Former DC United and Red Bulls midfielder Shawn Kuykendall died Wednesday morning after a yearlong battle with thymic cancer. He was 32 years old.
He was the son of Kurt Kuykendall, a former professional goalkeeper in the old North American Soccer League, and was one of three brothers to play NCAA Division I soccer at American University.
Last spring, after having sudden torso pains, doctors found that Kuykendall had an apple-sized tumor lodged in his chest. He was diagnosed with Stage IV thymic cancer, according to an MLS report.
Washington Post writer Rick Maese chronicled Kuykendall's fight with cancer.