NEWARK, N.J. — Former U.S. national captain and current New York Red Bulls midfielder Claudio Reyna plans to announce his retirement on Wednesday, less than two seasons after returning from Europe to join Major League Soccer.

Reyna was not immediately available for comment, but a person familiar with Reyna's decision said that the star was retiring from the league. The person requested anonymity because the official announcement had yet to be made.

Bothered by hamstring and back injuries this season, Reyna played in and started six of 16 games. He last played on May 25 in a 5-1 loss to Chicago. The New Jersey native has no goals or assists in 461 minutes this season.

Reyna signed a multiyear contract with the Red Bulls in January 2007 after playing 12 years in Europe. The signing reunited him with Bruce Arena, his former coach at the University of Virginia and the U.S. national team.

Reyna was signed as a designated player, meaning the Red Bulls could sign him and exceed the $2 million-per-team salary cap.

The deal, which came shortly after the Los Angeles Galaxy signed David Beckham, was supposed to give the Red Bulls a catalyst for their offense and someone to help the franchise make a run at its first league title.

Reyna started 21 regular-season games and both playoff contests, finishing the year with three assists. He did not score in his 29 games in the league.

After the signing, Arena felt that Reyna could be a solid player for two or three years.

"He will be as reliable a center midfielder as you can have in this league. That's a real plus, and something I think we can build our team around," Arena said.

After making the roster for the 1994 World Cup, Reyna went to Europe, where he was known as "Captain America."

He retired from international soccer after the 2006 World Cup. He scored eight goals in 112 appearances and was on the U.S. roster for the 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups, as well as the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.

Reyna played with Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg in Germany, Glasgow Rangers in Scotland and Sunderland before joining Manchester City in 2003.