ESPN is making a big addition to their global soccer coverage. The network has brought on former USWNT star Ali Krieger as ESPN’s lead voice for all women’s soccer coverage.
Krieger, 39, was a part of two World Cup triumphs with the United States Women’s National Team in both 2015 and 2019. Overall, she made 108 appearances as a key player in a great run of success for the USWNT. She retired last year after making 25 appearances with NY/NJ Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League.
“I am so excited for the opportunity to cover the sport I love and celebrate the impact the women’s game has on our culture,” Krieger said. “It is a thrill to join the gold standard in ESPN as they continue to invest in the future of soccer and women’s sport.”
Now, Krieger will join ESPN as the lead analyst for the network’s NWSL coverage. Additionally, she will serve as a lead voice for all soccer programming across ABC and ESPN platforms including appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN FC, and much more.
Here are more details from ESPN.
Two-time FIFA World Cup champion and former U.S. Women’s National Team star Ali Krieger has joined ESPN to headline the company’s coverage of women’s soccer, including the upcoming NWSL season. Krieger will serve as studio analyst across all soccer programming on ABC and ESPN platforms, offering her analysis for ESPN’s news and information programs, including SportsCenter, ESPN FC, Fútbol Americas, and digital platforms, espnW and ESPN.com.
Krieger served as the lead studio voice for ESPN’s news and information coverage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. She will make her NWSL debut on Saturday, March 16, live on ABC network at 12:30 p.m. ET during the Kansas City-Portland Thorns FC season-opening match.
Krieger will be joined by an all-star roster of broadcasters, including Emmy Award-winning sports broadcaster Jenn Hildreth, former England Women’s National Team player Lianne Sanderson, ESPN Deportes’ Cristina Alexander, and seasoned soccer coach Natalia Astrain. Hildreth and Sanderson will pair as the English-language commentary team, while Alexander and Astrain will headline Spanish-language match coverage on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.
Krieger will be joined by a number of new and familiar faces on ESPN’s NWSL coverage including play-by-play announcer Jenn Hildreth and former England women’s soccer star Lianne Sanderson. Of note, Cristina Alexander will serve as a play-by-play announcer for the ESPN Deportes coverage of the NWSL. This comes on the heels of her also being named the lead ESPN Deportes announcer for UFL coverage this spring. Alexander is a co-anchor for the daytime edition of SportsCenter on ESPN Deportes.
Krieger will provide ESPN with a consistent presence covering soccer across a variety of platforms for arguably the first time since Taylor Twellman moved to Apple to cover Major League Soccer. Krieger has experience working with ESPN from the 2023 World Cup and recently worked for CBS Sports as an NWSL analyst.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.