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Former Union defender, U.S. national team stalwart Oguchi Onyewu retires from soccer

Oguchi Onyewu, a defensive force for the U.S. national team whose last of many clubs was the Union, announced his retirement from the field on Monday.

A 36-year-old native of the Washington, D.C., region, Onyewu had a distinguished tenure with the national team, earning 69 caps from 2004 to 2014. The 6-foot-4 centerback played at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, and helped the U.S. to a runner-up finish at the 2009 Confederations Cup. In that tournament, he helped the Americans pitch a 2-0 shutout of Spain in the semifinals, ending the then-reigning European champions' 35-game unbeaten streak.