AC St. Louis will be announcing former New England Revolution midfielder and Captain Steve Ralston as their first signing today. A press conference in St. Louis is scheduled for 2:00 EST.
Ralston, 35 years old and a St. Louis native, rejected an offer from the New England Revolution last week. It was widely speculated that he had received another offer to play elsewhere, as the word 'retirement' was never used. Tim Timerman of the St. Louis Dispatch put two and two together in this post.
Ralston is currently rehabbing from surgery to a torn ACL suffered in a game against Seattle last fall, and would likely not be available to play until June. It was the second year in a row where Ralston's season was cut short by injury (in 2008 Ralston suffered a broken leg vs Kansas City) and many thought this latest injury would be the end of his career.
Further speculation had Ralston stepping into an assistant coach with the Revs', as long time Nicol assistant Paul Mariner left to take over at English Championship side, Plymouth Argyle. Ralston maintained all along however that it was his ambition to return this season as a player.
Ralston, who had been with the Revs since 2002, is a 14 year MLS veteran and leads the league in assists, games played, and minutes played.
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