Crystal Dunn opens up about leaving NWSL for PSG
HOUSTON — Crystal Dunn said Wednesday that leaving the NWSL “wasn’t the easiest decision,” as the veteran midfielder opened up about her abrupt departure from Gotham FC and choice to join Paris Saint-Germain last month.
Dunn is back in the States with the U.S. women’s national team as they prepare to compete in the 10th edition of the SheBelieves Cup. Speaking with reporters ahead of the tournament at Houston Sports Park, the 32-year-old from New York spoke candidly about her unexpected departure from her hometown club.
“It wasn’t the easiest decision, off the bat, to just uproot and move abroad,” Dunn said about leaving the Gotham FC. “I’m married and have a child, so it wasn’t something that I always thought I would do at this stage of my career, but it has been absolutely incredible.”
Last month, Gotham announced it had mutually agreed to part ways with Dunn. Days later, PSG announced her signing.
Gotham at first explored trading Dunn within the league, including potentially to Seattle Reign, league sources told . But a deal never materialized because of the club’s asking price for Dunn.
Dunn is part of a small wave of players who have left the NWSL this offseason for Europe, sparking a larger conversation about the current state of the league.
USWNT teammate Jenna Nighswonger also left Gotham, signing with Arsenal last month. Days before that, fellow national team defender Naomi Girma left San Diego Wave for Chelsea, becoming the most expensive transfer in women’s soccer history for a record $1.1 million fee.
While Dunn’s husband, a former player and athletic trainer, has roots in France, signing with Gotham two years ago was seen as a homecoming for the USWNT veteran, who hails from Long Island.
“France is a special place for me,” Dunn said. “I’ve found a lot of success there. I speak a little bit of the language, not as good as I should, but — the decision I made was to really just to challenge myself, to be in a completely new environment and to go on a new adventure.”
Dunn said leaving the NWSL offered her the opportunity to experience the resources available to players at PSG and to do something different after several years in the NWSL. She has played in the league across several teams since 2014, with a brief stint at Chelsea in 2017.
“Ultimately, I’ve been in the NWSL for a long time. I’ve had a lot of amazing moments, and I think when faced with this opportunity, I kind of just realized that I can continue on and remain in the NWSL and continue doing what I’ve ultimately been doing for a while,” Dunn continued.
“But I think at that time, I was like, ‘yeah, why not?’ Like, why not do something completely different and play for a team that I think has a lot of reach and a lot of resources? The facilities are incredible, and I think, for me, I feel pretty much like a really, proper professional with just stepping into such a completely new environment with so many resources.”
Dunn was on the starting lineup with PSG over the weekend, subbing out in the 79th minute during the team’s 4-1 win against Montpellier. She will return to the pitch tomorrow with the USWNT, as they open the SheBelieves Cup against Colombia at Shell Energy Stadium.
The team then goes on to face Australia in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 23, and Japan in San Diego on Feb. 26, as they push for their sixth consecutive and eighth overall SheBelieves title.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
US Women's national team, Soccer, NWSL, USWNT
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