Kelley O’Hara’s first soccer memory developed when she was 4 years old and growing up in Peachtree City.
Her parents took her to her first soccer practice at fields near the library at Lake Peachtree. At that first practice, O’Hara remembers the coach telling the players that they were going to learn to dribble.
“I remember thinking in my 4-year-old head, I think mom and dad said we can’t use our hands, and I only knew dribbling at basketball – I don’t know how I knew that at 4 years old – but obviously quickly learned that dribbling with your feet was a thing in soccer.”
From that first practice, O’Hara turned into a generational player who helped the U.S. qualify for four World Cups from 2011-23 and three Olympics.
O’Hara, 35 years old, announced Thursday that she will retire at the end of the NWSL season.
O’Hara gave an exclusive interview to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about her decision, what’s next, and some of her favorites from a career that included 160 appearances for the U.S., three goals, 21 assists, two World Cup titles, one Olympic gold medal and one bronze, two NWSL titles, with what she hopes is one more to come. Those are only a few of the accolades she accumulated while at Stanford and playing for the U.S.
Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and/or brevity:
Q: Why are you choosing to retire now?
A: I’ve always said that I would play soccer under two conditions: as long as I still loved it, and as long as I physically could, and my body would let me. I think I realized a while ago that I was always going to love it, and it would be a matter of physical health. I’m at a point where I’ve been dealing with a handful of ... I just have some some physical limitations that aren’t things that can’t be healed, and I’m no longer able to do what I’ve done for so many years, and it’s time to call it for the purpose of like, having quality of life after play.
Q: Was there a particular moment where you kind of realized, yeah, I’ve got to stop?
A: I had a doctor bring up retirement to me about a year and a half ago, based on some things, and so, that was kind of the first time I really thought about it in terms of like, oh, this is actually something I need to process and figure out. It’s gonna have to happen sooner rather than later, unfortunately, and since that time, I’ve kind of been going through that process. I think last fall is when I really started to think about it, and I would say this past offseason, I made the decision of OK, this is going to be my last year.
Q: What are you thinking may be next for you?
A: I’ve got a couple ideas, things that I’m interested in. Obviously, I’ve dabbled a bit in broadcast. I plan on working with Just Women’s Sports and hopefully doing something with them in terms of continuing to cover women’s sports and in the media space.
I executive-produced a short film alongside my fiancé this past year, and we just got into Tribeca Film Festival called “Ripe!” So we want to do more in that space and talk in terms of storytelling and that sort of thing.
I want to stay as close as I can to the game, just because I love it so much, and I think there’s so much work that can still be done. But I also think I’ll see what doors open and figure out what I truly am passionate about post-playing because obviously it’s been soccer for so long.
Q: What would today’s Kelly O’Hara tell Kelly O’Hara way back when you had your first appearance with the U.S. women’s national team?
A: Buckle up, girl, it’s gonna be a wild ride. Well, I feel like when I look back on it, it’s just been a hell of a ride, man.
Q: What was the most important lesson, though, you learned that you would tell other young players now, the young women breaking into the national-team picture?
A: I feel like there’s so many things I’ve learned.
I think one of the things that has rang true for me is the quote, “This too shall pass.”
It’s one of my favorite quotes, not just for life, but it’s also obviously guided me a lot in my playing career. No matter how high or how low you get, that feeling is going to pass. And I just think, for me, it’s realizing that anything can change at any moment and being thankful and appreciative of whatever you’re going through at the time because it’s all part of the journey.
Q: That’s really interesting and very true. What do you hope your legacy might be?
A: I hope that it’s one of being a good teammate and a good player that coaches wanted to coach. I hope it’s one that I fought for the right things and didn’t just play to play. It was about something bigger, and it’s always been about something bigger.
I mean, obviously, the group of players that I went through my career with, we were able to accomplish so much on the field, but also off of it, and I’m really proud of both of those things: the wins on the field and the wins off the field in terms of equal pay, and advancing this game and the sport and women in general.
I’m just really thankful I got to be a part of this generation.
Q: Do you have any regrets?
A: Honestly, no, because everything happens for a reason, right?
Q: Let’s go through a rapid-fire thing here. Favorite memory?
A: It’s just like off the field, you get to hang out with your best friends every day. So it’s just enjoying those moments.
Q: Favorite opponent?
A: We’ve had some battles with France, battles with Sweden, Japan, it’s hard to say, Canada.
Q: Favorite stadium?
A: Wembley. 2012 (Olympics) final.
Q: Favorite kit?
A: 2019 World Cup.
Q: Do you have any plans on Peachtree City, coming back home, anything like that in the works?
A: The National Training Center is being built like 15 minutes from where I grew up. So I’m hoping to be involved in that in some way. I think that Peachtree City is lacking a really great coffee shop and coffee, and I would love to open a really great coffee shop and cafe, that’s always been a dream of mine.
Q: Walk me through the Kelly O’Hara master blend of coffee?
A: My favorite type of beans are Brazilian. It’s a darker roast. It’s not as fruity as like a Colombian or an Ethiopian, but we would just have fresh, great sourced beans and proper barista pulls, good shots of espresso, and it would just be great healthy food, some pastries, so it wouldn’t all be healthy. It’d be like a good place in the sense, a place for community.
Q: Would it be soccer-themed, like cups named after nations by World Cup victories?
A: You bring up a good question. You can help with marketing.
Q: I know your career is not quite done yet. You still have some some games upcoming. How do you hope it ends? What would be the dream send-off for you?
A: That would be a championship and a shield with Gotham. Obviously everybody wants to go out on top. I know how rare and how difficult it is to win. So right now I’m just thankful for every day I get on the field, but if it could be with a championship, that’d be awesome.
I also feel that I’ve done everything I possibly can, and I’m just filled with gratitude for all those things that have happened. So you know, it’d be icing on the cake, but I also know how how difficult those things are.
Q: Thank you and good luck and congratulations, should always say congratulations on a retirement. It’s a wonderful thing.
A: I appreciate it. It’s a very happy day for me.
For more content about Atlanta United
Follow me on Twitter/X @DougRobersonAJC
On Facebook at Atlanta United News Now
On Instagram at DouglasDavidRoberson
Atlanta United coverage on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Southern Fried Soccer podcast can be found
Apple - https://apple.co/3ISD6Ve
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3L8TN0C
Google podcasts - https://bit.ly/32KlZW3
If you are listening to us for the first time, please follow us on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast ... and if you like what you hear, please give us a good rating so we can grow the show. If you have questions about the MLS team, you can email Doug Roberson at droberson@ajc.com, DM him on Twitter @dougrobersonajc or call 404-526-2527.
Stay up to date every day on breaking news, in-depth investigations, politics, sports, entertainment, food and dining and so much more by becoming a subscriber to the AJC. Go to AJC.com/start for a very special offer and unlock hundreds of original articles published daily on the refreshed AJC.com and the new AJC mobile app. Plus, access to our news alerts, subscriber-only events, AJC original shows, films and videos, newsletters, and so much more.
About the Author
