‘Girl, you still got it’ - Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Croix Bethune among several USWNT and NWSL stars to express surprise and admiration for Crystal Dunn following retirement

Dunn and Rodman may be 10-years apart by age, but when it comes to lighting up a room and getting a locker room hyped up before a game, they are one in the same. 

“Crystal and I get along really well and vibe off of each other because our personalities are both very loud,” Rodman said on Thursday. 

“She was really good at connecting with younger players, but also having that relationship with older players, so setting the standard while also empathizing with the newer players. The Olympics were so much fun with her. And yeah, she's like, just like the cool aunt."

Dunn was a three-time Olympian (2016, 2020, 2024), making 16 appearances in the Summer Games. Her leadership helped the USWNT Olympic team win its first Gold Medal in 12 years in Paris at the 2024 tournament. 

Swanson recently became a mother, and she used Dunn’s journey as a recent mother to her son Marcel in 2021 as inspiration. 

Dunn’s experience also helped Sophia Wilson in her own motherhood path. 

“I could have a baby and come back and play because I saw Crystal do it and she's just such an inspiration,” Wilson said at Media Day. “I mean, I can't say enough things about what she's done for the game.” 

Dunn has played for six professional soccer teams, and her professional career started in the DMV region as she got drafted first overall to the Washington Spirit at the 2014 NWSL College Draft. 

Dunn joined the Spirit after earning four-time All-American honors with the Tar Heels. She was also the first player to win ACC Player of the Year three times since Mia Hamm did so in 1993. Whether she’s the cool aunt, the cool big sister, the mom, or just the goofy, yet empathetic teammate, there’s no one quite like her.

Croix Bethune, 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year and Midfielder of the Year, could hardly formulate a sentence when asked about the impact Dunn has had on her career. 

Bethune, who was also part of the 2024 Olympic team, told GOAL a year ago that one of her biggest role models growing up was Dunn - from them both being black soccer players, to playing on the Spirit, the list and admiration runs deep. 

“I was shocked to hear the news like - okay - you're an OG, but like, girl, you still got it!” Bethune told GOAL exclusively. 

“I mean, for me, seeing a person of color on the national team thriving and being successful, that really stood out to me. And I feel a lot like other girls look up to her in that sense.” “Going to the Olympics and seeing Crystal as a person that made me love her even more, because she's so much fun, she's goofy, she's intelligent, she's a mom, so like, I can relate to her in different aspects,” Bethune continued. “Her retiring, I just feel like, isn’t right.” 

Olivia Moultrie, a current midfielder on the USWNT, brought up Dunn when asked what makes a great teammate. While she started with Sam Coffey, she found herself bringing up the news of Dunn’s retirement and sharing a field with her. 

“She's not with us anymore, but I think Sam Coffey was a really good example of this and just a fun teammate to be around. And also with this being relevant right now, I feel like Crystal Dunn is a good version of this - Just like an ultimate competitor, but just super fun vibes off the field,” Moultrie told GOAL. “I was shocked, but, yeah, really cool for me that I got to share the field with her a little bit and just experience being her teammate. But,  just like a huge congrats to her – she's done everything basically. So it’s just super cool that she gets to move on to the next phase of her life with her family,” Moultrie added. 

As the playing chapter closes for Dunn, her aura, presence and dancing will be felt for years to come. In her retirement post, Dunn wrote:

“I look forward to spending more time with my family and being a more present mom. This was not a decision made lightly, but was one made with immense gratitude for everything I’ve experienced as a professional soccer player. I’ve grown through challenges, celebrated incredible triumphs, and cherished every part of the journey. I first kicked a soccer ball at the age of four, never knowing it would change my life and bring me so many moments beyond my imagination. Every stage of my career taught me the importance of humility, resilience, and gratitude. My journey wasn’t perfect, but it was beautiful — filled with trophies, medals, lessons, and the indescribable joy of welcoming a baby along the way.”

A mother, a GOAT, a ‘cool aunt’ and one of one, Dunn didn’t just dominate the outside back position for years, but gave young players that looked like her, and dreamed to be like her a pathway to know its OK to dream as big as she did.