© Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
When Chicago Red Stars defender Casey Krueger found out she was pregnant in late 2021, she had just finished playing her sixth season in the National Women’s Soccer League and her first Olympics with the U.S. women’s national team. She found herself at the crossroads of continuing to play or retiring.
“I need[ed] a mental break and a physical break,” Krueger told The Equlalizer last week. “So, I just removed myself from soccer for a bit, did a little bit of soul searching and thought, ‘Is this something I want to come back from and is this something I can come back from?’”
Krueger soon found her answer: “I still have more to give to the sport.”
The Equalizer sat down with Krueger to talk about her journey, motherhood, the upcoming year with Chicago and the World Cup.
“I just started to think about my teammates who had gone through this and just seeing their little ones in the stands, cheering them on, and then thinking about my future little one doing that and thinking that’s the coolest feeling in the world and something I absolutely want to do,” she said.
Access the best women’s soccer coverage all year long
Start your FREE, 7-day trial of The Equalizer Extra for industry-leading reporting and insight on the USWNT, NWSL and beyond.
