Crystal Dunn announces retirement after decorated career

Crystal Dunn, an Olympic champion and World Cup winner who made 160 appearances for the US womens national team, announced her retirement from professional soccer on Thursday. Dunn was a key figure in the United States 2019 World Cup win and their 2024 Olympic triumph. She hoisted the NWSL championship trophy three times: with the North Carolina Courage in 2018 and 2019 and with the Portland Thorns in 2022.

She also earned NWSL MVP and Golden Boot honors in 2015 with the Washington Spirit, who selected her No 1 in the 2014 draft after her college career at the University of North Carolina. Dunn signed with Paris Saint-Germain in January 2025  her second European club after a stint at Chelsea from 2017 to 2018  but had made just one appearance this season.

A versatile talent who was lethal in the midfield and forward positions, she later became a critical piece of the national teams defense, shining at left back despite it not being her preferred role. "I leave the game with a sense of peace and deep fulfilment for all that Ive accomplished," the 33-year-old said in a statement.

The New York native made 160 appearances for the US and scored 25 goals since debuting in 2013. Dunn played alongside Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan and is described in the report as a bedrock of the US back line. Among the first Black stars to break through in a once overwhelmingly white US womens soccer program, she served as a role model for the next generation.

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