Chicago (November 14, 2022) – Ashlyn Harris, a two-time World Cup winner with the U.S. Women’s National Team and the starting goalie for the historic 2002 FIFA Women’s Under-19 World Cup winner, announced her retirement from professional soccer.
Harris, 37, played in all 10 seasons of the Women’s National Soccer League, the last with New Jersey/New York Gotham FC, and was a part of the US Women’s National Team program for 20 years.
She burst onto the international stage in 2002 at the age of 16 as the youngest starter to help Team USA win the inaugural FIFA Women’s Youth World Cup. Harris played well in the championship game as the US beat Canada 1-0 in Edmonton, scoring Lindsay Tarpley’s “Golden Goal” in front of 47,784 fans.
She was also the starting goalie and captain of Team USA, which finished third at the 2004 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Cup in Thailand. She has played every minute for both World Cup teams in 12 games.
Harris ended her U-19 career with 39 appearances, one of the most in the history of the division, and she was the last member of the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women’s World Cup-winning team to end her career. member.
The Satellite Beach, Florida native has also participated in some extensive US 23/21 youth team activities and has played with the US Under-16 and Under-17 national teams throughout her youth career. Her first national team campaign was in 1999 at the Under 14 National Team ID Camp.
“It has been my greatest honor to represent this country on and off the field,” Harris said. I can only thank those who supported me and lifted me up throughout the process. Thank you to all my youth national team coaches, official national team coaches, goalkeeping coaches, support staff and everyone in between.
“To all of my teammates, you have been the driving force of my longevity. For me, this journey has always been about people, so thank you for all the incredible memories and lifelong friendships. To the fans, from Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope I can impact your lives in some small way, the way you impact mine.”
After suffering numerous serious injuries during her collegiate career at UNC and eventually winning two NCAA titles, she didn’t make the senior national team until 2010 after a stellar second NASL season , WPS, she helped the West New York Chargers to a league title in 2011.
During her long and illustrious professional club career, she played for St.Louis Athletic (WPS), Washington Liberty (WPS), West New York Chargers (WPS), FCR 2001 Duisburg (Bundesliga) , Washington Spirit (NWSL), Tyresö FF (Swedish First Division), Orlando Pride (NWSL) and NY/NJ Gotham FC (NWSL).
She made her national team debut in 2013 in a 1-1 draw with Sweden in Portugal’s Algarve Cup and has made 25 caps for the United States, starting 21 of them. During her international career, she has played against 21 different countries and has nine career eliminations, with the US team having a 17-2-2 record.
Most notably, she was part of the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup winning teams. She was the backup goalie for the 2016 Olympic team.
Her last USWNT match was an 8-0 win over Panama in an Olympic qualifier in Houston, Texas on Jan. 31, 2020.
Harris has also made an impact off the court, and she will continue to do so after she retires. Along with his wife and fellow World Cup winner Ali Krieger, she has become a role model and outspoken advocate for equality and inclusion, using her platform to raise awareness and support for LGBTQ+ rights and mental health awareness.
