OOn Tuesday, an American soccer icon who left an indelible mark on the USWNT’s back-to-back World Cup-winning era announced her retirement from soccer. At 39, Becky Sauerbrunn leaves behind a 16-year professional legacy as an Olympic and (twice) World Cup champion, an NWSL lifer and undisputed leader for club and country, whether she has a ball at her feet or a book in her hand .
“It’s time,” she said wrotein a beautifully composed social media post that reflected the voracious reader and effective communicator we knew she always was.
She looked back on a dream-like career, characterized by ambition and hard work: “Nothing compares to the past sixteen years. How could it be? The challenge of chasing victory. The courage to fail. The willingness to suffer. The joy and relief when you achieve it. The drive to go again.”
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Sauerbrunn was a thoughtful leader and a stoic source of calm for a national team so often scrutinized that sports dynasties (and vocal advocacy) inspire the public and press. She was guided by the example of her unwavering grace and the evidence of her hard work.
She also led by her reliable defensive presence in each backline, characterized by her disciplined positioning, steadfast defense and the well-timed touch that kept the attackers at bay.
Many will fondly remember her rise to international football. Of course, in her debut for the senior USWNT on January 16, 2008, she memorably broke her nose after a fierce dogfight with a Canadian frontman, causing her to leave the field early. The injury may not have been the most fun part, but her unwavering physical courage and unwavering response were a sign of things to come.
In the early 2010s, Sauerbrunn worked his way up a veteran-heavy squad, contributing to their second-place finish at the 2011 World Cup in Germany and impressing from the bench during their Olympic gold-winning run the following summer in London. .
It would be years later, riding the tailwinds of her relentless work and demonstrable accomplishments, that Sauerbrunn would earn a starting role on the deep and decorated U.S. Women’s National Team. By the 2015 World Cup, she had staked her claim to a standard role in the US backline, playing every minute en route to the program’s third World Cup trophy, its first since 1999. Four years later, she was back in control in France, among the best teams in the world in every match except their first against Thailand, as the team battled their way to repeated World Cup fame.
Sauerbrunn started 167 of 182 appearances from 2013 to 2024, and retires after playing the ninth-most minutes in program history. With her 219 caps, Sauerbrunn is one of only 14 players to have made more than 200 appearances for the USWNT. In a statement released by American football, the centre-back nodded to this lofty sign with a humility and gratitude that was characteristic of her nature.
“I found out early on that we were all just renting our sweaters,” she said. “To ever wear the US Soccer crest was an honor and privilege for which I am forever grateful. The fact that I had to do it over 200 times is truly humbling. I have competed with and learned from some of the greatest players and leaders this sport has ever seen, and I consider myself beyond fortunate to have been able to play a small role in the storied history of this program.
Defenders don’t always get the credit. But the name Becky Sauerbrunn is inextricably linked to the U.S. women’s national team at the height of their dual World Cup-winning powers. Sauerbrunn was as essential to American supremacy in a decade of trophy-laden success as any individual player.
She deserved to be in the spotlight, even if she never sought it.
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In fact, Sauerbrunn’s retirement is a carefully timed attempt to step away from the spotlight entirely. She further told former teammate and co-World Cup champion Sam Mewis The Women’s Game Podcastshe preferred to say goodbye to the beautiful game at a quiet moment at the end of a strong season.
“It’s been such a good year,” she said, noting it started with a W Gold Cup trophy. In what would be her final season in NWSL, Sauerbrunn said, “I got a full season where I just competed against Portland.”
Sauerbrunn has played in every NWSL season since the league’s inception, winning three titles while competing for FC Kansas City, Utah Royals and her last clubhouse, the Portland Thorns. Her impact on the success of domestic club soccer in the United States is as valuable as her storied international career.
Sauerbrunn tells Mewis about her last struggle in professional football, after sixteen years: “I think it’s great that we were able to push for the play-offs, that I could make it to the play-offs one last time. And that I could leave my soul on the field that last game against Gotham. That’s what it felt like.”
Sauerbrunn’s retirement comes at the end of a year in which five of the American starters from the 2019 World Cup finals have hung up their boots, a group that includes Mewis, Alex Morgan, Kelley O’Hara and Alyssa Naeher.
Their departure feels like the end of a big chapter in the USWNT’s story. It was an era marked by dynastic success at international level and committed growth in the domestic club game. For those of us who watched as they charted their careers, it was a joy to absorb the inevitable highs and lows of their dream-like exploits as they reached remarkable heights and helped grow the game. Now her playing days are nothing, without any regrets.
“Ninety minutes gone, steam rising from our bodies – the feeling of a job well done,” Sauerbrunn said. “Dirty jerseys and scraped legs, all in the service of clean tackles and cleaner sheets. Knowing that if I step here, they will go there, and now I can win it. The tilt of a head and a raised eyebrow telling my teammate what needs to be done. Of course I would do it all again. In an instant.”