Becky Sauerbrunn retires as one of women’s soccer’s great, underappreciated artists

Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

For those of us lucky enough to have seen Becky Sauerbrunn play soccer, we were witness to the essence of why it is called the beautiful game.

If we were to build a prototypical centerback, it is unlikely any individual part of Becky Sauerbrunn would be included. She was not fast. She was not physically imposing. She did not possess the ball skills that could carve up an opponent or a pinpoint free kick or long ball that could change a game. And yet, if you lined up everyone who has played centerback since Sauerbrunn burst on the scene with the 2009 Washington Freedom, finding someone who played the position any better — and for as long as she did — would be a fool’s errand.

Yes, we are now speaking of Becky Sauerbrunn’s career in the past tense. The 39-year-old announced her retirement on Tuesday in the same understated manner in which she dominated her position for more than a decade. She leaves behind a legacy of grace and brilliance which by all accounts was just as evident off the field as it was on.