Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris: Everything to Know About the 2 US Soccer Stars Tying the Knot

Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris of the U.S. women’s national soccer team are due to be married later this year, following their massive World Cup win this weekend. The two star athletes have captured fans’ hearts with their romance, both on the field and off.

Both Krieger and Harris played their parts in the U.S. victory at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Sunday. The two are among the most celebrated members of the team, which has been steadily gaining even more attention than usual this season.

This is due in large part to the political frankness of star midfielder Megan Rapinoe. Rapinoe made headlines last month for an interview with Eight by Eight, where she said that she would not go to “the f—ing White House.”

“No f—ing way will we be invited to the White House. [Trump] tries to avoid inviting a team that might decline. Or, like he did when the Warriors turned him down, he’ll claim they hadn’t been invited in the first place,” Rapinoe said at the time.

Since then, Rapinoe has mostly let her words speak for themselves as critics and fans run with them. However, ahead of Sunday’s game, she told reporters from Agence France-Presse that she was likely not the only player who would decline an invitation from the president.

“I haven’t spoken to everyone about it, obviously not myself, not Ali Krieger, and I suspect not many, if any, of the other players,” she said.

Krieger affirmed Rapinoe’s words, sending her own harsh words at the president in an interview with CNN on Thursday.

“I feel that staying silent at times can side with the oppressor and I didn’t want [Rapinoe] to feel like she was having to process this all alone, because a lot of us do have those similar feelings,” Krieger said. “I wanted to make sure that as one of her close friends, she didn’t feel that and I feel like we’re able to focus — as women it’s funny, imagine that, we can multitask — on two things at once.”

Now, Krieger and Harris are planted firmly on the world stage, basking in their team’s second World Cup victory in a row. However, they have an equally stressful task ahead of them: planning their own wedding. Here is a look at Krieger and Harris’ fan-favorite romance.

Orlando Pride

In addition to the national team, Krieger and Harris play together on the Orlando Pride. Both joined the team in 2016, with many huge accomplishments under their respective belts on both the national and international stage.

The Orlando Pride is a part of the National Women’s Soccer League — the highest division of women’s soccer in the U.S. The team is known for hosting the game with the largest attendance in the league’s history, with 23,403 fans there to witness their inaugural home game. They play at the Exploria Stadium in downtown Orlando, Florida.

Meet-Cute

Krieger and Harris were an item long before they were teammates on The Orlando Pride. According to a recent profile by Vogue, the two met nine years ago at a training camp. When exactly this was is hard to say. Harris has a well documented career playing internationally for the U.S., going all the way back to the youth national teams in 2000. She was first called up to the senior national team in 2008.

Meanwhile, Krieger was called up to the U.S. women’s national team in 2008. Nine years ago, she was added to the roster for a match against Germany in May of 2010. She stayed with the team for several subsequent matches, and Harris was called up in September. The two were in the team’s orbit for months after that, so perhaps they met somewhere in the anxious fervor of World Cup qualifying matches.

Krashlyn

Krieger and Harris kept their relationship a secret for a long time, although some fans suspected it from the very beginning. On social media, they are referred to as “Krashlyn,” and fans have meticulously gathered all of their sweetest social media moments for years.

The internet was full of speculation, hopeful guesses and even full-on fan fiction about “Krashlyn” by the time they announced their engagement in March.

World Cup

Both Krieger and Harris played their parts in their team’s World Cup victory this season, although only Krieger got a chance to play in the final. She joined the game as a substitute at halftime, while Harris, a goalie, sat out the game, allowing Alyssa Naeher to guard the goal.

Still, the victor belonged to the whole team, as Krieger and Harris showed in a triumphant Twitter picture with Rapinoe. Rapinoe jokingly told reporters that they won because “gays rule.”

Domestic Life

Off the field, Krieger and Harris find it hard to put their sportsmanship aside, telling Vogue: “everything is a competition.”

The two have a unique domestic lifestyle as far-travelling international athletes. They said that they spend a lot of their downtime cooking healthy meals, watching event TV like Game of Thrones and enjoying their privacy while they can.

“It’s taken us a long time to figure out what balance looks like,” Harris said.

The two have dreams of adopting children at some point, although they realize that this is not in the cards just yet.

“I think the first step for us was making our relationship public,” Harris said. “We wanted to come out and say this is who we are.”

Their Dog

In the meantime, Krieger and Harris have one of social media’s favorite dogs to look after, Logan. The Cane Corso Mastiff is 180 pounds, and is beloved by fans both old and new.

Harris told Vogue that, sadly, Logan will not be attending their wedding later this year. The event has a small guest list of just 100 people, and they could not justify bringing the dog along.

“We will definitely dress her up and take pictures,” Harris promised.

Their Engagement

According to Vogue, Krieger and Harris are “the most high-profile” professional sports teammates ever to marry each other, if not the first. The two announced their engagement in March, confirming the long-held rumors of their relationship at the same time.

At the time, the two were posing for a selfie in Clearwater Beach, Florida, with a picturesque sunset in the background. Krieger reportedly told Harris to move her hand out of the frame. Only then did she see the diamond ring, which Harris said she had been hiding, “waiting for the perfect moment.”

“She was blocking the view!” Krieger said, laughing at the misunderstanding.

Their Wedding

Krieger and Harris plan to get married in December in Miami, Florida. The couple already have big plans for their outfits. Krieger has a dress picked out, but plans to keep it a surprise for everyone. Meanwhile, Harris is well-known for a distinct gender-fluid style, and is considering getting a custom suit from either Thom Browne or Tom Ford.

The wedding will have 100 guests, though there is no word yet on who they are. Between the U.S. Women’s National Team and the Orlando Pride, there would be nearly 100 other athletes there if Krieger and Harris invited everyone. In all likelihood, it will be restricted to only the closest family and friends.