Get your tissues. This one is going to hurt.
Angel City’s Christen Press announced her intention to retire at the end of the season Wednesday morning on “Good Morning America.”
“I thought I would wait until I didn't want to play anymore, but I realized that time’s never going to come,” Press said.
When looking back on her career, she said one memory stands out above the rest. After her mother was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018, Press didn’t want to go back to her U.S. Women’s National Team duties, but her mom insisted.
In a game against Spain in 2019, Press scored the game-winning goal.
“My dad told me that my mom took his hand and she smiled,” Press said. “She actually passed away that night and I think in some ways it gave her a little peace.”
Soccer, in many ways, has been an invisible string for Press and her family. It’s where she met and fell in love with her wife, Tobin Heath, who retired earlier this year. Together they founded RE–INC, a sports media company that puts an emphasis on progress and equity, and the couple hosts “The RE–CAP Show” podcast.
When asked if Heath’s decision to officially retire impacted hers, Press spoke as she always does, candidly – one of the reasons she is so beloved by the soccer community.
“She would absolutely hate me saying this, but a lot,” Press said. “I think it’s time for my family to move onto the next chapter. We’re going to be a part of this game forever, but it’s time for it to look different for us. I feel very lucky that I get to leave this game with a family.”
The story of Angel City cannot be told without Press. As an expansion club, Angel City needed to make a splash starting from scratch and they did exactly that.
Press was the first-ever player signed to the club.
Over the last three years, Press made 37 appearances and scored four goals, but her leadership, mentorship, and attitude helped set the tone for what the club would be.
Former Angel City star Alyssa Thompson has spoken time and time again about the ways that Press helped her adjust.
“I’ve always looked up to her,” Thompson told Just Women’s Sports. “As an older sister, I feel like I crave some advice… Knowing that she was [saying], ‘You can score. I believe in you,’ really gave me a lot of confidence. Like, ‘Yeah, I can. If you believe in me, what can I not do?’”
Press spent all but two seasons playing in the NWSL since the league launched in 2013 and earned Goal of the Week honors 11 times, more than any other player in league history. She kicked off her NWSL career in Chicago in 2014. In her three seasons there, she started 58 of 60 games and scored 35 goals, which still leads the club in all-time regular season scoring.
After Chicago, Press spent 2018 through 2020 with Utah, starting all 25 of her regular season appearances. She scored 10 goals, earned four assists, and is still the club’s second all-time leader for regular season goals. Her run of four straight games with a goal is still the team’s longest scoring streak.
Press’s announcement comes just weeks after teammate Ali Riley’s decision to step away from the game. The L.A. natives began their collegiate soccer careers together at Stanford, and now will walk out of the game together, each having left an indelible mark.
You can watch Press, Riley, and Angel City take on the Portland Thorns on Sunday, October 19 at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+.
