'I've fallen down, and I've gotten up' - USWNT icon Crystal Dunn reflects on paving the way for those after her

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of scoring an absolute stunner for the national team - the kind that just hits perfectly and sends the crowd into a frenzy.

While Dunn has dished out plenty of assists over her career, one moment still stands above the rest. During the 2016 SheBelieves Cup, then-teammate Meghan Klingenberg delivered what Dunn still considers the perfect setup.

"I scored this, like, banger for the national team," Dunn recalls. "It was against England, and Kling [Klingenberg] was the left back at the time. She was kind of doing her thing on the left side, dribbling, dribbling, dribbling and then she turned around and she kind of did this, like little slip pass to me. I was playing forward at the time. I just like, fake, like I'm kind of going one way, take the ball in, and it kind of caught the defender off guard, because she was like a step behind me at that point. And I just like lace this ball upper 90, boom!"

While that assist remains a standout on the field, Dunn says her favorite moments have come from something deeper - the relationships she’s built along the way.

"Providing an assist is really giving back to to a sport that has given me so much," Dunn on how her perspective of an assist has changed. "You know, it's staying connected with players that are currently playing and giving them any advice that I can give to them...I think my my vision and my perspective of assisting is definitely different in all the best ways."

That perspective is now carrying over into the next phase of her career.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to now really impact the sport in such a different way, from such a completely different perspective," Dunn said.

As a mom, teammate for the better majority of her life, Dunn has felt like mentoring and leadership have come naturally to her.

"I think my version of leadership was always showing that, yes, I have been successful. I've achieved x in my career, but I've done so not just because I'm a good player, like I've done so because I've battled, I've fought, I've fallen down, I've gotten up."

Dunn has been part of the USWNT group that has battled for equal pay, fought for social justice, gender equity, and "literally everything," as she insists.

"How have we been able to win as much as we have while also fighting all of these things," she reflects.

Dunn's fight, grit, and selflessness to be an open book to those around her act as an assist to truly all.

"I think the more you can speak to people about that side of things, the more they actually appreciate the grind of the sport," she explains. "They appreciate the hardship, because they know that that's weirdly the perfect ingredient to the recipe, which is going through a bit of uncomfortable feelings in order to kind of get where you need to get to."

And it’s that openness that has left a lasting impression on those around her.

"I think the biggest compliment and reflection I've had is people care about how I've treated them, and they care that I've, you know, dedicated time to checking in on them.

"What I really love and appreciate mostly about my career and my journey more than I even appreciate more than winning trophies and things is that I can pass the baton off to the young generation, and that they feel more prepared for their journey than I probably did. And I think that's the beauty of it, and that's what one of my many goals were as a player is to make sure that I'm leaving the game in a better place."

At NWSL Media Day in Los Angeles in January, players and media members learned at once that Dunn had officially retired from professional soccer. Her impact - and her decision - quickly became one of the biggest talking points of the day, with players like Sophia Wilson, Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman all reflecting on her influence, friendship, and mentorship.

“Crystal’s amazing, she’s one of the G-O-A-T-S of soccer,” Rodman said at NWSL Media Day. Dunn and Rodman were USWNT teammates and won a gold medal together at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Wilson, now also a mom on the national team, said in January that Crystal showed her that “I could have a baby and come back and play because I saw Crystal do it and she's just such an inspiration...I mean, I can't say enough things about what she's done for the game.”

"I want to be the resource that I wished I had," Dunn said. "I want to be the resource that I know was very valuable me, valuable to me as a player. I think when I look at my career, there are many things that I was able to do. There were many things that, you know, I fell short of doing... so for me now, stepping on this other side, I want to make sure that I am that resource that I could have had or that I know I needed in times of of, you know, hardship."

Dunn hasn’t slowed down since stepping away from the game and doesn’t see herself doing so anytime soon.

"I think for me, definitely getting involved with more projects and partnering with brands that believe in the growth of the game from various different vantage points," she said. "I know for me, I was a woman of color playing soccer, and I'm a woman of color still now being a retired player, and I think I'm always going to advocate for more diversity in the sport and access to the sport at the grassroots level."

So whether Dunn is on the receiving end of a cheeky assist from Kling, or passing the ball - or baton - to those who follow, she’s in this game for life.