Krueger is already an Olympian, having helped the United States win a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Games. But will she be back in action at the age of 33, as she is the mother of a one-and-a-half-year-old boy? That would be even more meaningful.
“There are no words that can express how I feel because it means so much to me,” Krueger said. “I think being a mother now and being an Olympian is incredibly special. I get emotional thinking about it.”
A tenacious one-on-one defender with speed and the instinct to jump into attack, Krueger was one of the NWSL's top fullbacks for the past decade while playing for his hometown team, the Chicago Red Stars. She represented the United States at the Concacaf World Gold Cup in Southern California and missed much of the preseason, but the veteran quickly became a member of the revamped Spirit after signing a three-year contract this offseason. He played the role of an elder statesman in the back line.
“Honestly, she's very professional every day,” said Spirit captain Andy Sullivan, Krueger's longtime U.S. teammate. “She’s very hardworking, very consistent, very stable, very calming. It’s really great to have a player who has both of those qualities, someone who can get into a tackle and stay calm. is.”
Krueger called leaving Chicago “probably the hardest decision I've ever had to make” after the Red Stars were left in the midst of a rebuild due to a last-place finish and significant turnover. He said it was. Defender, who was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Illinois, had to consider the impact any actions would have on the life she and her husband, Cody, had built for her son, Caleb.
When Krueger became a free agent, Spirit general manager Mark Krikorian, a former coach at Florida State, encouraged her to come to Washington to stabilize a fluid back line. Spirit owner Y. Michele Cann, who made headlines in the off-season by poaching popular coach Jonathan Giraldes from Barcelona, spoke of the club's vast ambitions in a subsequent conversation. When it came to her relocation, Krueger said her team provided information about local schools and helped her husband, an emergency room doctor, find a job.
Krueger's status on the national team was also a factor. Krueger, who gave birth in July 2022, rejoined the U.S. national team last April for the final training camp before then-coach Vlatko Andonovski selected her for the World Cup squad. She missed out on the 23-player national team that toured Australia and New Zealand, and as she watched from afar as the veteran-studded U.S. team was eliminated in the round of 16, she knew it was the end of her international career. I thought it might be. A sign pointing to the American youth movement.
“I always knew my schedule was going to be a little tough because of pregnancy and postpartum,” Krueger said. “I went camping once and I gave it everything I got and left it on the table. Unfortunately I didn’t finish, but at the end of the day I did what I could. I felt that I was able to swallow it a little better because of that.”
But when Kilgore called up the first post-World Cup squad for the United States, Krueger got the call. Despite missing a number of veterans from the team that won the Gold Cup earlier this month, Krueger returned to the fold.
“I was so grateful that they didn’t abandon me,” she said.
Krueger knows a thing or two about resilience. His NWSL career began with back-to-back season-ending knee injuries, but he earned second-team all-league honors in his debut season in 2016 and was named to the first team a year later. . Although she was one of the last players selected for the 2019 World Cup squad, she made the Olympic team again two years later.
This proven fortitude made her a perfect fit for Washington's inexperienced defense. During the Spirit's 1-0 loss to the Seattle Reign on Sunday, Krueger was joined by Gabriel Karl (25), forward-turned-defender Tara McCune (24) and rookie Kate Wiesner (23). He was a starter. Kruger started the game as McCune's centre-back partner and smoothly switched to left-back after half-time. This flexibility could be key as Team USA selects its Olympic team, which will consist of just 18 athletes.
“She's a great role model,” said Spirit interim coach Adrian González, who will oversee the team until Giraldes takes over in June. “She always wants to learn, she always listens to her and tries to improve, and I think that's perfect. … Coaches, we definitely want to develop players like her. I think.”
McCune added: “I think it's an opportunity for all of us to learn from her because she's one of the best in her position.”
Off the field, Krueger has settled into his family's home in Leesburg and has plans for a number of restaurant ventures, having fallen in love with D.C.'s culinary appeal during last year's Red Stars road trip. (“I’m a huge foodie,” she said, “and the food was so good.”) After Kruger celebrated her Gold Cup title on the pitch with Cody and Caleb, the experience made her , an opportunity to share her accomplishments in the field with the up-and-comer's family.
“That's the moment you realize it's bigger than football,” Krueger said. “This is why I do this. To see that little boy running around and celebrating and having the time of his life. One day we'll look back on this and realize how lucky we are. You will understand.”
Note: The NWSL and Mexico's Liga MX Femenil will hold a summer tournament featuring teams from both circuits, the leagues announced Wednesday. The game will take place during the NWSL's Olympic hiatus this summer, with Washington scheduled to face the Red Stars, New Jersey/New York Gotham FC and Mexican club Chivas de Guadalajara in the group stage. …
Goaltender Aubrey Kingsbury will be eligible Saturday after the Spirit successfully appealed a red card given to him on video review in Washington's loss to Seattle.
