Marcos Senna set to retire following NASL season

There have been quite a few articles written about the Cosmos historic trip to Cuba, but one of my favorites was published by Rolling Stone. The entire article is definitely worth the time it takes to read, but one passage in particular caught my attention, which I'll pass along below:

Finally, I head to the men's room – only to be told by the pilot on the PA system we're landing.

But I can't return – the Cosmos' Marcos Senna is in my seat now, avidly speaking Portuguese with the Brazilian TV journalist. Senna, 38, is eminently likeable. He speaks carefully, intelligently – his words aren't really too different from his precision passing in the midfield. He once led Spanish side Villarreal to the Champions League semifinals.

When he and Karin finish, I sit, and Karen passes on the news – Senna isn't playing in Cuba to preserve his legs – and he'll retire this year.

Senna has been with the Cosmos since they began play in 2013, though the past 12 months have seen the Villarreal legend spending less time on the field while dealing with injuries. It's not a surprise to hear that Senna will be hanging them up at the end of the year, but it's still going to create a void that will be difficult to fill for Gio Savarese and the staff.

I've enjoyed watching Senna immensely since he came to New York, and with any luck, he'll remain healthy enough to play a key  role in a deep US Open Cup run and NASL title chase. He'll be missed, but at least we'll be able to enjoy watching him play between now and the end of the season.