End of an era: United original Bruce opts for retirement

Daniel Bruce can’t really explain how it happened. The last man signed for New Mexico United’s debut season somehow became its longest-tenured and most popular player.

Go figure.

Bruce, an English lad from industrial Warrington, has spent seven seasons playing in New Mexico with fans chanting his last name every time he touches the ball. Bruce met his wife, Joy, in Albuquerque and now considers himself the next closest thing to a native son.

“I never saw it coming, not at all,” Bruce told the Journal in an interview Tuesday. “Staying here seven years, meeting my wife — a born-and-raised New Mexican — it’s incredible. Some of the best things in life, you don’t foresee them coming.”

Bruce’s remarkable journey with United, at least the uniformed portion, will soon come to an end. The 29-year-old who’s been out since suffering a torn right ACL in July, has decided to retire from soccer at season’s end.

The knee injury combined with complications that delayed reconstructive surgery, prompted Bruce and his wife to contemplate the next chapter of their lives. Stepping away from soccer, he said, was not an easy decision.

“It’s tough,” he said, “but it can be a difficult decision and still be right. My wife and I have talked a lot and since making the decision, I do think that it’s the right one. I’m just so thankful for the club and what they’ve done for me and I hope they feel that way, too. It’s been a match made in heaven, you know.”

Peter Trevisani, United’s principal owner and CEO, smiled when asked about Bruce’s tenure with the club.

He recalled when then-coach Troy Lesesne approached him about bringing Bruce on as a trialist prior to the 2019 season.

“I didn’t know much about him at the time,” Trevisani said, “but he turned out to be everything New Mexico United stands for. What he’s done on and off the field, the way he plays, that blue-collar mentality, he just absolutely clicked with our fans.”

Bruce played collegiately at UNC Charlotte and got to know Lesesne, who was an assistant coach with the city’s USL Championship club. Bruce stayed in town during the summers to avoid the expense of traveling home to England, occasionally training with the professional players. It paid off when Lesesne was hired to coach in New Mexico, though not handsomely at first.

“Troy told me, ‘I’d love to bring you on. I can’t promise you anything but come and train with us,’” Bruce recalled. “I was the last player signed. He offered me a one-year deal to the end of the season, a chance to train with the guys, push to play and be able to be a pro for one year. I said, ‘Absolutely, I’ll take whatever you can give me.’”

Bruce played sparingly in 2019, making five starts, but he became a regular the following season and caught on as a favorite of United fans, who have since chanted “Bruuuuuuuce” whenever he enters a game or touches the ball.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” Bruce said, “but sometimes I’m about to come on and I know the fans are going to yell ‘Bruce’ and I don’t feel like I deserve that. It’s like, what have I done that makes these fans really love me? But they do and I love them back. I’m so thankful.”

Bruce, who has netted 17 goals over his tenure, credits his father for the playing style that won over fans.

“My dad always told me, ‘You’re not the biggest, your touch can be off, you may not have the perfect game, but your effort and grit always has to be there,” Bruce said. “Every single game when you cross the line, the one thing you can guarantee is giving everything. I think part of that resonates with New Mexican people.”

Bruce, who is the last remaining member of United’s original squad, admits that being out of the lineup for much of the 2025 season has been difficult. Blood clots discovered in his right calf area forced him to go on blood thinners and delayed knee surgery, which he underwent successfully on Oct. 8. The delay, he said, did allow him to gain added perspective about soccer and about his teammates.

“I was able to get out on the field with the boys in training and be with them through a difficult patch in summer,” Bruce said. “Having somebody there who isn’t necessarily a member of staff but is more a friend is a big thing for players. I think it was a help for them but it was also great for me to stay involved.”

Bruce also had time to reflect on his playing career with United and found it was not on-field moments that stood out most.

“Genuinely, it’s the people that I’ve met along the way: the friends, the supporters, the staff, the teammates,” he said. “The experiences I’ve shared with guys going through hard times in the locker room, guys getting married, having kids and just how people here have supported me, it’s amazing.”

Still fresh off their retirement decision, Bruce and his wife have not determined what comes next. United will honor Bruce prior to Friday’s regular-season finale against Rhode Island and he plans to support the club’s upcoming playoff run in any way he can.

Trevisani said he hopes to keep Bruce in the organization and, “have a second retirement party for him in about 50 years.” Regardless of what his future holds, Bruce says New Mexico and United will always have places in his heart.

“Tell the fans, don’t be surprised if you look to your left or right and see me there,” he said. “I’m a fan of this club and that’ll never change. I knew pretty early in my career I could never play for another team and I never will. All I can say is thank you to everybody. Playing here has been a gift.”