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One of the greatest players in American soccer history is calling it a career. Today, United States Women’s National Team legend Crystal Dunn announced that she is retiring from professional soccer, bringing to an end one of the most prolific careers any American soccer player has ever had.
Dunn began her career as a forward, quickly becoming one of the best strikers in the NWSL. She eventually moved to left back, where for upwards of a 5 year stretch was considered the best left back in the world. She was Her career was marked by her versatility, her defending, and her sense to find the net, and she grew into one of the greatest role models the national team has ever had. Dunn has inspired a generation of players with her tenacious play and the joy that she showed on the field and with the fans.
“I leave the game with a sense of peace and deep fulfillment for all that I’ve accomplished,” Dunn said in a statement released by U.S. Soccer. “I’m grateful for the incredible people I’ve had the privilege to work with, from teammates and coaches to family and friends, and all the amazing moments we’ve shared. I’m very much looking forward to my next chapter ahead.”
Her list of accolades is a mile long. With the University of North Carolina, she won the NCAA national championship in 2012, a season where she also won the MAC Hermann Award as college’s best player. She was the NWSL MVP in 2015 and won 3 NWSL titles, in 2018 and 2019 with the North Carolina Courage and in 2022 with the Portland Thorns. She also helped the Courage win the NWSL Shield in 2018 and 2019 and helped Portland win it in 2021. With the Thorns, she was also a NWSL Challenge Cup champion and International Champions Cup winner in 2021. She was on the NWSL Best XI in 2015 and 2018 and was the 2015 NWSL Golden Boot winner. She also won a Spring title in 2017 with Chelsea.
On the international level, she helped the United States win the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2012. She of course was a member of the USWNT when they won the 2019 Women’s World Cup. She earned Olympic bronze in 2020 and Olympic gold in 2024, and has winners’ medals from the Concacaf Women’s Championship (2018), Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament (2016, 2020), SheBelieves Cup (2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024), the Algarve Cup (2015), Tournament of Nations (2018), and the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup.
Despite only standing 5’1” tall, she showed tremendous fight and heart on the field. She played all but 75 minutes of the 2024 Olympics, helping the team to a gold medal. She also never left the field in the 6 matches she played at the 2019 Women’s World Cup, again helping the team to their second consecutive Women’s World Cup title and fourth overall. In total, Crystal Dunn scored 50 goals and added 44 assists on the club level and had 160 caps for the USWNT with 25 goals and 20 assists. She exits the game with a legacy that forever inspire future generations of players.
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