Another legend is hanging up her cleats. Today, Angel City FC forward Christen Press announced that she will retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2025 NWSL season.
Christen Press is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in USWNT history, with 64 goals and 43 assists in 155 caps with the national team. That includes a streak where she had 39 goals and assists in 38 matches from 2019-2021.
Press made her debut with the USWNT in February 2013
in a friendly against Scotland. In her debut, she became just the third USWNT player ever to score a brace in her debut. She also added an assist on the third U.S. goal in that match. She also became the first woman to score three goals in her first two matches with the national team as she added a goal in her second cap a few days later.
She was a standout at Stanford in college, winning the Hermann Trophy in 2010 and setting multiple records. She was also a Golden Boot winner with Tyresö FF in the Damallsvenskan. In the NWSL, she played with the Chicago Red Stars, Utah Royals, and Angel City.
“It’s hard to find the words to say goodbye to a sport that has defined my life for over three decades,” Press said in a statement released by her current club, Angel City FC. “Football has given me everything, and I will miss being on the pitch so very much. Thank you to my family, friends, teammates, coaches, and community for this beautiful ride. I promise we will continue to reimagine sports in this next life!!”
Press won the Swedish Cup in 2012 with Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC and got a runners-up medal in the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2013-14 with Tyresö FF. With the USWNT, she won the Women’s World Cup in 2015 and 2019, an Olympic bronze medal in 2020, 4 SheBelieves Cups, 2 Algarve Cups, 2 Concacaf Women’s Championships, 2 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, and the 2018 Tournament of Nations.
Christen Press leaves the game having created a legacy that will stand the test of time. Many players from the current generation of rising stars have counted Christen Press as a hero and a role model from which they have modeled their game. But soon, Christen Press will say goodbye to the game that she brought so much joy to for over a decade.
