Longtime U.S. girls’s nationwide workforce defender Becky Sauerbrunn introduced her retirement on Tuesday.
Sauerbrunn, now 39, received two World Cups and one Olympic gold with the USWNT, and captained the nationwide workforce towards the top of an accolade-laden 16-year profession.
Sauerbrunn represented the U.S. on the senior stage 219 occasions, which is the Tenth-most in USWNT historical past. On 42 of these events she served as captain, the fifth-most in USWNT historical past.
“I discovered early on that we have been all simply renting our jerseys,” stated Sauerbrunn in a press release by way of U.S. Soccer. “That I acquired to put on the U.S. Soccer crest as soon as was an honor and privilege for which I’m without end grateful. The truth that I acquired to do it over 200 occasions is actually humbling. I competed with and discovered from a number of the biggest gamers and leaders this sport has ever seen, and I take into account myself past fortunate to have been in a position to play a small half on this program’s storied historical past.”
Together with the World Cup and Olympic success, Sauerbrunn received three titles with FC Kansas Metropolis and Portland of the NWSL, by which she has performed each season within the league’s historical past. She received NWSL Defender of the 12 months 4 occasions, together with three in a row from 2013-2015, and made the NWSL Finest XI a league-record seven events.