Raul seriously considering retiring after NASL season ends - Report

It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in a room filled with reporters from all over the globe, as Raul Gonzalez was introduced as the newest member of the New York Cosmos. Just short of eleven months after that historic announcement, the Spanish legend is seriously considering retirement, according to the Spanish press.

Raul's contract with the Cosmos was set to cover two seasons, though whether or not the 37-year old forward wanted to spend both of those seasons playing was something that the player needed to tell the club in November. AS seems to believe that he's close to making that decision, and fulfilling the rest of his contract in a non-playing capacity.

If accurate, and this is probably the point where I should point out that the Spanish press is typically far less reliable than what we're used to in the United States, it will be a sad day for Cosmos fans when he hangs up his boots. While Raul has clearly lost a step in the twilight of his career, his movement off the ball has been fantastic, and his vision with the ball at his feet is probably only matched by Marcos Senna in the NASL. He'll leave a big hole to fill for Gio Savarese and the rest of the front office, both on match day, and in training.

Regardless of what Raul decides, we've still got at least three more matches (and hopefully four) to watch the former Real Madrid man at work, two of which will be at home. Here's hoping for something special in that time.