Who Is Ali Krieger? New Details About The Soccer Star Who Just Got Engaged To Fellow Soccer Star Ashlyn Harris
Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris are engaged!
Instagram Ali Krieger is engaged — to fellow soccer star Ashlyn Harris.
The two players from the U.S. Women's National Soccer team announced that they had not only been dating for the past nine years but that Ashlyn, 33, actually got down on one knee last September and Ali, 34, said "yes."
The couple/teammates have set their wedding date at the end of this year, PEOPLE reported. They originally met on the team back in 2010.
"We became really close friends, and we just hung out, we clicked, and we had so much in common," Ashlyn 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."
“The rest has kind of been history,” she continued. “Here we are nine years later, and we’re going to be getting married this year.”
So who is Ali Krieger and why are we just now finding out about this adorable soccer relationship? Here's everything we know.
1. They weren't hiding their relationship.
Ali and Ashlyn said that they weren't trying to keep their relationship a secret, but they didn't advertise that they were dating because they didn't want it to be a distraction to the team.
"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 PEOPLE. "And that was most important for us."
"We became more and more confident within and ourselves and then clearly within our relationship," Harris added. "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."
2. Ali was attracted to Ashlyn's "creativity and ambition."
Ali had a lot of wonderful things to say about what originally attracted her to her wife-to-be, which was her "creativity and ambition."
“I find that so attractive, and the way that she makes me a better person. I think that I’m very quiet and reserved,” she said. “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.”
3. Ashlyn was attracted to Ali's "independence and assertiveness."
Ali's independent and assertive qualities are was first attracted Ashlyn to her. Well that, and her eyes.
“It was her big, beautiful brown eyes,” she said. “She has these unbelievable tiger eyes. I just felt like every time she was talking, I wasn’t even paying attention to what she was saying.”
4. They both play for Orlando Pride.
Ashlyn and Ali both play for the Orlando Pride. Ali is a defender and Harris is a goalkeeper.
While those of us who aren't up-to-date with the latest soccer gossip, their diehard fans have reportedly picked up on the couple's chemistry both on and off the field for a long time. They even came up with a nickname for the couple: "Krashlyn."
But Ashlyn and Ali have never confirmed that they were in a relationship until now.
5. Ashlyn popped the question during a picnic.
On the day of the engagement, they were enjoying a picnic by the rocks in Clearwater Beach, Florida. It was Sept. 15, only a few days after they finished their last game of the season.
While they were mid-sunset selfie, Ashlyn held up a ring and surprised Ali.
“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,” Ali said. “It just was a really good time. I was really surprised because it just seemed like another weekend getaway for us. I wasn’t really thinking about it at all!”
"It was just us and this beautiful scenery, and I was just like … she was making me laugh, she wanted me to take pictures, and here I am. This is what I’m gonna be doing the rest of my life. It just all froze and I was like, ‘this is it,'" Ashlyn said.
So what's next for this adorable couple/killer soccer stars? Well in addition to their upcoming wedding, Ashlyn is currently training for the 2019 FIFI Women's World cup this summer.
Emily Blackwood is a writer and editor living in California. She covers all things news, pop culture, and true crime.