US World Champions Krieger and Harris announce engagement

Ahead of the Women’s World Cup this summer, two members of the USA squad, Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris, have announced they are engaged.

Krieger and Harris, who met almost ten years ago while part of the national set up, both play for Orlando Pride. Speaking publicly about their relationship for the first time with People magazine they said the reason they kept a low profile was because they didn’t want it to be a distraction when they were on the field.

‘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,’ Krieger told the magazine. ‘And that was most important for us.’

‘We became more and more confident within and ourselves and then clearly within our relationship,’ Harris said.

‘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.’

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Speaking about the beginning of their relationship, Harris said it began as a friendship and moved on from there.

‘We became really close friends, and we just hung out, we clicked, and we had so much in common,’ she said.

‘We always sat next to each other on the bus and on flights, and we kind of just talked about our dreams and our hopes and what we wanted to do one day when we grew up, because at the time, we were kids.’

They credited each other with bringing the best out of themselves.

‘I find that so attractive, and the way that she makes me a better person. I think that I’m very quiet and reserved,” said Krieger.

‘Since being with Ash, I really feel like I’ve blossomed into the woman that I want to be, and she’s helped me become the woman I am.’

‘It was a really good time because I felt really on the same page with her, and really excited about our future and talking about our future plans with kids, and family, and things like that,’ Krieger said.

The couple plan to tie the knot following the Women’s World Cup which begins on June 7th in Paris.