DUNN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT – Crystal Dunn is the latest in a series of high-profile players from the United States’ modern golden age to retire
Crystal Dunn, an Olympic champion and World Cup winner who made 160 appearances for the U.S. women’s national team, has announced her retirement from professional soccer.
A key figure in the United States’ 2019 World Cup win and their 2024 Olympic triumph, Dunn hoisted the championship trophy in the top-flight NWSL three times, with the North Carolina Courage in 2018 and 2019 and with the Portland Thorns in 2022.
A versatile talent who was lethal in the midfield and forward positions, she became a critical piece of the national team’s defence, shining at left back despite it not being her preferred role.
Dunn is the latest in a series of high-profile players from the United States’ modern golden age to retire. She played alongside the likes of Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, cementing herself as a bedrock of the U.S. backline.
Among the first Black stars to break through in a once overwhelmingly white U.S. women’s soccer programme, Dunn served as a role model for the next generation.
