Crystal Dunn retires: Is she the greatest NWSL player ever?
Full Time: A show about women's soccer
The Athletic
4.8 • 807 Ratings
🗓️ 30 January 2026
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On Thursday, we saw one of the greatest U.S. women’s national team players of all time hang up their cleats. At age 33, Crystal Dunn has decided to retire from professional soccer.
So, on this episode of Full Time, host Jillian Sakovits is joined by The Athletic’s Tamerra Griffin and Melanie Anzidei, as well as Claire Watkins from Just Women’s Sports, to unpack what Dunn’s legacy will be now that she is retiring. What trail did she blaze as a Black player on the USWNT? How did she carve out a unique team-first leadership style? Was she the greatest NWSL player ever? The podcast gets into all that, as well as how Emma Hayes and the next generation will have to try and evolve to fill her spot.
PLUS: Producer Theo was in London to catch SC Corinthians Paulista stun NJ/NY Gotham FC in the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup. Sports Illustrated contributor and Gotham beat writer Jenna Tonelli hopped on the show to discuss what the defeat means for the NWSL.
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HOST: Jillian Sakovits
GUESTS: Melanie Anzidei, Tamerra Griffin, Claire Watkins, Jenna Tonelli
PRODUCER: Theo Lloyd-Hughes
VIDEO PRODUCER: Lia Griffin
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emily Olsen
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Referenced on the show:
USWNT star Crystal Dunn announces retirement from soccer aged 33
USWNT’s Trinity Rodman scores goal in first game as captain
Corinthians stun Gotham 1-0, will meet Arsenal in FIFA Women’s Champions Cup final
FIFA Women’s Champions Cup: Who’s competing, where – and what is it?
Emma Hayes’ experimental window is over. Now the USWNT sets its sights on the World Cup
USWNT’s Emma Hayes on the fatal Minnesota shooting: ‘It’s upsetting on so many levels’
Ayo Oke ready to impress Emma Hayes after surprise USWNT call-up: ‘I thought I was dreaming’
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Header is knotted down. |
| 0:10.3 | Follow up from Dunn. |
| 0:15.1 | Are you kidding me, Crystal Dunn? |
| 0:17.5 | Dunn just pounces on this free ball at the top of the box. |
| 0:38.9 | What a strike falling away from it snappy finish that is a thing of beauty to set this crowd on fire hello and welcome to full-time. |
| 0:40.4 | I'm your host, Jillian Sackavits. This week, we saw one of the greatest U.S. women's national team players of all time hang up their cleats. |
| 0:47.9 | On Thursday, World Cup winner Crystal Dunn announcing her retirement from the game at age 33. |
| 0:53.5 | Dunn, who featured as a forward and attacking midfielder and a leftback made 160 appearances |
| 0:59.0 | for the U.S. women's national team. |
| 1:01.0 | Her 12-year career primarily spent in the NWSL with a couple of brief stints in Europe |
| 1:06.5 | and most recently a year with Paris Centuremen. |
| 1:09.7 | So what will Dunn's legacy be? |
| 1:12.1 | How will she be remembered? |
| 1:13.5 | What was her best position? |
| 1:15.4 | And is she the greatest NWSL player of all time? |
| 1:18.9 | And now how does Emma Hayes replace her? |
| 1:21.5 | On today's episode, we're going to be getting into all that and so much more from NWSL Media Day out in Los Angeles, |
| 1:30.4 | the end of the U.S. Women's National Team January training camp, |
| 1:34.5 | including their 5-0 win over Chile on Tuesday night. |
| 1:34.9 | That's right. |
| 1:38.8 | So that means that they outscored their opponents over those two friendlies between Chile and Paraguay, 11 to nil. |
| 1:42.0 | Plus, we'll close out with a check-in on the FIFA Women's Champions Cup semifinals |
... |
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