Ali Krieger

Ali Krieger has spent most the last five years playing for one of Europe's top soccer clubs, FFC Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, Germany's professional league. She has won two German Cups (2008 and 2011) with the team, and was part of Frankfurt's treble-winning side in 2008 when the team won the German Cup along with the Bundesliga title and the UEFA Women's Championship.

The only player on the U.S. 2011 World Cup roster from the Big Ten, Krieger played for Penn State. She started all 87 games she played for the Nittany Lions and helped lead the team to four consecutive Big Ten titles, earning the 2006 Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Year and 2003 Big Ten Freshman of the Year in the process. She was also a two-time All-American.

After playing for the U-23 and U-21 national teams in 2006 and 2007, Krieger made her first appearance with the U.S. senior team on January 16, 2008, during the Four Nations Tournament in China. It was also Pia Sundhage's first game as the U.S. head coach. Krieger went on to be an alternate for the Olympic team that year.

Krieger was the only player on the World Cup roster who was not with a team in the Women's Professional Soccer league. She played 10 games on loan from Frankfurt with the Washington Freedom in 2009, the extent of her participation in the WPS so far. After taking time off with Frankfurt in order to focus on the World Cup, she returned to the German club in the fall of 2011.

She was a starter at right back for the U.S. at the 2011 World Cup, helping the defense record two shutouts in group play. Krieger continued to impress in the knockout rounds, and converted the deciding penalty in a shootout to advance past Brazil in the quarterfinals.