By In one way, Crystal Dunn has done all this before. The American’s transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, which was completed on January 31, is not the first time she has moved abroad to play for a European giant – she was signed by Chelsea in 2017 and won the Women’s Super League in her only season in England.
But, in another way, this is entirely new to her. That’s because, in 2022, she achieved something even more important than winning the World Cup in 2019, or gold at the Paris Olympics in 2024 – she became a mother.
“This is a big move, you know? This wasn’t some easy move to make. And obviously, being a mom, being a wife, there’s a lot of different factors,” she told CNN Sport. “When I last played overseas, it was just me, so it was easy to navigate doing distance away from family and things like that.”
Moving homes with a two-year-old is no mean feat. Moving to a different continent is even harder. Luckily for Dunn, her husband and the father of her child is French. The only downside, then, is having to come to terms with the fact that her son speaks the language better than she does.
“It’s actually funny. He’s two-and-a-half, he’s going to be three, and he really understands a lot more than I do,” she said. “I find that so frustrating because I should be better at French than what I am. But he has his little flash cards that I take sometimes, and I study them. He already knows what the words are, so it’s really embarrassing.
“He’s going to teach me, basically, very soon!”
The versatile midfielder’s ties to France extend beyond her husband. Some of the greatest achievements in her career have come there, including the aforementioned gold medal, and the 2019 World Cup triumph, in which she shone, particularly in the US Women’s National Team’s (USWNT) 2-1 victory over the host in the quarterfinals.
Despite having to swallow her pride when it comes to the language, Dunn is relishing the opportunity to see if she can continue her winning run.
“It’s really a place that feels like a home away from home,” she said. “I could have made a move that was in the NWSL, but I think this move coming about and falling into place really excites me because I think it’s different.
“I’m going to be challenged in such a different way. When I look back on my career, I’m really always grateful for those moments where I did something that was different; I did something that was going to challenge me and bring out a different level in me, both on and off the field.”
The byproduct of personal success, Dunn hopes, will be bringing major trophies back to a PSG side that won its first Première League – France’s top division – in 2021 but has seen its achievements dwarfed by Lyon, the all-conquering juggernaut owned by Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang.
“I feel like this team is always going to compete to win, and compete to lift as many trophies (as possible),” Dunn told CNN. “That doesn’t happen all overnight. It’s really about staying focused on the day to day, and I think the trainings that I have been a part of have been high energy, really crisp, a lot of communication and encouragement.
“And I think that’s really what I’m excited about, and I think that is exactly what you need in order to take the strides and finish strong, as strong as possible.”
Luckily for Dunn, she has two of her USWNT teammates – Korbin Albert and Eva Gaetino – who can help her hit the ground running. The trio are representative of a new generation of American soccer players who, as European leagues have improved exponentially in the last decade, are far more inclined to move abroad to seek new challenges.
“What you’re seeing is obviously something pretty new. I think some of us have gone overseas before, but I think obviously a handful of players doing it all at one time always feels like we’re in a new era,” remarked the 32-year-old Dunn.
“I’m really hopeful that I can hopefully inspire other players to just pursue whatever part of their career they’re in, and also to pursue any opportunities that are going to challenge them and make them the best player that they could possibly be.
“And I’m just happy that I have my son here along for the ride.”
