USWNT honors Kelley O’Hara with retirement ceremony in friendly win over Iceland

The United States Women’s National Team said goodbye to another legend. The team honored defender Kelley O’Hara in a ceremony during a friendly against Iceland on Sunday.

O’Hara, a two-time World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist with the USWNT, racked up 160 appearances and three goals during 13 years on the U.S. senior team. The team offered $16 tickets to the game in Nashville, in honor of O’Hara’s 160 caps. She was honored with a No. 160 jersey commemorating those appearances.

The American defender announced her retirement in May, saying that she would retire at the end of the NWSL season. Throughout the season, O’Hara played minimal games for her club, NJ/NY Gotham FC, due to injury. She was eventually moved to the season-ending injury list with chronic knee degradation, bringing about her retirement a few months earlier than expected.

O’Hara is one of just 12 U.S. players to be named to four World Cup rosters, and was named to the FIFA FIFPro World XI for 2019 after her performance at the 2019 World Cup.

The defender’s last game for the United States was in the 2023 World Cup, when she was brought off the bench in extra time to help the USWNT through a penalty shootout against Sweden in the Round of 16. The U.S. went on to lose the shootout, leading to its earliest-ever World Cup exit.

The game itself got to a slow start, with the U.S. going down 1-0 in the first half after a goal from Iceland forward Karólína Lea Vilhjálmsdóttir. USA responded with three unanswered goals in the second half to secure a 3-1 victory.

Pregame, the team also took the time to honor forward Mallory Swanson for reaching her 100th cap. Defender Emily Sonnett was honored for her 100th cap during the U.S.’s 3-1 win over Iceland on Thursday.

O’Hara is the latest in a wave of USWNT legends to announce the end of her soccer career, with U.S. icons like Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and Alex Morgan bidding farewell to both the NWSL and the national team in the past year.