I can't say that I'm surprised. He didn't have a good season last year and wasn't going to get any playing time this season. Time to move on in life. Classy guy and wish him luck in his next part of life!
I can’t imagine Lima will have made the roster this year. I am surprised he wasn’t released in December. He may have preplanned his retirement around Christmas and waited until now to announce it. That is usually how it works.
I think what happened is that Chris Leitch forgot to exercise Lima's option, and he was so mad, he said "Forget it, I'm retiring!" But seriously, Lima's guaranteed contract ran thru 2026, with an option for 2027. So he's really doing the Quakes a favor by retiring. If they wanted to cut him, they'd have to eat his $375k salary and it would hit the cap also, unless they used the one per year per team buyout option, and they may want to save that buyout for a higher paid player. Bruce may have been giving hints that they could cut him, and maybe he wanted to "go out on his terms" as he said. Getting cut by your team, such that they're willing to eat your salary (pay you for not playing) would be a tough way to go out, though he'd be $375k richer, so there is that. I think at the end of the day, Nick was too proud to be paid for doing nothing, and if so, good for him.
Wow, I’m sorry to see Nick Lima retire so early. I hope he has another career lined up. Sad how it ended up. I knew someone very close to him who said that Nick was so happy in Austin. So I was sad when they got rid of him.
I recall Minnesota United bought out the remainder of former Quake, Sam Cronin's contract in early 2019 at the age of 32. He never played again. The Quakes may have done the same with Lima.
I'm a little surprised he simply retired - I figured (given I don't recall he had a lot of injuries over his career) he might check out the USL championship or something like that. I have not been able to find out what sort of degree he earned at UC - he may have some good job prospects. Shoot - I didn't start working in the "professional" world until I was 29, so he can still have a great career, with a buttload (hopefully) saved up for retirement from his MLS career. All the best to him!
Nick Lima's career MLS earnings were $2,473,284. https://www.spotrac.com/mls/player/_/id/21382/nick-lima You have to figure with living expenses and taxes, he probably only pocketed maybe 1/3rd of this which amounts to $825k. For a guy who just turned 31, that is one heck of a savings. Hopefully he can use is degree and do something else with it.
I had the pleasure of meeting Nick at a Quakes viewing party of an away game (he was carrying a knock). Very, very classy guy, I wish the best for him.
I didn't start it. Just wondering if there was a rumor. Here, I'll start a better one. Lima to join SJEarthquakes academy!! I hope he doesn't become an insurance salesman. Go Quakesfans!!
Since Nick Lima is Mexican-American, I’m sure even if he joined ICE, he would be the nicest ICE guy ever. Does ICE even hire anyone of color? (Sorry if this topic is too political, altho right now in the USA, this should be a very important topic everywhere.)
I thought Nick Lima being MAGA was well known but apparently not on here... https://old.reddit.com/r/SJEarthqua...ews_earthquakes_defender_nick_lima_announces/
Oh man, I asked him what he was, and now I can’t remember. I know he’s not Peruvian, cuz that’s what I asked him if he was. I know I posted it at the time. I talked to him at a USSoccer event. but if he’s maga, that’s too bad no matter what his ethnic makeup.
Hahaha. I only asked him because I had been to Peru, and he had a big chest and short stature. I didn’t even make a connection on the name!
There are multiple if not several "Lima" branded mortuaries in the Bay Area. That's where my parents went - the one in Sunnyvale, and also one in Santa Clara and San Jose, and Fremont also I think. Not sure if Nick is related at all to that family / those families, but that could be his next, um, "undertaking".
Yeah we tried to speak to him in Spanish but he couldn’t understand. I’m wondering if that was one of the reasons on why Almeyda didn’t like him?
I thought it was pretty terrible that Almeyda derisively called him National Team Nick after his early success.