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Aly Wagner

Personal information
Full name	Alyson Kay Wagner
Date of birth	(1980-08-10) August 10, 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth	San Jose, California, U.S.
Height	5 ft 5 in
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003	San Diego Spirit	20	(2)
2004	Boston Breakers	0	(0)
2005	Olympique Lyonnais	3	(2)
2009	Los Angeles Sol	15	(0)
National team‡
1998–2008	United States	131	(21)
Honours Women's football Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Team Gold 2008 Beijing Team FIFA Women's World Cup Bronze 2003 USA Team Bronze 2007 China Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:37, 30 September 2009 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22:37, 30 September 2009 (UTC)

Alyson Kay Wagner (born August 10, 1980) is an American sports broadcaster and a retired soccer midfielder. She was a key player for the United States women's national soccer team. Aly is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. She also won two bronze medals at the FIFA Women's World Cup.

After her playing career, Aly became a soccer analyst. She has worked for major sports networks like Fox Sports, CBS Sports, and ESPN. In 2018, she made history. She was the first woman to commentate on a FIFA Men's World Cup game on English-language U.S. television. She is also involved in soccer business. She owns part of USL Championship club Queensboro FC. She is also a founding owner of a new National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Early Life and High School Soccer

Aly Wagner grew up in San Jose, California. She went to Presentation High School. There, she was a four-year starter on the soccer team. She helped her team win the Central Coast Championship twice. Aly was named CCS Player of the Year in her junior and senior years. She also earned League MVP honors multiple times.

As a senior, she received many national awards. These included NSCAA All-American and Parade All-American. She was also named Parade Magazine High School Player of the Year. The Gatorade National High School Player of the Year award also went to her.

College Success at Santa Clara

From 1998 to 2002, Aly played for the Santa Clara Broncos. Even as a freshman, she started playing for the U.S. national team. In college, she scored 10 goals and had 12 assists. She was named First-Team All-WCC. She also earned WCC Freshman of the Year.

In 2001, Aly led Santa Clara to a big win. They won the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. She scored the only goal in their 1–0 victory. This was against the strong team from North Carolina.

Aly received top honors in college soccer. In 2002, she won the Hermann Trophy. This award goes to the best college soccer player. She also won the Honda Sports Award. This recognized her as the nation's top soccer player.

Professional Soccer Career

Aly Wagner had a successful career playing professional soccer. She played for several clubs. She also represented her country on the international stage.

Club Teams

In 2003, Aly was the first pick in the 2003 WUSA Draft. She joined the San Diego Spirit. The team finished third that season. Aly played in all 20 matches. She scored two goals and made four assists. The Spirit reached the playoffs but lost in the semifinals. Aly was named to the All-WUSA Second Team.

After the WUSA league stopped operations, Aly moved to France. In 2005, she played for Olympique Lyonnais. She scored two goals in three games for the French team. In 2009, she returned to the U.S. to play for the Los Angeles Sol in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league.

On January 14, 2010, Aly announced her retirement. She stopped playing professional soccer due to injuries.

Playing for Team USA

Aly Wagner played for the United States women's national soccer team from 1999 to 2008. She played in 131 international games. During her time, she scored 21 goals and made 42 assists. Her high number of assists showed her skill as a midfielder.

She played in the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup in the U.S. She appeared in four matches, helping the team win a bronze medal. In 2004, she went to the Athens Olympics. She played in four games and helped the U.S. team win a gold medal. In 2006, she reached 100 international games played. This is a big milestone for a soccer player.

In 2007, Aly played in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup in China. The team won another bronze medal. Even after a hernia operation in 2008, she was chosen for the 2008 Summer Olympics. She played one game and helped the U.S. win another Olympic gold medal.

Life After Soccer: Media and Business

After retiring from playing, Aly Wagner became a well-known soccer analyst. She shares her knowledge of the game with fans.

Sports Broadcasting

Aly has worked for major sports channels. These include Fox Sports, CBS Sports, and ESPN. She was a match analyst for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. In 2018, she made history. She was the first woman to be an analyst for a FIFA Men's World Cup game on U.S. English television. She covered the game between Iran and Morocco. She was also part of the Fox Sports team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. CBS Sports also chose her to host their 2022 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) coverage.

Soccer Business Ventures

Aly is also involved in the business side of soccer. She is an owner of Queensboro FC. This soccer club has teams in the USL Championship and USL W League. She is also a founding owner and co-chair for a new NWSL team. This team will be based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Aly helped gather a group of former U.S. women's national team players. They worked to bring an NWSL team to the Bay Area.

Personal Life

In December 2006, Aly Wagner married Adam Eyre. He was also a soccer player at Santa Clara University. They have three sons, who are triplets, born in August 2013. They also have a daughter, born in December 2015.

See also

In Spanish: Aly Wagner para niños