Profile

Ali
Krieger

Position Defender
Number 11
Date of Birth Jul 28 1984
Hometown Dumfries, VA
Height 5' 6"
Club Orlando Pride

Ali Krieger, a key piece of the U.S. defense in the 2011 World Cup, started every game in the 2015 World Cup and was on the field for all but 10 minutes of that victorious tournament run. The veteran defender has played professionally all over the world—including five seasons with FC Frankfurt, three with the Washington Spirit, one with Tyreso FF in Sweden and three more with the Orlando Pride. She returns to the USWNT in 2019 having demonstrated repeatedly that she’s someone who you can count on under the greatest pressure of all.

The Comeback

The right back had 98 caps for the U.S. in 2017 and was a leader who excelled for her club team, the Orlando Pride. But she didn’t receive a call-up to the National Team for the next two years. And then, in April, ahead of a couple of the final preparation matches before the 2019 World Cup, Krieger, now 34, was called back up. Having spent two years refusing to give up, staying ready and training hard just in case, Krieger came in and played the full 90 against Belgium. She was then named to the 2019 World Cup roster, and against New Zealand on May 16, she earned her 100th cap.

German Princess Warrior

When Krieger graduated from Penn State, the U.S. pro league was shut down. Not ready to be done playing, she went overseas to play in Germany, in part because her grandfather was German and she liked the idea of reconnecting with her family roots. “I showed up in Germany with my two bags,” says Krieger. “I didn’t know the language, I didn’t have a place to live, I didn’t know the culture, I just jumped right into it.”

Krieger learned German and spent five seasons there. She got a tattoo of “Liebe” which means love in German. “It represents my time there. Love for the country, the culture and my experience. It’s my second home.” Krieger means “warrior” in German and her German teammates called her “The Warrior Princess.” Krieger explains the “princess” component. “Deep down, I’m really girly. I wear mascara every day—I put it on just to get the mail. I never leave the house without it. It’s like my war paint. I always have it on, especially for games.”