Meet the U.S. Women's World Cup team: Defender Ali Krieger

Meet Ali Krieger; Defender for the U.S. Women's World Cup team

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
May 26, 2015

Ali Krieger

Defender | No. 11

Height: 5'6"
Age: 30
Hometown: Dumfries, Virginia
Club: Washington Spirit
Twitter:@alikrieger
Goals: 1
Caps: 66

Krieger has locked down the starting right back position again in the past two years after recovering from an ACL tear in 2012 that kept her out of the last Olympics. Her national team career began in 2008, when she also won the Champions League, German Cup and Frauen-Bundesliga in her first professional season with 1. FFC Frankfurt. Krieger, 30, now plays for her hometown Washington Spirit in the NWSL.

After breaking her leg in college, doctors also discovered blood clots in her lungs that caused a pulmonary embolism and several small heart attacks. She returned for her senior year at Penn State after six months of treatment. A speedy fullback who whips in crosses from all angles, Krieger went on to score the decisive penalty in a shootout during the 2011 World Cup quarterfinals against Brazil, and she was one of four on the U.S. team to play all 600 minutes in the tournament.