WASHINGTON, D.C. — Crystal Dunn may have announced her retirement back in January but officially got her proper sendoff on Saturday at Audi Field.Dunn was honored in the Nation’s Capital ahead of the U.S. Women’s National Team’s eventual 2-0 friendly loss to Spain. The New York native played parts of 12 years for the USWNT, with 11 of those also featuring multiple stops at club level in the United States, England, and France.Now as she continues the next chapter of her life off the field, Dunn admitted she feels “at peace” with the decision to retire.“Now that I’ve had time to reflect on my career, I feel like the best compliments I’ve received are not about what I’ve done on the field, but how I’ve impacted people’s lives,” Dunn told reporters in a media conference before the match. “I haven’t teared up much since retiring. I was very much at peace with my decision and I think today has been a day where fans are coming up to me and they’re like, ‘I’m actually really, really sad that you are not playing. You were my favorite player.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, hold up. Now I’m tearing up.'”Dunn earned 160 caps with the USWNT from 2013-2025, logging 25 goals and 20 assists across all competitions. Her major international achievements included winning the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal in Paris in 2024. Prior to jumping into professional soccer, Dunn excelled collegiately at the University of North Carolina, winning a National Championship with the Tar-Heels in 2012. She also won two NWSL titles, one NWSL Golden Boot and one NWSL MVP award, enjoying success at the club level, in addition to her USWNT success.Off the field, Dunn was very much at the forefront of the equal pay movement for the USWNT that led to a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in 2022, along with paving the way for several current African-American players such as Sophia Wilson, Lily Yohannes and Trinity Rodman. “I do think that is why we play,” Dunn said reflecting on her career. “Of course, I was chasing championships, medals all of the above, but I think now looking back I get to realize that me just being out there was enough. Me just putting my best foot forward, me just really working hard to achieve something, even if I fall short, was enough. I think that’s why I am so at peace with where I am, my decision to retire. I’ve done all that I need to do in the sport. I’ve paved the ways in the way that I wanted to in this sport.”Now as Dunn continues through motherhood, she also continues to dip her hand in several projects. One of those projects is joining the ownership group of USL W League side Tallahassee Reckoning, seeing the sport from a different lens. Dunn hopes that she can use her playing experiences to help the next generation of players, knowing that they already might have more resources than she did at their age. “I want to help build a better infrastructure for young girls to have a better future, have a better pathway to the collegiate level [and] the pro level,” Dunn said. “I’m just really happy that any hardship I had, I feel like they are going through something way less,” Dunn added. “They get to show up in this environment, their most authentic selves. They get to breathe a little bit easier.”Dunn also voiced her excitement in having control of her own schedule now as a retired player, picking and choosing what she does, and when. For most of her career, Dunn would be preparing for practice, or a game, or taking part in media availabilities, or watching film on an opponent, but now she is on her clock. “I have autonomy over my schedule,” said Dunn. “Getting into things that make me happy and full of joy, I think is always hard because I always say that playing soccer is the coolest thing you can do. Now that I’m not doing that it’s now finding things that fill my cup that excites me.”As Dunn waves farewell to the pitch itself, she is planning to stay deeply involved in the sport as a whole. Whether its through her ownership position, or potentially jumping into broadcasting, you will likely continue to see the 34-year-old having an impact on the game. Dunn provided advice to the next generation of soccer players, using the experiences that have helped her get to where she is today. “Really just trust in the process, trust the journey,” Dunn said, “Be ok with being uncomfortable or accepting moments where you are at your best; that just means that you are closer to getting to exactly where you need to be.“I’ve had a pretty successful career, but I think of the moments I fell short or the moments I learned more about myself,” she added. “I built up resilience to be adaptable to anything. [They] just need to continue working on themselves, enjoying the journey, and trusting that they are going to be where they need to be.”