One of the greatest players in U.S. Soccer history has decided to call it a career. Today, defender Becky Sauerbrunn announced her retirement from professional soccer after 16 years of play. She made the announcement via social media with a heartfelt message:
You work hard. You take each moment. And then it happens.
You wake up one day and realize you’re still dreaming. And then you work even harder to do the impossible—to hold onto that dream, to shape it, to stretch it out, for as long as you can. Knowing full well that one day you would either have to let it go or watch it slip from your grasp.
But you do it anyway. Because it’s worth it.
Nothing will compare to the last sixteen years. How could it? The challenge of chasing victory. The bravery to fail. The willingness to suffer. The joy and relief when you achieve it. The drive to go again. Sixteen years ago I woke up dreaming and I haven’t slept since. That makes it sound easy. It was never easy. But even so, I’d run it back.
Because what a gift.
Ninety minutes finished, steam rising off our bodies—the sense of a job well done. Dirty jerseys and scraped legs, all in the service of clean tackles and cleaner sheets. Knowing that if I step here, they’ll go there, and now I can win it. The tilt of a head and a raised eyebrow that tells my teammate everything that needs to be done.
Of course I’d do it all again. In a heartbeat.
To the coaches who believed in me. To the fans who supported us. To the admin and support staff who kept me moving. To my friends and family who stood by me. To my partner for all the practice reps and knowing not to critique them. And to all my teammates who bought in and fought both for each other and for an idea bigger than ourselves.
Thank you.
It was an honor and a privilege—to play with you and for you. It means the world to me that you gave me so much. I never took any of it for granted, but I also know nothing I say or do will ever be enough to repay you.All I can do is hope that you got to share in some of the joy I felt every time I stepped onto a field—that you got to dream with me, even if just for a little while.
This isn’t the end. I’ll be around. I love this game too much to leave it for good. But for the first time in sixteen years I’m going to find a quiet moment and close my eyes for a bit.
Excited to see where I wake up next.
With so much love and gratitude,Becky
The 39-year-old defender, who played college soccer for the Virginia Cavaliers, won two NWSL titles with FC Kansas City and one with the Portland Thorns. She also won the 2021 NWSL Shield with the Thorns. However, with the United States Women’s National Team, she became one of the all-time players and leaders. She had 209 caps for the USWNT, earning 7 assists in her career. She is one of 14 USWNT players to earn at least 200 caps.
Her trophy case is overflowing with honors. In addition to the 3 NWSL titles and 1 NWSL Shield, she won the NWSL Challenge Cup and 2021 International Champions Cup with the Thorns. She also won a league title in her first professional season with Røa IL in Norway. She was NWSL Best XI 7 times and NWSL Defender of the Year 4 times.
With the USWNT, she is one of the most decorated athletes of all time. She helped the USWNT to the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cup titles, and has Olympic gold and bronze medals. She helped the team to 4 Concacaf Women’s Championships, 5 SheBelieves Cups, 3 Algarve Cups, 3 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Tournament titles, the 2018 Tournament of Nations title and the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup title. In 2020, she was named to IFFHS’s Concacaf Woman Team of the Decade.
However, the one stat that eluded her for her entire USWNT career was the scoring column. She never scored for the USWNT, which was something many fans yearned for her to remedy. However, scoring was never important to Sauerbrunn, doing everything else to help the team win. She holds the record for most USWNT caps without a goal.
“I learned early on that we were all just renting our jerseys,” said Sauerbrunn in a statement released by U.S. Soccer. “That I got to wear the U.S. Soccer crest once was an honor and privilege for which I’m forever grateful. The fact that I got to do it over 200 times is truly humbling. I competed with and learned from some of the greatest players and leaders this sport has ever seen, and I consider myself beyond lucky to have been able to play a small part in this program’s storied history.”
Sauerbrunn also led off the field, remaining outspoken on issues of equal pay, racial equality, and women’s rights. She’s one of the most beloved players and teammates in national team history. Now, she awaits an inevitable call to the National Soccer Hall of Fame where she will join the immortals of the American game.
Source link
Add Comment