One of the brightest players in US women's soccer has called it her career.
Christen Press, who played more than 155 matches for the U.S. women's national team from 2013 to 2021, announced Wednesday that she will retire from playing at the conclusion of the 2025 NWSL season. Angel City FC.
Press, 36, shared the news in an interview with ABC's morning show Good Morning America.
“I feel a mixture of everything,” she said. “There's relief, there's joy, there's excitement, there's fear, there's so much grief. I have so much grief, part of me, part of me, I'm losing it.”
Like most women's soccer players of her generation, Press enjoyed a meandering professional club career that began in Florida with MagicJack in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). When that league folded, Press moved to Sweden with Kopparbergs/Gothenburg and Tyresø and then returned to the United States as part of the newly formed league. NVSL with the Utah Royals and Chicago Red Stars. She made 14 appearances for Manchester United in the 2020-21 WSL season but returned to her hometown Los Angeles to launch City of Angels in 2022.
The press will most remember her career with the national team, where she played a key role in the United States' triumph at the 2015 and 2019 Women's World Cups. Whether as a starter or an effective substitute, Press's speed, scoring ability and ability to keep the ball at his feet were a key component of these teams. In total, Press scored 64 goals for Team USA, one more than teammate Megan Rapinoe, and ranked ninth on the USA's all-time scoring list.
Press's subsequent playing career was unfortunately marked by a lengthy battle with injuries and a sudden absence from the USWNT. Just before moving to Los Angeles, Press took a break from the U.S. national team for mental health reasons, and then-head coach Vlatko Andonovski cut her from his U.S. roster after she said she was ready to return in 2022.
Press tore her ACL in June 2022, an injury that required multiple surgeries to fully repair. Overall, the injury sidelined Press until the 2024 season and effectively ended her national team career, although her return to the City of Angels was hailed as inspirational by many in the world of women's football.
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The press has already gotten a head start on several off-field projects. Along with his wife and former teammate Tobin Heath, Press co-hosts the popular Re–Cap podcast, which is part of the broader Re– brand curated by Press. Press and Heath's relationship was kept secret for years before the couple officially announced they had tied the knot earlier this year. Heath, Press's U.S. teammate, retired in early 2025.
“She would hate for me to say it, but she really would,” she said of whether Heath's decision contributed to her own retirement. “I think it's time for my family to move on to the next chapter, we will always be a part of this game, but it's time for it to look different for us.”
