needed time to gain sharpness in training. With Hamid still months away from a return due to offseason knee surgery and Andrew Dykstra undergoing back surgery two weeks before, signing Hall ended up being a necessity. Despite ending up with five goalkeepers, United spent much of the season with only three healthy options. Hall had been on trial with the Black-and-Red during the early weeks of the preseason, but was not yet done his recovery from a torn ACL in 2015.
Hall is best known in MLS for his time with the Houston Dynamo, where he was a regular starter and two-time All-Star for a year-in, year-out contender. Hall played 130 regular season games in Houston, as well as 15 MLS Cup playoff appearances and numerous CONCACAF Champions League games. In 2009, Hall even scored a goal in the CCL:
Heading into their 2015 expansion season, Orlando City had apparently made plans to trade for Hall, and stuck to the deal even after Hall suffered a torn ACL late 2014. Hall recovered strongly enough to displace MLS veteran Donovan Ricketts in Orlando, going on to start 23 games before suffering a similar injury in OCSC’s second-to-last game of the year. That left the 31 year old available as a free agent, and he eventually joined his old Dynamo teammate Bobby Boswell in DC.
Hall's retirement leaves United with four goalkeepers, which is still one more than MLS clubs tend to carry. However, with Hamid missing last week's game due to a hand injury, Dykstra only just making his first appearance on the bench in months, and Horton often playing on loan with the Richmond Kickers, the crowded position hasn't been too much of an issue just yet. Nonetheless, with a few days left in the MLS transfer window, it's a situation to watch should United end up adding any more new faces.