Two-time FIFA Women's World Cup winner and Angel City forward Christen Press announced she will retire from soccer at the end of the 2025 NWSL season.
Press, who revealed the news in a Wednesday morning appearance on Good Morning America, is one of the most iconic players of the 21st century in women's soccer, and walks away with 155 appearances, 64 goals, and 23 assists for the U.S. women's national team (USWNT). She ranks ninth for the USWNT in all-time goals.
I thought I would wait until I didn’t want to play anymore, but I realized that time is never going to come.Christen Press on retiring
Press made her debut for the U.S. in a friendly against Scotland in 2013, scoring twice in a 4–1 win in Florida. Although she never officially retired from the USWNT, her final appearance for her country came in a 4–3 win over Australia in the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
An integral part of both the 2015 and 2019 World Cup-winning USWNT squads, Press famously scored the opening goal in the 2019 semifinal win over England. She finished with the most assists of any U.S. player in 2019, and led her country for goals in 2020.
Impressive Career Took Press All Around the World
CHRISTEN PRESS! 🇺🇸🇺🇸
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2019
No Rapinoe, no problem! The USWNT takes the early lead again and has now scored in the first 15 minutes in every single game this #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/Xqu3u0m56V
Press attended Stanford University between 2007 and 2010, breaking numerous records, winning the NCAA player of the year (Hermann Trophy) in 2010 and graduating with 71 goals and 41 assists in 91 appearances.
She turned professional in the Women's Professional Soccer league with Magicjack in 2011 for one season, before then heading off to Sweden to play for Göteborg and Tyresö. In 2013, she won the Swedish women's league golden boot trophy, and in 2014, she finished as a runner-up in the UEFA Women's Champions League with Tyresö.
A lover of European soccer and one of the first Americans to normalize playing abroad, Press also briefly spent one season with Manchester United in the English Women's Super League in 2020.
The 36-year-old ranks eighth in the NWSL for goals scored all-time with 49. She has amassed 124 regular-season appearances while playing for the Chicago Red Stars, the Utah Royals and Angel City between 2014 and 2025. Press has been named in the NWSL Best XI of the season four times during her career.
Press’ Emotional LA Homecoming
Christen Press... are you serious?! pic.twitter.com/Sthd3k7GHW
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) October 13, 2024
Born and raised in Los Angeles, the final move of her career, to help launch the expansion team Angel City in 2022, was of great personal importance. Press became the face of the team and a proud ambassador for her hometown club.
Press tore her ACL in June of their inaugural 2022 season and would go on to miss the entirety of 2023 and over half of the 2024 NWSL season as well. After 28 months on the sidelines, Press scored her comeback goal away to the North Carolina Courage in Oct. 2024.
At the start of 2025, Press re-signed for Angel City on a one-year deal. “LA, it was always you. This city’s strength and resilience inspires me, and I could not be more proud to represent LA—my home city—when I step out onto the pitch this season,” Press said at the time.
Press will finish out the NWSL season with two more opportunities to play for Angel City, but only once more at home in Los Angeles against the Portland Thorns this upcoming weekend. Press’s final regular season game will be away to the Chicago Stars. Angel City currently sit six points outside the playoffs. Press has 44 appearances and six goals for Angel City in all competitions.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USWNT Icon Christen Press to Retire at End of 2025 Season.
