New York Red Bulls have honored retired forward John Wolyniec with a pregame ceremony ahead of the home clash with Kansas City Wizards on the weekend.

The 33-year old couldn't see what all the fuss was about as fans at Red Bull Arena applauded him but admitted it may have been his playing nature which endeared him to the New York faithful.

"It doesn't make sense to me. I don't get it," he said before the pregame ceremony. "I'm happy about it, proud of it. I'm glad that people liked coming to watch me play. I never thought of myself as someone who would bring fans to the stadium. I just wanted to play soccer and help my team win.

"I was probably one of the more relatable players to the average person, always struggling, always trying to get ahead," he added. "I'm sure that had something to do with it."

Wolyniec was recently released by the club to make way for Thierry Henry but is now working with the youth academy which he is loving.

"Working with the Academy [is] fun, I'm enjoying it," Wolyniec added. "It's definitely a transition period, but at the same time I have to be grateful for what I have and what I've done and move on to the next thing."