P-R’S KLINGENBERG THRIVING AT 31
Pro tip: Don’t tell Meghan Klingenberg women’s soccer is having a “moment.” She doesn’t subscribe to that notion, and she will go full Alexander Hamilton on anyone who suggests that might be the case.
“I don’t think that women’s soccer is having a moment. I think it’s having a movement,” the PineRichland graduate said. “... I think that we have to continue working to make sure that that movement keeps going.
“In my mind and in my opinion, women’s soccer is this completely untapped market, and if people were smart they’d invest in it and give it the attention they deserve.”
That’s the kind of straight-shooting, no-nonsense answer you’ll get from Klingenberg, who at 31 has accomplished quite a lot in the realm of women’s soccer. She won a Pennsylvania state high school championship with Pine-Richland in 2005, two NCAA championships with North Carolina in 2008 and 2009, a National Women’s Soccer League title with the Portland Thorns in 2017 and, of course, a Women’s World Cup with the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2015.
Hoisting that World Cup trophy also earned her the honor of being named the Post-Gazette’s 2015 Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year. It’s the kind of accolade you pick up when you not only realize a lifelong dream, but do so by playing every minute of the tournament as a defender for a team that only allowed three goals in seven games.
“Being able to stand up there with all of my friends after putting in all that work, it’s one of the best feelings you can possibly have,” Klingenberg said. “I look back with so much pride and gratitude for all the people who helped me get to that place.”
Unfortunately, she wasn’t called up for the most recent World Cup run, though she said she still watched almost every game whether the U.S. was involved or not. Still, not being able to be on the pitch representing her country again left a bitter taste.
“To me, the most fun thing about soccer is playing at the highest level with your friends,” she said. “I don’t really like playing [recreational soccer]. That’s not fun for me because I want it to be as fast as possible. That’s what the World Cup is. Missing out on that was hard.”
Klingenberg would love to get another shot at playing for the USWNT, a squad that captivated the nation this summer while making outspoken midfielder Megan Rapinoe into a star worthy of being Sports Illustrated’s 2019 Sportsperson of the Year.
Rapinoe’s audacious public persona isn’t a far cry from who she is in private, Klingenberg confirmed.
“I’ve never met somebody who looks so performative but is not,” she said. “The way she acts in front of a camera is the exact same way she talks to me when she’s not. It’s absolutely the way she talks to her friends. I don’t think many people are like that, and that’s what makes her so special.”
If Klingenberg ever gets too wistful for her national team days, she can always swap war stories with Portland Thorns teammates and current USWNT players Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan and Adrianna French.
She’s about to enter her fifth season with the NWSL’s Thorns, a team she arrived at via trade in 2015 from the Orlando Pride as a part of a giant package for ex-USWNT teammate Alex Morgan. She’s currently out of contract with the team and plans to re-sign with them — that is, unless a certain Rust Belt city makes a move.
“I love being in Portland and it’s been great,” Klingenberg said. “I want to stay there for the rest of my career unless a Pittsburgh team happens.”
Klingenberg — with no inside information, to be clear — seemed confident that the city could have one in the near future.
“I don’t think it’s too far off,” she continued. “I know the Riverhounds have been doing a good job over there and building up a fan base. I hope that translates into a women’s team, too.”
Western Pennsylvania is never too far from Klingenberg’s mind or heart. She was just here last week training and recently finished running a youth camp in Canonsburg, Pa.
Klingenberg said she has always loved the diversity of ideas that coexist in the Steel City.
“There’s something special about Pittsburgh people,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re liberal or conservative, rich or poor, there’s something innately kind and friendly and helpful about people in Pittsburgh.”
That’s why Klingenberg is always happy to come home and hopes that special something Pittsburgh has never changes.
“Stay the same. Pittsburgh is already great, the people are already great,” she said. “I think it says a lot that I’ve been all over the world and this is the only place I want to spend my time.”