Women’s World Cup and Olympic champion O’Hara is retiring

Kelley O’Hara © Gallo Images

Former U.S. defender Kelley O’Hara, a two-time World Cup winner and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, said Thursday she will retire after her club campaign.

The 35-year-old, who won 160 caps in a 14-year international career, helped Gotham FC to its first National Women’s Soccer League title last year and said she hopes to secure another NWSL title from the New York club get it before she calls it stops.

“It has been one of the greatest joys to represent my country and wear the American Soccer emblem,” O’Hara said. “As I close this chapter of my life, I am filled with gratitude. Looking back on my career, I am so grateful for all the things I was able to achieve, but especially for the people I was able to achieve them with.”

O’Hara played in four Women’s World Cups, the first in 2011, and was a three-time Olympian.

She came off the bench in the semi-finals of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, scoring a decisive goal against Germany in the semi-finals, ahead of a 5–2 win over Japan in the final.

At the 2019 Women’s World Cup, she started six of seven matches as the Americans captured a fourth title.

O’Hara scored three goals and set up 21 others in 10,287 minutes for the U.S. women.

Last year she played two matches at the Women’s World Cup and took part in her final US match against Sweden in San Diego last August.