Crystal Dunn

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. 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 Dunn playing for North Carolina Courage against Orlando Pride in May 2018. 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. 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.

NJ/NY Gotham FC, 2024 During the 2023 offseason, Dunn was linked to a number of clubs including the Orlando Pride, the Washington Spirit, and Gotham FC with reports that the Pride had offered her a salary of $400,000 a year. On December 31, 2023, Gotham FC announced that Dunn, a Long Island native with family in the New York metropolitan area, had signed with the club through 2026.

Paris Saint-Germain, 2025–2026 On January 31, 2025, she joined Paris Saint-Germain. Dunn scored a brace against Saint Etienne during the 2024–2025 season in a 6–0 victory.

On January 29, 2026, Dunn announced her retirement from professional soccer.

International career

Youth national teams Dunn celebrates with her teammates during the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup awards ceremony in Japan. Dunn has competed on behalf of the United States in various national youth teams from 2008 through 2012, including at the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. She competed at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Germany and was a member of the team that won the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Japan. Dunn made her debut for the team, on February 13, against Scotland in a friendly match; and was placed on the roster for 2013 Algarve Cup.

Dunn made her first Algarve Cup appearance for the senior team during the team's first match in the tournament on March 6, 2013, against Iceland. She started the match at left back and played for the full 90 minutes. The United States defeated Iceland 3–0. Dunn earned her third cap with the senior team during the final match of the tournament against Germany. The United States clinched the tournament championship after defeating Germany 2–0.

In October 2014, Dunn was dropped from the national team roster ahead of the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship, which served as the qualifying tournament for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Dunn returned from injury in December 2014 and traveled with the team to Brazil, but did not play. and made a substitute appearance against England. February 2015, Dunn was named to the 2015 Algarve Cup roster, but did not play during the tournament. Dunn was named to the preliminary roster for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, but surprisingly did not make the final squad of 23. She made her first start of 2015 against Haiti and earned her first cap since the England friendly. She recorded her first career national team assists, both on Carli Lloyd's goals, and scored her first national team goal in the final moments of the match.

On February 7, 2020, Dunn played her 100th match for the United States in a 4–0 win against Mexico. Dunn was the only American player to start in all six matches at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan and played all but 16 minutes at the tournament helping the team win bronze.

Dunn was named to the 18-player roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics in France. In the first knockout round against Japan, she sent a long ball to assist Trinity Rodman for a 1–0 win in extra time, sending the team to the semifinals. She started in the gold medal game against Brazil, which the United States won 1–0 on a goal from Mallory Swanson.

Style of play and position Dunn is known for her creative problem solving in attack, her work rate, and above all, her positional versatility. After beginning her professional career as a forward for the Washington Spirit and the United States, Emma Hayes deployed her as a wingback during her time at Chelsea. While playing for the Courage, Dunn also established herself as one of the world's best left backs, solidifying her as starter at that position for the United States during the 2019 Women's World Cup. Dunn has expressed that she prefers to play an attacking role. In 2016, she starred with teammates Hope Solo and Megan Rapinoe in a docu-series called Keeping Score broadcast by Fullscreen. The episodes follow the athletes as they prepare for the 2016 Summer Olympics and address issues such as equal pay and racism. In 2018, Dunn posed nude for ESPN’s The Body Issue magazine.

Personal life Dunn married Pierre Soubrier in December 2018. They met when she was playing for the NWSL's Washington Spirit, where he was working as an athletic trainer. Soubrier's presence in Portland, where he was head trainer for the Portland Thorns, contributed to Dunn's desire to get traded to Portland. Together, they have five chickens (Quinn, Juke, Chelsea, Toulouse, and Rocky), as well as three cats.

On November 11, 2021, Dunn announced that she and Soubrier were expecting their first child together; their son was born following an unplanned C-section on May 20, 2022.