Meghan Klingenberg, Western Pennsylvania’s most accomplished soccer player, anounced her retirement Wednesday.
She made the announcement in an open letter on her Instagram page.
“This isn’t a surprise. But it still feels big to say,” she wrote. “I’m retiring from football.”
Klingenberg went on describe her soccer career as “the stage of a lifetime.”
“It gave me a chance to test myself, expand my world, and discover who the (expletive) I could become,” she wrote. “I’ve grown in ways that are so unexpected.”
Klingenberg, 36, was a Parade All-American at Pine-Richland, leading the Rams to back-to-back state championships in 2005-06.
She was an All-American and two-time national champion at North Carolina, recording 18 goals and 24 assists in her four-year career.
Klingenberg had 75 caps with the U.S. women’s national team from 2011-18, playing every minute of every game as the U.S. won the 2015 World Cup.
She scored a goal in a hometown friendly against Costa Rica in August of 2015 at Heinz Field.
Klingenberg had a 15-year pro career, most notably playing from 2016-24 with the Portland Thorns of the NWSL. She was a two-time league champ with Portland, winning in 2017 and 2022.