After a career that spanned seven years and took him to six different cities, Chris Carrieri decided he needed some stability in his life for himself, his wife and his son.

So on Sunday, he retired from professional soccer, news he shared with the Carolina RailHawks the day before training camp opened.

“I felt that it was time and I needed to look for a more stable situation,” Carrieri said when reached by phone Tuesday evening. “I’ve been thinking about it the last four years. I have a wife and a son and the soccer thing is not the most stable situation. I landed a really good job and the decision had to be made. I didn’t have to sleep on it.”

Carrieri has taken a full-time job as a project manager with a local information technology development firm. A holder of a USSF ‘B’ coaching license, he will also coach with the Capital Area Soccer League, and he said he will work toward an ‘A’ license.

Carrieri called his one season in Cary, “probably my favorite professional year I had in my seven years.”

He was one of the first players signed by the RailHawks. Last season, he was just one of two players to appear in every game, and he registered three assists playing as a midfielder, mainly on the right flank.

But there was no guarantee he would see the same amount of time again this season. With the offseason acquisitions of outside midfielder Steven Curfman and attacking midfielder Matthew Watson, Carrieri figured to be one of the players affected by those signings.

“When I thought I was coming back, I was ready to play,” Carrieri said. “When it came to terms that things changed and I was competing for a spot, it was a very easy decision to step away.”

His decision to retire caught some by surprise, but they understood.

“I’m a little surprised,” said Carolina captain Frankie Sanfilippo. “I thought he was a great player. He did what he had to do. He was a great player to play with. I really enjoyed him last year, playing behind him. I hope the best for him.”

“It’s always tough to lose a guy that’s helped build something,” said Carolina coach Scott Schweitzer. “I know we’ve only been here a year, but it feels like we’ve been here a long, long time. So to lose a guy that meant so much to the team by personality and character – he played so hard for us on the field. … He had to do something for his family and his stability, and it’s understandable. We’ll miss him, but we wish him the best and thank him for everything he did for us.”

Carrieri’s pro career began in 2001.

After his junior year at North Carolina, when he scored 25 goals and had 14 assists in 24 games and was named the ACC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American, Carrieri entered the MLS draft. He was chosen No. 1 overall by San Jose.

The Earthquakes traded him to the Colorado Rapids early in his rookie year, when they had to make room for another rookie forward, Landon Donovan.

In Colorado, Carrieri enjoyed two and a half stellar seasons. His rookie year, he had five goals and four assists in 14 games to set the club’s rookie scoring record. The following season, he scored 11 goals, tying for the team lead, and registered five assists.

Despite his production and development as a forward, Carrieri was shifted to playing in the midfield during the 2003 season. He appeared in 30 games with the Rapids, with 27 starts, and had three goals and eight assists.

But Carrieri was highly critical of the position change, other coaching decisions and the direction of the club. The following preseason, he was cut by the Rapids as a salary cap casualty, but the fact that he had been quite outspoken of both the club and then-coach Tim Hankinson no doubt hastened his exit.

Three days after his release from Colorado, Carrieri signed a one-year deal with the Rochester Rhinos. He scored eight goals and had eight assists in his one season with that club.

He spent the next two seasons with the Richmond Kickers, the first when the Kickers were in the USL First Division and the following year when they dropped down to USL-2. In 2006, Carrieri helped Richmond win the USL-2 championship, and he scored the game-winning goal to secure the Kickers’ 2-1 win over the Charlotte Eagles.

Carrieri described the last seven years as “a roller coaster.” He also noted, “it was a good career; nothing crazy about it. It’s not some Brett Favre stuff. I’m just done. I don’t want to play the game anymore. … I’m very at peace with it. Overall, I have enjoyed soccer.”