“I've seen a lot of my former teammates really struggle through this next phase,” Ali Krieger tells us. The former NJ/NY Gotham FC defender and team captain has entered an entirely new chapter in the past year—one that could easily feel upending: retirement. 

Krieger closed her incredible soccer career on quite a high, helping her team clinch its first National Women’s Soccer League championship, and notably doing it all while her personal life made headlines. Prior to Gotham, Krieger’s career began with a leap of faith, moving to Germany to join FFC Frankfurt. Later she held spots on NWSL teams, Washington Spirit and Orlando Pride. Playing among the greats has pushed Krieger physically but—as she’s keen to point out—mentally, as well.

“It is a 24-hour/seven-days-a-week job,” she says. “There's a whole slew of things that come along with staying at the top for so long, and it's more mental than physical or emotional.” This comes up often when speaking about Krieger’s new rhythm of life, too—one that’s certainly changed but hasn’t strayed too far from the field. 

Since retiring, she’s been named Gotham’s first-ever Club Ambassador and stepped into an analyst role at ESPN, cohosting Futbol W on ESPN2. Her focus is also at home, as a mother to two young children. And having been an advocate for equal pay and the LGBTQ+ community in the past, she’s also quite outspoken about the need more for mental health services, as it pertains to athletes throughout their career and well after. “I think there is an opportunity for organizations, maybe US soccer, to offer retired players that type of help and make the transition a little bit easier.”

I was exposed to soccer at a young age. My brother and I loved playing together, and I wanted to be like him. When my dad took over as my coach, I was doing club soccer. He coached from age seven to age 18. My mom also played sports, so they were both active coaches and teachers.

There's a mental, physical, and emotional toll that you don't really expect. You're with the best of the best, especially being on a national team. No one gives you this textbook answer about what to expect, fighting for your position consistently, and being put in situations that are pretty uncomfortable. You even have to sometimes battle for your paycheck and contract.

My leadership qualities, being supportive yet demanding and trying to get the best out of players. As I've got older, it is a quality that became easier. I wanted to win so badly that I knew I needed every single player on my team to perform well for that to happen. So I made sure to reach out to everybody, hold players' hands, and prioritize making connections and building relationships.

Mentally, I really went through a dark time. It was exhausting because I didn't get a reason [why]…I had to operate on the fact that I'll just continue to do what I'm doing, and try to elevate my game by talking to coaches about what I can do differently, what I can improve. I tried to focus on that and hoped that the door was still open.

For those two years, I was in a dark period, but the trajectory of my career after that was so amazing. I got brought back on the national team a month before the 2019 World Cup and ended up playing in the final…and we won. It was rewarding to come back from that. But going through it helped me mentally prepare for that next level.

It’s okay to keep fighting until you hear the word yes. One of the most proud moments on the national team, and in the work that I've done, was fighting for equal pay. I could say, “Winning championships is great.” But one of the most powerful and influential, impactful, positive things that I did was fight for equal pay and not settle for the word no, not settle for terrible accommodations, resources, and low standards, especially as we're continuing to win. So on top of multitasking, I wanted to make an imprint on what we deserve, to change the trajectory of our sport, and change the mentality of how people treat female athletes—or women in other industries. We endure the same amount mentally, physically, emotionally as our male counterparts.

Honestly, we all process retirement differently. I've seen a lot of my teammates go through it and not really have a successful couple of years after retirement. So I tried to set myself up probably five or six years ago when I was in Orlando. I wanted to make sure that I thought about the next step. When I got fired [in 2017], I dug deep into what could be the next move for me. I needed something to fall back on and another passion that I had was analyst work, broadcasting, and talking about the game. It comes easy to me, and I really enjoy and love it.  Plus, I love teaching the game, too. So then retirement comes and I had done broadcasting work the past six, seven years. It just felt comfortable. 

It's hard for some people to suddenly have to say goodbye and no longer play. Luckily with a lot of therapy, it has been easier for me. I'm involved with the ambassadorship with Gotham FC and am training about once a week. It's a role and path in helping the team succeed, but in a different way.

I always want to present myself in a professional way so that people take me seriously, respect me, and know that I'm there to do a job and do it well. Now, I'm presenting myself as an analyst in broadcasting, and attending red carpets or other events. I want to be professional, but chic and express my personality and character through my style—which was difficult when I had to wear the same uniform every day, the same tracksuit, the same team attire. As a footballer, it doesn’t always come through. But now when I go to events, that's when I can let people know who I am off the field.

Prioritize your well-being and make sure that you're feeling your best. And if not, then seek out professionals who can help. Control what you can control—which is your work ethic and your attitude. If you're not bringing your full self to the table, then it's difficult to get the best out of whatever you're trying to pursue. That's a huge piece of how I operate now. And maybe I didn't use that advice when I was a footballer because I was just so focused on soccer, but now I value therapy. I value investing in myself and trying to peel back the layers to discover who I am, what I like to do, what makes me tick. That's super beneficial for anything that you do in life. That should apply to any job in any industry. It shouldn't just be athletes.