Crystal Dunn
Crystal Alyssia Soubrier is an American former professional soccer player. A versatile player, she played primarily as an attacking midfielder or forward for club and left back for country.
Dunn played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels, winning the national championship and the Hermann Trophy in 2012. She was drafted first overall by the Washington Spirit in the 2014 NWSL College Draft. The following year, she won the NWSL Most Valuable Player and the Golden Boot awards, becoming the youngest player to win both awards at age 23. After one year with English club Chelsea, Dunn joined the North Carolina Courage in 2018, winning two consecutive NWSL Shields and NWSL Championships. In 2020, she joined the Portland Thorns and won her third NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship. She ended her career with spells at Gotham FC and Paris Saint-Germain, retiring in 2026.
Dunn won the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup before making her senior debut in 2013. She went on to make 160 appearances and score 25 goals for the USWNT. She was part of the team that won the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Early life
Born in New Hyde Park, New York, to Vincent and Rhonda Dunn, Dunn was raised with her brother Henry in Rockville Centre, New Yorkwhere she attended South Side High School. At South Side, she was a four-year starter as forward and midfielder and team captain in 2008 and 2009. She lost only two matches in three seasons at South Side and helped lead her team to New York state championships in 2006, 2007 and 2009. In 2008, she was competing at the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in New Zealand. As captain of the team in 2009, she scored four goals in the first 20 minutes of the state championship game.
Dunn scored 46 goals and had 35 assists in three high school seasons, missing the 2008 season due to national team commitments. She was a highly decorated high school player earning Parade All-American and New York Gatorade Player of the Year. She earned First-team All-State and All-Long Island honors in 2006, 2007 and 2009. As a freshman, sophomore and senior, she was an All-New York First Team and All-Long Island team selection. In 2009, she was named 2009 NSCAA, ESPNRise and Parade High School All-America. The teams she played on in 2007 and 2009 went undefeated and were ranked number one in the nation by the NSCAA.
As a senior, she was named Newsday Long Island Player of the Year, Nassau County Class A Player of the Year, New York Sportswriters Class A Player of the Year, BigAppleSoccer.com Youth Player of the Year and was the winner of the Mike Clark Award for the best all-around athlete in Nassau County. In addition to her high school experience, Dunn played with the club teams, Albertson Fury, the RVC Tornadoes, and the RVC Power.
University of North Carolina, 2010–2013
Dunn attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and majored in sociology. As a freshman in 2010, Dunn started 23 matches for a total of 1,929 minutes, playing the full 90 minutes 18 times. She was the team's leading player in points, including nine goals and eight assists. She scored four goals during the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, including a match-winner against Jackson State, a goal against Notre Dame, and two goals in a 3–1 win over James Madison in the second round of the tournament. Her accolades during her first year season included Soccer America Freshman of the Year, 2010 NSCAA first-team All-America honoree, Second-team Soccer America MVP selection, and First-team All-ACC. She was the first freshman ever to win the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award and was a semi-finalist for the 2010 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy.As a sophomore in 2011, Dunn started in 19 matches, missing only one while she was training with the United States under-20 women's national soccer team. She scored three goals and made six assists during the season. She was named third-team All-America and first-team All-Southeast Region by the NSCAA. She was also named to the first-team All-ACC and was named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week three times.
During her junior season in 2012, Dunn missed the non-conference phase of the 2012 college season while playing for the United States under-20 women's national soccer team at the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Japan. Following her return, she helped lead the Tar Heels to win the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship. During the tournament's quarter-final, Dunn scored both goals in a 2–1 win against top-seed team BYU, including a match-winning "golden" goal within four minutes of the end of the second overtime. She also saved her team from losing to BYU when she headed the ball away from the Tar Heels' goal line in the first overtime. Dunn was named the 2013 Hermann Trophy winner as well as the ACC Athlete of the Year and ACC Defender of the Year. Dunn was an All-ACC selection for the third straight year and an ESPY Awards finalist. She also was awarded the 2012 Honda Award for Soccer.
During her senior-year season in 2013, Dunn scored the first hat-trick of her collegiate career, ending a two-match losing streak for the Tar Heels by defeating the Miami Hurricanes 4–0. She was the team's top scorer with 14 goals, including six match-winning goals. Dunn was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year, NSCAA All-American and First-team All-ACC for the fourth consecutive year. She was a Hermann Trophy finalist and a Honda Award nominee.
