Swimsuit

USWNT Soccer Star Crystal Dunn’s Best SI Swimsuit Photos

The 30-year-old athlete is a midfielder for Portland Thorns FC.

Cara O’Bleness

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Crystal Dunn was featured in the SI Swimsuit Issue in 2019, when the USWNT player traded the soccer field for the beach. She traveled to St. Lucia with photographer Ben Watts for her feature.

In college, Dunn played for the North Carolina Tar Heels and helped lead her team to the 2012 NCAA championship. The same year, she was awarded the Hermann Trophy for her success as the nation’s top college soccer player. Two years later, Dunn was the first player selected in the NWSL draft when she was picked up by the Washington Spirit.

Today, the New York native is a midfielder for Portland Thorns FC. After taking off most of the season with the USWNT last year following the birth of her son, Marcel, in May, Dunn returned to the field in September. She is married to former Thorns FC trainer Pierre Soubrier.

Dunn said her SI Swimsuit photo shoot made her feel “like a queen” and was proud to represent athletes within the pages of the magazine.

“When I look at [the USWNT] team or when I look at society in general I think there’s so many different shapes and sizes of people.… And I think that’s basically what our team is made up of—so many people from so many different walks of life,” she stated.

Dunn shared how she hoped to create a more equitable feature in her sport and expressed a desire to “set the pace” for future athletes.

“[Diversity in soccer] is getting better, but it’s not exactly where I think it can be in years to come,” she said. “But it’s getting better, and I think that is all we can hope for right now. We’re moving in the right direction.”

Below are eight phenomenal photos from Dunn’s photo shoot in St. Lucia.

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Cara O’Bleness

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, Cara loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University's School of Journalism.