US soccer star O’Hara to retire at end of season

Defender Kelley O’Hara, who won two World Cups and an Olympic gold medal with the United States Women’s National Team, will retire at the end of the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League season, she announced Thursday.

“I just want to say thank you to every single person who has cheered me on and supported me through the years,” O’Hara said in a video filmed by Just Women’s Sports. “I’ve been playing soccer since I was four years old, and it’s been an absolute joy.

“But as they say, ‘Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.’ And I know there will be a lot of tears by me and probably some of y’all, but I hope there are more smiles. Love y’all.”

O’Hara, 35, made her senior national team debut in 2010. She went on to total 160 international appearances for the Americans.

O’Hara won World Cup titles in 2011 and 2015. She helped the Americans finish second at the 2011 World Cup. O’Hara claimed a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Games and was on the bronze medal team at the 2020 Summer Games.

She spent time in the WSL W-League and Women’s Professional Soccer before her NWSL tenure, which included stents with the Utah Royals and

Washington Spirit. She returned for a second stent with Gotham FC in 2023.

O’Hara scored the game-winning goal for the Spirit in the 2021 NWSL title game. She also helped Gotham FC win a title in November.

The veteran fullback joins a long list of longtime U.S. soccer stars to retire over the last year, including Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and Sam Mewis.

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