2026-01-19, 07:47 AM - Word count:
NASHVILLE — The soccer pitch at E.S. Rose Park is almost silent on this late Sunday morning—with the exception of a small collection of figures.
The shortest among them, a young man with messy brown hair, has been hard at work for nearly two hours now, doing wind sprints and agility drills under the watchful eye of his coaches. It’s impossible to tell that, just this morning, this same athlete announced his retirement from professional soccer.
Jude Greer, former Sewanee player and veteran fullback for the Simulation Soccer League’s Tokyo SC, held a brief press conference this weekend to announce that the upcoming season, his 13th in the league, would be his last. Yet here he is, training as hard as ever, as though he still has plenty left in the tank.
“Just ‘cause this is my last season, that doesn’t mean I can take it easy,” Greer says in between drills. “I’m gonna give everything I got left in me, until I ain’t got anything left to give.”
Greer’s announcement comes as a surprise to many in the SSL sphere. While his physical abilities have noticeably declined somewhat from his peak, an unidentified spokesperson for one SSL organization said that the general opinion among scouts had been that Greer could easily continue playing for at least two or three more seasons.
“I just think it’s time,” Greer says. “I always told myself I’d know when to call it, and I just got this feeling last season and during the WSFC that, hey, it’s time to pack it in.”
Greer has played his entire career for Tokyo SC and its Minor League affiliate, Cairo City FC. He has competed in all three World Simulation Football Classic tournaments, first with the joint England/Wales squad through special dispensation from US Soccer, then for the USA in the two subsequent editions. His initial campaign saw him reach the quarterfinals with the Three Dragons, but his time with the American squad was less fruitful, as the team was eliminated in the group stage on both occasions.
Though many in Greer’s position might have wished for a more itinerant career, he seems perfectly content with being a one-club player.
“Sure, maybe I didn’t play for a ton of clubs, or win a bunch of trophies,” says Greer. “But I still did a bunch of cool stuff. I got to be in ads, I trained with my personal hero, Gareth Bale, I climbed Mount Fuji, I was in a Jack Daniel’s ad—I even beefed with Paul Merson for a while. I may never have done any of that stuff otherwise. I think that’s a pretty full career, trophies or no trophies.”
With Greer’s son Jude Jr. recently being drafted by the Simulation Hockey League’s Madison Valkyries and amid rumors of his daughter Juliette entering the SSL academy system in the coming days, Greer can take heart knowing that the family legacy is in good hands.
Even so, Greer does have one regret.
“I do wish I’d been able to win at least one league title,” he says, a little more somber than normal. “Tokyo gave me so much, I was hoping I’d be able to pay them back. We did win a cup, but…a league title would’ve been the perfect cap on everything.”
Greer’s mood brightens when asked what his plans are for after retirement.
“Well, I’ve always wanted to be a coach,” he says, grinning. “Not like a manager, exactly—that stuff’s way above my pay grade. But I’d like to be a coach, actually working with players on the field and stuff. I’ve even got an offer already, but I can’t really say who yet ‘til everything’s official. But let’s just say it’s pretty close to home,” he added, an unmistakable twinkle in his eye.
As if to punctuate his statement, he fetches a ball, lifts it into the air with his foot and strikes it on the volley. The ball hurtles toward the nearby goal, where it clangs off the inside of the post and into the net. Greer lets out a guffaw at the sight.
“Still got it,” he says, grinning ear to ear.
The shortest among them, a young man with messy brown hair, has been hard at work for nearly two hours now, doing wind sprints and agility drills under the watchful eye of his coaches. It’s impossible to tell that, just this morning, this same athlete announced his retirement from professional soccer.
Jude Greer, former Sewanee player and veteran fullback for the Simulation Soccer League’s Tokyo SC, held a brief press conference this weekend to announce that the upcoming season, his 13th in the league, would be his last. Yet here he is, training as hard as ever, as though he still has plenty left in the tank.
“Just ‘cause this is my last season, that doesn’t mean I can take it easy,” Greer says in between drills. “I’m gonna give everything I got left in me, until I ain’t got anything left to give.”
Greer’s announcement comes as a surprise to many in the SSL sphere. While his physical abilities have noticeably declined somewhat from his peak, an unidentified spokesperson for one SSL organization said that the general opinion among scouts had been that Greer could easily continue playing for at least two or three more seasons.
“I just think it’s time,” Greer says. “I always told myself I’d know when to call it, and I just got this feeling last season and during the WSFC that, hey, it’s time to pack it in.”
Greer has played his entire career for Tokyo SC and its Minor League affiliate, Cairo City FC. He has competed in all three World Simulation Football Classic tournaments, first with the joint England/Wales squad through special dispensation from US Soccer, then for the USA in the two subsequent editions. His initial campaign saw him reach the quarterfinals with the Three Dragons, but his time with the American squad was less fruitful, as the team was eliminated in the group stage on both occasions.
Though many in Greer’s position might have wished for a more itinerant career, he seems perfectly content with being a one-club player.
“Sure, maybe I didn’t play for a ton of clubs, or win a bunch of trophies,” says Greer. “But I still did a bunch of cool stuff. I got to be in ads, I trained with my personal hero, Gareth Bale, I climbed Mount Fuji, I was in a Jack Daniel’s ad—I even beefed with Paul Merson for a while. I may never have done any of that stuff otherwise. I think that’s a pretty full career, trophies or no trophies.”
With Greer’s son Jude Jr. recently being drafted by the Simulation Hockey League’s Madison Valkyries and amid rumors of his daughter Juliette entering the SSL academy system in the coming days, Greer can take heart knowing that the family legacy is in good hands.
Even so, Greer does have one regret.
“I do wish I’d been able to win at least one league title,” he says, a little more somber than normal. “Tokyo gave me so much, I was hoping I’d be able to pay them back. We did win a cup, but…a league title would’ve been the perfect cap on everything.”
Greer’s mood brightens when asked what his plans are for after retirement.
“Well, I’ve always wanted to be a coach,” he says, grinning. “Not like a manager, exactly—that stuff’s way above my pay grade. But I’d like to be a coach, actually working with players on the field and stuff. I’ve even got an offer already, but I can’t really say who yet ‘til everything’s official. But let’s just say it’s pretty close to home,” he added, an unmistakable twinkle in his eye.
As if to punctuate his statement, he fetches a ball, lifts it into the air with his foot and strikes it on the volley. The ball hurtles toward the nearby goal, where it clangs off the inside of the post and into the net. Greer lets out a guffaw at the sight.
“Still got it,” he says, grinning ear to ear.
![[Image: f3PLeZn.png]](https://i.imgur.com/f3PLeZn.png)
![[Image: LeBbUkk.gif]](https://i.imgur.com/LeBbUkk.gif)
