USWNT Great Ali Krieger Announces Retirement at End of NWSL Season

The women’s soccer star is hanging up the cleats at the conclusion of the NWSL season.

U.S. women’s national team star Ali Krieger told CBS Mornings on Thursday that she is retiring from professional soccer at the end of the National Women’s Soccer League season.

“This is the right time for me,” Krieger said on Thursday morning. “I’ve given so much to the game, and I’ve gotten a lot in return. But I feel it. My body also feels it.”

Krieger has made over 100 appearances for the women’s national team over the last decade, and plays for Gotham FC of the NWSL.

“I see the 2023 season as an opportunity to celebrate with our fans and my fellow players, but make no mistake - my entire focus is on winning the NWSL championship with Gotham FC. To achieve this before our incredible Gotham FC fans will motivate me every day this season,” she said in a release from the club.

Krieger is best known for her role as a key defender on two World Cup winning women’s national teams in the 2015 and 2019 FIFA World Cups. She also was a star on the 2016 U.S. team in the Rio Olympics.