Christen Press to Retire at End of NWSL Season, Won 2 World Cups with USWNT

U.S. Women's National Team star and Angel City FC forward Christen Press will retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2025 NWSL season, she announced Wednesday.

The two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion will step away with 64 international goals, good for ninth in USWNT history.

"It's hard to find the words to say goodbye to a sport that has defined my life for over three decades," Press wrote in a statement. "Football has given me everything, and I will miss being on the pitch so very much. Thank you to my family, friends, teammates, coaches, and community for this beautiful ride. I promise we will continue to reimagine sports in this next life!!"

Press played for Stanford from 2007 and 2010, capping off her college career by winning the Hermann Trophy as the nation's best college player following her senior season.

She left the Cardinal having set records that still stand today with 183 career points and 71 career goals for the program.

Press played professionally for the NWSL's Chicago Red Stars before heading to Sweden, where she became the first American to win the Swedish League's Golden Boot in 2013.

She returned to North America to join the Utah Royals in 2014, then became a key part of the national team that won back-to-back World Cups in 2015 and 2019. Press was also a member of the American team that won a bronze Olympic medal in Tokyo in 2021.

Press later became the first player to sign with the expansion club Angel City FC in 2022.

After undergoing multiple knee surgeries that caused her to miss the entire 2023 season and sidelined her for almost two years, Press made her comeback in 2024 to play nine matches with Angel City FC. She has made 20 appearances in 2025 during her age-36 season.

Press' retirement comes after her wife, former USWNT midfielder Tobin Heath, announced her own retirement from professional soccer in July.

Heath, who won the 2015 and 2019 World Cups alongside Press, had last played in 2022 before suffering a knee injury that ultimately ended her career.

Press told Good Morning America on Wednesday that Heath's retirement had "a lot" of influence on her own decision to step away from the game (h/t GMA's Shafiq Najib). Both she and Heath will now retire as icons of one of the most dominant eras in USWNT history.

Angel City FC will honor Press on Sunday at BMO Field as the season wraps up with a game against Portland Thorns FC. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. ET.