Ali Krieger will have to wait a bit longer to retire — and that's a good thing.
The two-time Women’s World Cup winner for the United States has made the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs with her club team, Gotham. They’ll play the North Carolina Courage in Cary on Sunday in the opening round. OL Reign hosts Angel City in Seattle on Friday night in the other quarterfinal.
Krieger, 39, announced before the season that this would be her last. Gotham feted her on Sunday with a farewell ceremony following the team's 2-2 draw with the Kansas City Current that helped clinch one of the six playoff spots.
Krieger was named Player of the Match after she had a dramatic goal-line clearance in the first half that was key to preserving the draw.
“I just wanted to give everything that I had because I wasn’t sure if it was going to be my last. So I might as well go out there and kick some butt and hopefully encourage my team to do the same. And I think that’s what happened,” said Krieger, who was named captain at the start of the season.
At one point, the crowd of more than 9,000 at Red Bull Arena chanted “One More Year!"
“Any time you make a play, or you defend well or anybody makes a positive play in the game that kind of encourages everyone else and motivates everyone else to do the same," she said. "That’s exactly what I wanted to do — and just to lead the team to success.”
The celebration of her career came at a personally difficult time for Krieger. She and her wife, former U.S. and Gotham goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, are divorcing. The couple, who married in 2019, have two children, daughter Sloane and son Ocean.
She admitted to struggling with a myriad of emotions. She credited her friends and family for their support.
"I’ve cried a lot this past couple months for various things happening and it’s been really hard to come to the end and really soak it all in. I’m so focused on the team and winning," she said Sunday. “I try to take moments away to really think about my career and think about what I put into it. Because whatever you put into it is what you get out of it. And so me getting all of these lifelong friendships out of it is what I’m most proud of.”
Krieger is not the only high-profile player who is retiring. Megan Rapinoe is also playing her final season — which has also been extended by the Reign's appearance in the playoffs.
Krieger's club career has stretched some 16 years, with stops in Germany and Sweden. She won a Champions League title with Frankfurt. On home soil, she played for the Washington Spirit before a lengthy stint with the Orlando Pride from 2016 to 2021.
“She's really one of those people that makes you feel comfortable when you are next to her,” Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amoros said. “She is really a special person. That's why she has had the impact that she has had.”
For her country, she won World Cups with the U.S. in 2015 and 2019. At the 2011 World Cup quarterfinals, Krieger scored the game-winning penalty kick after a 2-2 draw against Brazil. The Americans went on to lose on penalties to Japan that year. In all, Krieger made 108 appearances for the United States.
If Gotham can top North Carolina on Sunday, they'll advance to play the Portland Thorns — who have a first-round bye — in a semifinal match on Nov. 5. The NWSL championship game is set for No. 11 in San Diego.
“It’s really incredible to see all of the love and support here. And then the fans. I mean, this is like a dream come true to have everyone just write such nice things about me that I don’t necessarily hear that often and how much impact I’ve had," she said. "I held it together, but it comes in in waves, I guess. Especially feelings in general.”
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