Kelley O’Hara, a two-time Women’s World Cup champion and 2012 Olympic gold medal winner, has announced that she will retire at the end of the current season. The former United States defender, who has won 160 caps in a 14-year international career, made the announcement on Thursday. O’Hara played a key role in helping Gotham FC win its first National Women’s Soccer League title last year and now hopes to lead the New York area club to another NWSL championship before retiring.
In her statement, O’Hara expressed gratitude for the opportunity to represent her country and wear the US Soccer crest. She reflected on her career highlights, including playing in four Women’s World Cups and three Olympic Games. O’Hara notably scored a crucial goal in the 2015 Women’s World Cup semi-finals against Germany, helping the US secure a spot in the final where they ultimately triumphed over Japan.
Throughout her career, O’Hara scored three goals and provided 21 assists in over 10,000 minutes of play for the US women’s team. She participated in two matches in the 2019 Women’s World Cup and her final appearance for the national team was in a match against Sweden last August in San Diego. O’Hara’s retirement marks the end of an era for women’s soccer in the United States, but her legacy and contributions to the sport will be remembered for years to come.