Club career
Washington Spirit, 2014–2017
In January 2014, the Washington Spirit selected Dunn with the first overall pick in the 2014 College Draft for the 2014 season of the National Women's Soccer League. She made 19 starts in her 22 appearances for the Spirit during the 2014 season. The team finished fourth during the regular season with a record securing a place in the playoffs. During the semi-final, the Spirit were defeated by regular season champions Seattle Reign FC 2–1 on August 31 in Seattle. Dunn came third in voting for NWSL Rookie of the Year.Dunn returned to the Spirit for the 2015 season. On April 26, 2015, she scored two goals as a defender in a match against Sky Blue FC, helping the Spirit win 3–1. She was subsequently named NWSL Player of the Week for week 2 of the season. On August 1, 2015, Dunn scored the franchise's first hat trick, scoring three goals in the first half of the Spirit's victory over the visiting Houston Dash. She finished the month with six goals, earning her the league Player of the Month award. Dunn finished the regular season with a league-leading 15 goals, giving her the 2015 NWSL Golden Boot, and won the league Most Valuable Player award. She became the youngest player to win both awards at age 23 and broke the league record with her 0.77 goals-per-game average. She has said that being left off the national team for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup gave her extra motivation in the league.
Dunn returned for her third season in 2016, scoring four goals and notching a career-high five assists. Two of her four goals were the two Spirit goals scored in the team's first-ever appearance in the NWSL Championship, which was won on penalties by the Western New York Flash after a 2–2 draw.
Chelsea, 2017–2018
On January 3, 2017, Dunn joined FA WSL 1 club Chelsea. On March 19, she scored her first goal just 12 minutes into her first competitive appearance for the club, in a 7–0 FA Cup win over Doncaster Rovers Belles. She made her first appearance in the FA WSL in April, scoring her first league goal in a 6–0 victory over Yeovil Town. At the beginning she played as a striker for Chelsea, but switched to the wing-back position. During her time at Chelsea, Dunn scored five goals in 20 appearances in all competitions and helped Chelsea win the FA WSL Spring Series. She also helped the club reach the quarter-finals in the 2017–18 UEFA Women's Champions League, marking the first time they reached that stage of the competition. Dunn enjoyed her time at Chelsea, and even named one of her adopted chickens after the club, but made the decision to return to the United States so that the national team staff could see her play more.North Carolina Courage, 2018–2020
After a year in England, it was planned that Dunn would return to North America with the deal of a trade with Washington Spirit for two of North Carolina Courage's players at the time, Taylor Smith and Ashley Hatch. The Spirit retained the League rights after Chelsea signed Dunn back in January 2017. This move was confirmed by Chelsea on February 25, 2018.She made her first appearance for the North Carolina Courage in a 1–0 win over Portland Thorns FC, in the opening game of the 2018 NWSL season. Dunn was named Player of the Week twice in the 2018 NWSL season, for weeks 8 and 13. She was named Player of the Month for the month of June. Dunn appeared in 22 regular season games for the Courage, scoring eight goals, helping North Carolina win the NWSL Shield. The Courage broke multiple season records including most goals scored, most wins, and most points. Dunn was named to the 2018 NWSL Best XI. Dunn was in the starting lineup for the semi-final game against the Chicago Red Stars, in which North Carolina won 2–0 and advanced to the Championship Game. She was in the starting lineup for the final, which North Carolina won 3–0 over the Portland Thorns.
Portland Thorns, 2020–2023
On October 22, 2020, Crystal Dunn was traded to OL Reign in exchange for Casey Murphy and $140,000 in NWSL allocation money. Later that day, she was traded to the Portland Thorns FC in exchange for an international roster slot, a first-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, and $250,000 in allocation money. With the rescheduled 2020 Summer Olympics occurring during the middle of the 2021 NWSL season, Dunn was away from the club for much of July and August. She played in 15 matches for the club during the remainder of the season, helping the Thorns to an NWSL Shield, the third of her career.Shortly following the end of the 2021 season, Dunn announced her first pregnancy. After missing the majority of the 2022 NWSL season, Dunn returned to the field less than four months after the birth of her first child, Marcel, subbing on during 0–2 win against the Orlando Pride on September 9, 2022. Dunn's first goal for the Thorns following her pregnancy would prove to a be a crucial one: a game-winning goal in the 93rd minute of their semifinal match against the San Diego Wave. Dunn would sub on late in the final, making her fourth career appearance in an NWSL Championship match, and lift the trophy with the Thorns.
Dunn played 19 matches for the Thorns during the 2023 season, during which she scored five goals and two assists. Following the 2023 season, Dunn became a free agent and announced she would not return to the Thorns, later saying that she felt undervalued by the club.