Columbus, OH -- An Ohio coroner says Columbus Crew midfielder Kirk Urso died of a genetic defect of the heart and the death was considered natural.
The 22-year-old Urso was pronounced dead in August at Grant Medical Center after collapsing at a downtown Columbus bar and restaurant.
Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak said Friday that Urso died of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscle of the right ventricle is replaced by fat and/or fibrous tissue.
Urso played in six games with the Crew and was rehabbing from a sports-groin injury sustained in May.
Urso had been in his first season with the Crew. A native of Lombard, Ill., he was the captain of North Carolina's NCAA title-winning team last fall and for the U.S. under-17 World Cup team in 2007. Urso also played for the Guilford Co.-based Carolina Dynamo Futbol Club.
Crew President and General Manager Mark McCullers says the news helps bring closure to the sudden and tragic loss of Urso.
AP