“I’ve dreamt for 16 years, and now, I’ll finally rest,” Becky Sauerbrunn announced on her Instagram, leaving fans devastated. After 16 years at the pinnacle of U.S. soccer, the 39-year-old, a two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist, is hanging up her boots. Becky was the rock in the USWNT’s 2-1 Olympic gold medal win over Japan in 2012, cementing her spot as one of the world’s best defenders. With 219 caps, she led the gals’ defense, crucial to their World Cup triumphs in 2015 and 2019. Yet, all good things must come to an end. 2023 was such a difficult time for her. Now, taking a trip down memory lane, Becky reflected on the struggles she went through in the dusk of her career.

Known for her calm leadership, she anchored the backline with precision, snagging four NWSL Defender of the Year awards, and guiding the Portland Thorns to a handful of championships. While sidelined from the 2023 World Cup by an injury, the impact that Sauerbrunn has made on and off the pitch remains incalculably huge. What’s more, off the field, she has been a fierce advocate for equal pay, sparking a revolution that reshaped the landscape of women’s soccer.

“Soccer gave me everything,” Becky reflects on the game that shaped her life and tackling life’s hurdles

Last year has been so rough for Becky, who had to cope with the disappointment of missing the FIFA Women’s World Cup and her father’s passing, making the year all the more difficult. On June 16, 2023, the 39-year-old announced that she would be withdrawing from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup due to a foot injury. The USWNT defeated Vietnam 3-0 in the group stage but fell short in the Round of 16, losing to Sweden in a penalty shootout 5-4. Yes, they sure did miss their wall on defense!

Becky Sauerbrunn, however, took it as a city of possibilities that 2024 could bring as the year that allowed her to savor her last precious moments in the game she loved. “2023 was so rough,” the USWNT legend told Sam Mewis on The Women’s Game podcast. “Everything good in my life has come back to soccer. I would always then be chasing some greater goal and some next kind of number of juggles. If I had a real year where I could say goodbye to the game, that would be it.” But she just wasn’t ready to bid adieu yet.

As the 2024 season came to an end, Becky Sauerbrunn would relish every moment of a career fulfilled and have the confidence of having met her objectives. After earning her 219th cap in a 3-0 win over South Africa on January 21, 2024, she retired, cementing her legendary status.

Becky bows out, and there goes a golden era of USWNT

Becky Sauerbrunn’s soccer love deepened when she attended the match of USWNT versus Nigeria on June 24, 1999, in the course of the Women’s World Cup at Soldier Field in Chicago. That ended with a score of 7-1, which included goals from Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, and others. The spectacle of that atmosphere and the action-filled match ignited a dream in her. “That was the moment where I was like, I need to know what it feels like to be that happy and joyful after winning,” she recounted. This became the moment that moved her towards being among the most esteemed defenders in the game.

Becky Sauerbrunn has its footprint further than its actual ground on the pitch: she’s been a fervent campaigner for equal pay, especially during the USWNT’s lawsuit versus U.S. Soccer, which ended with a historic settlement in February 2022 that awarded USWNT players $24 million in back pay and introduced an equal pay standard with U.S. Soccer-the biggest victory in gender equality yet. Through her leadership, even huge heights in achieving equal treatment to both male and female players were attained. Now, with her goodbye, the golden era of USWNT has now ended.

Her retirement might put an end to her playing days, but cryptically, she said, “I will be around,” and that is making the soccer world ponder: What’s next for this legendary defender? Will she step into the limelight as a coach or perhaps undertake some new and unsuspecting role? Maybe working with Alex Morgan? Only time will tell how she plans to stay around in continuing to influence the game to which she has already given so much.