Angel City star Ali Riley to retire with no regrets

Beloved captain will step away after the season with gratitude for a storied career.

- By KEvIN BAXTER

RONALD MARTINEZ Getty Images ANGEL CITY captain Ali Riley celebrates scoring a goal against the San Diego Wave FC in 2022.

The soccer world is about to become a colder, darker and meaner place.

On Tuesday, Angel City’s Ali Riley will announce she is retiring at the end of this season. And when she leaves, all the joy, fun and beauty she brought to the field will leave with her.

Set aside, for a moment, her accomplishments, which are considerable: She played in five World Cups, made five Olympic teams, played in four of the biggest leagues in the world and captained Angel City in the club’s first game.

What she'll be remembered for the person she is.

“She really is an incredible person,” said Kelley O'Hara, who played with Riley at Stanford and with the Pali Blues before they both made four World Cup rosters. “She always brought enthusiasm and positivity to every locker room and every field she was on.

“She is going to be remembered for the quality of her character, which is very high.”

Few athletes in any sport treated others better than Riley did. That doesn’t mean she was a pushover or naive; she took names and kept receipts of those who had done her wrong. Then she killed them with kindness.