Lori Chalupny to retire from international soccer at end of 2015
CHICAGO (Via U.S. Soccer) – The 10-game fall tour to celebrate the USA’s championship run at the 2015 Women’s World Cup will be the final matches in a U.S. uniform for veteran defender Lori Chalupny.
Chalupny, 31, will retire from an international career that began in March of 2001 when at the age of 17 she debuted against Italy in a match prior to the Algarve Cup. She currently has 103 caps and 10 goals. She will play out the season with the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL and then make a decision in regard to her professional club future.
“It’s been an amazing year,” said Chalupny. “Winning a World Cup is any soccer player’s biggest dream and I feel very fortunate to have had these experiences. That said, there is no better way to go out than as a world champion and this just seemed like the right time to put a cap on my international career. It’s been an emotional journey back to the National Team, and I’m really thankful to U.S. Soccer, to Jill, to the staff and to my teammates for making this year such a memorable one.”
Chalupny displayed tremendous versatility throughout her career, making an impact as a center-midfielder and an outside back. Chalupny’s international career can be divided into two parts, the first spanning 2001-2009 when she played 92 games, starting 79. In 2009, she served as captain of the U.S. team for several matches. As a midfielder, she started in the 2007 Women’s World Cup, scoring against Nigeria in group play and against Norway in the Third-Place match. As a defender, she helped the USA win the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, scoring in the epic 4-2 win against Japan in the semifinal match.
In 2009, her international career was put on hold due to concussion issues, but she continued to play in various professional leagues. In 2014, she approached U.S. Soccer about the possibility of returning to the National Team. Following extensive examinations by two independent neurology experts, along with an examination of those results by the U.S. Soccer medical staff, she was cleared to return to U.S. WNT action and played well enough to earn a spot on her second Women’s World Cup Team.
Chalupny played in one match off the bench in Canada, coming on for the final 10 minutes against Colombia in the Round of 16.
Among the highlights Chalupny experienced during her second stint with the National Team were scoring in her hometown of St. Louis on April 4 of this year in front of a then-record crowd of 35,817 as the USA defeated New Zealand, 4-0. She also came off the bench to spark a 5-1 U.S. victory against Mexico on May 17 with a goal just seconds after entering the match at halftime.
She also became the 32nd player to reach 100 appearances for the USA, earning her 100th cap on May 10 against Ireland in San Jose. She will be honored for that achievement on Wednesday night in Chattanooga as the USA faces Costa Rica in the second match of the Victory Tour.
Chalupny grew up in St. Louis and from an early age was a part of the USA’s Youth National Teams. She was a starter and unsung hero on the U.S. team that won the inaugural FIFA U-19 Women’s World Cup in 2002 when she played alongside future U.S. Women’s National Team players Heather O’Reilly, Lindsay Tarpley, Ashlyn Harris, Rachel Van Hollebeke and Leslie Osborne, among others. She attended the University of North Carolina where she won one NCAA title. In 2005, she was voted the U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year.
Chalupny played in the WPS in 2009 with her hometown St. Louis Athletica and also played in the league for the Atlanta Beat. In 2012, she played for the Chicago Red Stars in the WPSL, and briefly in Sweden, and has played the last three seasons for the Red Stars in the NWSL.
“I have so many great memories from my career and all the teams I’ve played with and the teammates I’ve been fortunate enough to play alongside,” said Chalupny. “Now, I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life. I know I will still be heavily involved in the game and look forward to sharing my passion with young players in whatever environment I find myself in.”
Chalupny is currently in her third season as the assistant women’s soccer coach at Maryville University in St. Louis. Chalupny holds a U.S. Soccer “B” Coaching license.
Six games of the 10-game tour have been confirmed with the USA opening the Victory Tour with an 8-0 win against Costa Rica yesterday in Pittsburgh. The USA will play Costa Rica again on Wednesday night, Aug. 19, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn. The USA will face Women’s World Cup quarterfinalist Australia on Thursday, Sept. 17 at Ford Field in Detroit followed by a second match against the Aussies on Sunday, Sept. 20 at historic Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. October will feature two matches against Brazil, on Oct. 21 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle and Oct. 25 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.
