At the FIFA Women’s World Cup: Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger
With the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup starting last June 7 in France, it’s great to know that we’ve got a lesbian couple– Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger– playing for the US national team on Pride Month.
Harris and Krieger had gotten engaged before the Cup started and announced they’ll get married after the tournament in Florida.
Of course, what makes this news better is that both of them are playing for a soccer team called Orlando Pride of the National Women’s Soccer League in the US.
Isn’t that awesome?
Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger: Paired for life
The 33-year-old Harris is the longtime backup goalkeeper for Pride, while Krieger is the 34-year-old defender. Both women were members of the USA team that won the World Cup four years ago.
Harris and Krieger had revealed their engagement last March in an interview with People magazine, saying they got engaged in September.
Krieger said they didn’t want their news to be a distraction: “We wanted to be professional and make sure that we showed up every day and did our job and it wasn’t just because we were together.”
“It was because we love what we do, and we’re really good at what we do. And that was most important for us,” she said.
Meanwhile, Harris said: “We became more and more confident within and ourselves and then clearly within our relationship. We were like, now is the right time– and I feel like it’s a massive weight off of my shoulders.”
“Finally, after all these years, I just feel like I don’t have to hide anything or feel like I’m not living up to the community I’m in,” she added.
Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger: Match made on the field
Sparks may have first flown between the two players when they played for the US national team in 2010, but they kept things quiet and they started out as friends.
Krieger said she found Harris’ “creativity and ambition” to be “so attractive, and the way that she makes me a better person.”
Meanwhile, Harris said it was Krieger’s independence, assertiveness, and “big, beautiful brown eyes” that caught her attention.
That’s why during a September picnic in Clearwater Beach, Florida last year, Harris surprised Krieger by popping the question.
Harris said, “The rest has kind of been history. Here we are nine years later, and we’re going to be getting married this year.”
Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger: Inspiring others
As football players, both women have made their mark in the sports world. Harris was recently part of the campaign of iconic soccer sportswear company Umbro marking its 95th anniversary this year.
Likewise, some of their fans– who have dubbed them as “Krashlyn”– have reached out to the pair to say that they were also inspired to be open about their own sexuality.
Harris said: “It’s so inspiring to me. It’s making sure I’m influencing other people to just fully accept who they are, and live the most authentic life they can, and that’s just coming to terms with who they are.”
“And if I can help someone do that, then gosh, that’s great. It makes me so full inside,” she said.