Krieger eager to help USWNT win, fight for social justice

Ahead of the U.S. women’s national team’s friendly against Colombia at Exploria Stadium Friday, Orlando Pride captain Ali Krieger couldn’t quite contain her joy over being back in camp with her American teammates.

“Just living the dream you guys,” Krieger said. “I’m happy. I’m feeling good and I’m happy to be back in camp . ... The weather’s beautiful and yesterday [inauguration day] was a really monumental day.”

That happiness comes after years of fighting to regain her place in the American rotation. It will always be a battle to remain on a U.S. roster that hasn’t lost a match in more than two full years.

But under the leadership of coach Vlatko Andonovski, Krieger says she’s learning and regaining confidence. As she battles for a spot on the backline, Andonovski praised Krieger for her leadership and dedication to the team.

“Ali has been a true professional and true warrior for this team,” Andonovski said. “She doesn’t ask questions . ... She will do anything for this team and she has proved that in the past and she has the mentality going forward.”

For Krieger, leadership is just as important off the field, where members of the U.S. women’s national team have been engaged in a debate over whether to kneel for the national anthem in support of the fight against social injustice.

NWSL players were relatively unified in kneeling for the anthem during the NWSL Challenge Cup, but the protest began to splinter shortly thereafter. After being featured in a viral video of the kneeling protest during the tournament opener, Julie Ertz chose to stand for the anthem by the end of the tournament.

The debate flared up again Tuesday night when four national team starters — Ertz, Lindsey Horan, Kelley O’Hara, and Carli Lloyd — chose to remain standing for the anthem during the first friendly against Colombia in Orlando.

Ertz and O’Hara have cited personal reasons and family members in military as their reason for standing during the anthem, although all four previously shared statements in support of the Black Women’s Player Collective.

Krieger said she plans to continue kneeling for the remainder of her career.

“To all of our Black and brown fans and supporters — I see you and I support you and I’m kneeling for you,” Krieger said.

Megan Rapinoe’s decision to kneel more than four years ago caused Krieger and her wife, Pride co-captain Ashlyn Harris, to begin studying the topic more fervently.

When her schedule stalled during the pandemic, Krieger said she spent free time reading books about racism to better understand and support the movement.

She said she hopes to challenge her white teammates to dedicate the same time and energy toward studying and reading more.

The defender emphasized the importance of unity among the team to show support for all of their teammates — especially Black teammates, some of whom shared experiences of feeling singled out and isolated throughout the past year of protests.

“These have been tough conversations within our team, and not everyone agrees with each other,” Krieger said. “But they obviously have to deal with the consequences that they decide on doing . ... But I also believe that no matter how much the flag has meaning, that type of material is not as important as a human being’s life.”

Although their first goal is to win matches and medals, Krieger said she believes the national team’s duty stretches far beyond the soccer pitch.

The defender said she’s striving to hold her teammates accountable as they continue conversations around racism and activism.

“It’s really important for us as white individuals to check our white friends, teammates and family members to really have these conversations,” Krieger said.

Although the national team hasn’t found common ground on the topic of kneeling, the team was unified providing a message for the inauguration of President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Krieger volunteered to voice over part of the video, describing it as a “monumental” experience to participate in the inauguration.

“I loved that they had highlighted the word unity because that is what we are about on every corner of this, of this country,” Krieger said. “I think that is what this team represents, and that is what we strive to do every single day.”

On the field, Krieger is fighting to hold onto a spot on the United States roster ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. The Olympics hold particular importance for Krieger — although she’s won two World Cups with the Americans, injuries and an early exit in 2016 prevented the defender from earning an Olympic medal.

Krieger says she values the consistency and communication Andanovski provided in his first year as the team’s head coach.

“It’s been a breath of fresh air honestly,” Krieger said. “I’ve learned a lot, even at my age and with my experience. I try to get better every single day and improve to help this team be successful. I really cherish the time that I’ve been able to be in camp and learn new things.”

Andonovski said he’s focused on improving the team’s defensive efforts as he hones an already potent American team.

That focus translated onto the field in the last two matches against Colombia and the Netherlands in which the team didn’t cede a single a shot on target.

“I think our defensive organization has improved,” Krieger said. “It’s not just about the back five, it’s also about everyone defending as a whole, even our forwards from top to bottom.”

Krieger remains in the national team picture, in part, because of her versatility. The defender is most confident at right back, but she’s shown her ability to move to center back.