WASHINGTON, D.C. -- World Cup champion and former United States women's national team defender Crystal Dunn was intentional about wearing sunglasses despite the overcast day at Audi Field.
She knew emotions would arrive as U.S. Soccer took the opportunity to honor Dunn's career on Saturday after the 2019 World Cup champion officially announced her retirement in January.
Dunn told reporters prior to the match against Spain that she is "at peace" with her retirement. She has not teared up frequently in the months since, she said, but running into fans at Audi Field made her emotional even before the pregame ceremony.
"Now that I've had time to reflect on my career, I feel like the best compliments I've received are not about what I've done on the field, but how I've impacted people's lives," Dunn told reporters before the match.
"I haven't teared up much since retiring. I was very much at peace with my decision. And I think today has been a day where fans are coming up to me and they're like, 'I'm actually really, really sad that you are not playing. You were my favorite player.' And I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, hold up. Now I'm tearing up.'"
Dunn played 160 times for the USWNT, scoring 25 goals and adding 20 assists while primarily playing fullback. She played concurrently at central midfield and forward for her club teams.
At the pregame ceremony Saturday, she was presented with a USWNT jersey with the number 160 on the back.
Dunn was the team's starting left fullback in the run to the 2019 World Cup title.
Former teammates in attendance at Audi Field on Saturday included Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath, Christen Press and Ali Krieger, who were all part of the 2019 World Cup team.
"I do think that is why we play," Dunn continued, speaking about the messages she has received. "Of course, I was chasing championships, medals all of the above, but I think now looking back I get to realize that me just being out there was enough. Me just putting my best foot forward, me just really working hard to achieve something -- even if I fall short -- was enough.
"I think that's why I am so at peace with where I am, my decision to retire. I've done all that I need to do in the sport. I've paved the ways in the way that I wanted to in this sport."
Dunn was a standout for multiple club teams, including for the Washington Spirit, who now play at Audi Field. She scored 15 goals in 2015, when she was left off the World Cup roster, and was named NWSL MVP and won the Golden Boot.
She won two NWSL Championships with the North Carolina Courage and another with the Portland Thorns in 2022, shortly after returning from giving birth. She scored an iconic goal in the semifinal on the way to that title.
In Portland and for the national team, Dunn played with USWNT forward Sophia Wilson, who said Dunn is "like a big sister to me."
"There's no one like Crystal Dunn," Wilson said. "She's just like a little ball of just goodness and energy and happiness and good vibes and dancing. She can turn just the simplest moments into just the most fun times."
She continued: "She is one of the main people that kind of gave me the confidence to know that I could also become a mom and come back stronger and compete at a high level. I'm so grateful for Crystal."
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes, who managed Dunn with the USWNT during its 2024 Olympic gold-medal run and previously at Chelsea, also praised Dunn for the energy she brought to every environment. As Hayes spoke on Friday, she held the Dunn bobblehead that U.S. Soccer distributed to fans at the game, which features Dunn dancing in a U.S. uniform.
"She was such a joy to coach, both at Chelsea and the U.S.," Hayes said. "I've got so many fond memories of Crystal, not just for the quality of the player she was, but the person she is. And she's unafraid to speak up and I think that's so important with the position that she's in.
"She's been such a role model for so many people, because you think about the time she's coming through the program, representation wasn't the same. It definitely wasn't. So, for Black girls up and down the country to see Crystal in the position she was in, to look up to, to be inspired by -- I've heard it so many times when I'm on the road, the number of people that tuned into soccer because of Crystal and what she gave both as a player and a person."