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Paulo Nagamura announces retirement, will join Swope Park Rangers’ staff

Sporting KC midfielder Paulo Nagamura will be an assistant coach with the Swope Park Rangers

By Ben Gartland
2013 MLS Cup - Real Salt Lake v Sporting Kansas City Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images

After a 12-year Major League Soccer career, including five with Sporting Kansas City, Paulo Nagamura announced his retirement from playing professional soccer on Monday.

Nagamura will join the Swope Park Rangers’ as an assistant coach.

Growing up in Brazil, every kid dreams of being a professional soccer player. My dream wasn't different. I have no words to describe how grateful and appreciative I am for such an incredible journey and for all of the amazing experiences. I can't say enough about my friends and family, especially my wife and my two beautiful daughters. Thank you for always being next to me on good and bad days, cheering me on and giving me enormous amounts of inspiration in order for me to succeed. Thank you to all the coaches over the past 20 years that have had a tremendous impact on my career. Thank you to Sao Paulo FC and Arsenal for giving me the foundation and for preparing me for a football world that is extremely competitive. And to the LA Galaxy, Toronto FC, Chivas USA and Tigres, thanks for letting me be part of your history. To all the players and teammates and all of you that have shared the field with me and made this game even more beautiful, thank you! Last but not least, I would like to thank all the people at Sporting KC, from the owners to Peter Vermes and his staff and most importantly the fans. Since my first day in Kansas City, you welcomed me with open arms, you believed in my potential, you treated me with respect and were supportive every step of the way. Please know that every time I played, I left my heart on the field and gave everything I had for you all. SKC Nation, you are the heart of this team!!! Keep it up and I can't wait to stand alongside you at Children's Mercy Park in 2017! As you know, I will now begin the next chapter of my career as an assistant coach with the Swope Park Rangers. This is an exciting opportunity for me and I look forward to working closely with Peter, Nikola and the entire technical staff to continue the great tradition of winning championships in Kansas City! Paulo "Paulinho" Nagamura

A photo posted by Paulo Nagamura (@paulinhonag) on

Nagamura played a large role for Sporting Kansas City as a midfielder and was an integral part of their 2013 MLS Cup run. He also played in both the 2012 and 2015 US Open Cup wins, reliably putting in his penalty kicks in all three trophy wins.

He had seven goals and eight assists in 119 appearances with Sporting KC. Below are some highlights of Nagamuras time with Sporting KC.

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