After retiring from soccer after the 2011 season, he was challenged to reproduce that feeling in a business setting. He’s found just that challenge in his new role as manager of business operations with the Sounders FC.

“The most amazing thing about the opportunity that I have with the Sounders is that it’s very broad and very ambiguous,” said Graham, 31. “I get to have my hand in each one of those jars in corporate partners, community outreach and fan development and everyone is so open-minded.”

Graham made the smooth transition from role-playing center back to the front office in no small part because of the unfortunate circumstances of the 2009 season. During that year, he was limited in his on-field action because of injuries. That put Graham in the position to engulf himself in the community relations aspect of the club, earning him the team’s Humanitarian of the Year award.

That involvement continued over his final two seasons, though much of his focus returned to the field, where he featured mostly in CONCACAF Champions League and US Open Cup play on a team deep at the center back position. It included a seat on the board of America SCORES Seattle and the Make A Wish Foundation of Washington and Alaska, where he remains active.

In the final year of a career that included six seasons in Seattle with the club at the USL and MLS levels as well as two seasons each with Kansas City and New York in MLS, he made a point to keep the focus on the field, even as he knew he would be looking to his post-playing career when the season ended.

“I had a little bit of an easier transition because going into the last season I knew it was my last. It was easier to make that transition when it wasn’t just pulling the plug. It was something that I knew was going to happen,” he said. “I didn’t want to have my foot halfway out the door because I didn’t feel like I would appreciate those experiences as much in that last season.”

After the season, he traveled and spent time with family and friends before starting to consider his professional future.

That stage of self-discovery landed him back with the Sounders, where he is best able to utilize his nine years on the field to be an asset in the business setting. In addition to his duties on the business operations side, he also serves as a radio analyst on the club’s broadcast alongside host Matt Johnson and Wade Webber.

“That’s the fun part, where I can stay connected to the game from a tactical standpoint,” he said. “Talking about soccer is what I’ve been doing for the last 31 years of my life, now sometimes when I do it, there’s a microphone there.”

Hear Graham on the pre-game broadcast of Sounders FC matches on 97.3 KIRO FM, beginning 30 minutes before kickoff.