How motherhood has shaped USWNT’s Crystal Dunn on and off the soccer field

Crystal Dunn’s superpower is her versatility. The star USWNT player won two National Women’s Soccer League championships with the North Carolina Courage, was a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team that won the World Cup in 2019, won the 2021 CONCACAF Player of the Year award and is a two-time Olympian – all while playing multiple positions on the soccer field.

So when it came to taking on the new role of motherhood, Dunn did what she has done her whole playing career: she embraced it.

Crystal and her husband, Pierre, welcomed their first child, Marcel Jean Soubrier, in May of 2022.

“Motherhood to me means this selfless decision of really putting someone else first,” Dunn said on NBC Sports’ “My New Favorite Futbolista” podcast. “I think as an elite athlete, we care so much about so many things, no matter how big or small. And I think this perspective that I’ve gained as just being a mom has allowed me to be like, life’s actually okay.”

Life as a mom has shifted Dunn’s priorities and shaped her perspective.

“Being a mother has allowed me to take on this new identity but do it authentic to who I am and do it in a way that allows me to be the best teammate, player and person I can be,” Dunn said.

Dunn is set to provide crucial veteran presence to the U.S. Women’s National Team as they head towards the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup this July. For the first time, she’ll do that as a mother.

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Like many women preparing to have their first child, Dunn did not know what to expect. But maintaining her sense of self remained very important.

“When you become a parent, you put yourself second,” Dunn said. “But I set out to do it in a healthy