Kelley Maureen O'Hara (born August 4, 1988) is an American former professional soccer player. She represented the United States national team on 160 occasions, winning two FIFA Women's World Cups and an Olympic gold medal. She spent most of her club career with National Women's Soccer League club NJ/NY Gotham FC. Known for her intensity, she played primarily as a wingback but played as a forward in college and occasionally played an attacking role in her professional career.
O'Hara was awarded the Hermann Trophy while playing for the Stanford Cardinal in 2009. She then played for FC Gold Pride and the Boston Breakers in Women's Professional Soccer. When the NWSL was formed in 2013, she joined Gotham FC (then known as Sky Blue FC). She later played for Utah Royals FC and the Washington Spirit, with whom she scored the winning goal in the NWSL Championship in 2021. She returned to Gotham and won her second NWSL Championship in 2023. She was named to the FIFA FIFPRO Women's World 11 in 2019.
O'Hara played internationally for the United States from 2010 to 2023. She appeared at four Women's World Cups in 2011; 2015, helping the team win the title; 2019, defending the title; and 2023. She appeared at three Olympic Games, including at the 2012 Olympics, where she was one of three U.S. players that played every minute of the tournament as they won gold; 2016; and 2020, where she won bronze.
O'Hara announced that she would retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2024 NWSL season. On September 21, 2024, she was put on the season-ending injury list due to chronic knee degeneration, thus effectively ending her career.
Early life O'Hara was born in Fayetteville, Georgia, near Atlanta to parents Dan and Karen O'Hara. She has a brother named Jerry and a sister named Erin. O'Hara has Irish heritage. O'Hara grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia and graduated from Starr's Mill High School in Fayette County where she played four years on the varsity soccer team and captained the team during her junior and senior years. O'Hara helped lead the Panthers to the 5A state title in 2006 with 20 goals and 16 assists. The team finished second in the state championships during her sophomore year. O'Hara was named Parade All-American as a junior and a senior and All-League, All-County and All-State all four years. In 2006, she was named the 2006 Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) Player of the Year and Gatorade Georgia State Player of the Year. She was also named NSCAA All-American.
O'Hara played for club teams, the Peachtree City Lazers and AFC Lightning before playing for the U.S. U-16s in 2004 and then joining the U-17 youth women's national team of that same year. She played on the Concorde Fire South '88 Elite that went on to win the 2007 GA U19G State Cup and advance to the Semi Finals of Regionals.
Stanford Cardinal (2006–2009) A two-time Parade All-American coming into her freshman year at Stanford University, O'Hara led the Cardinal in scoring in 2006 with nine goals. She repeated that feat during her sophomore year, helping the Cardinal to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
During O'Hara's junior year, Stanford advanced to the College Cup for the first time since 1993, defeating 2005 national champion Portland, 1–0.Stanford Reaches The 2008 College Cup With 1–0 Victory Over Portland In NCAA Quarterfinal , Stanford University Official Athletics Site. The Cardinal would fall in the semi-final, 0–1, to Notre Dame.Stanford Falls To Notre Dame 1–0 In College Cup Semifinal , Stanford University Official Athletics Site.
As a senior, she had one of the best seasons in Division I history, scoring 26 goals with 13 assists. O'Hara's senior year ended in the 2009 College Cup, where the Cardinal lost to North Carolina. O'Hara received two yellow cards in the second half, ejecting her from the game, forcing the Cardinal to finish the game a woman down. The game ended with a score of 1–0, thus marking North Carolina's twentieth National Championship.North Carolina Claims Second Straight Title With Win Over Undefeated Stanford, NCAA Championship Website. She finished her college career at Stanford with 57 goals and 32 assists, both school records at the time.
O'Hara was awarded the 2009 Hermann Trophy as collegiate soccer's top player. She had been on the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list for three consecutive seasons.O'Hara, Bunbury win Hermann as top soccer players, USA Today. O'Hara was also a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority during her time at Stanford.
On August 5, 2025, O'Hara was named to the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
Club career Prior to graduating from Stanford, O'Hara played for the Pali Blues of the USL W-League (semi-pro) in the summer of 2009, scoring four goals during her tenure with the club.
WPS: FC Gold Pride, Boston Breakers (2010–2011)
O'Hara was drafted third overall by FC Gold Pride at the 2010 WPS Draft. In addition to the close proximity of home stadium Pioneer Stadium to O'Hara's alma mater Stanford University, O'Hara had previously worked with FC Gold Pride head coach Albertin Montoya when he served as an assistant coach at Stanford University in 2008.O'Hara is Pride's top selection at WPS Draft , FC Gold Pride Official Website.
The team dominated the season finishing first during the regular season after defeating the Philadelphia Independence 4–1 with goals from O'Hara, Christine Sinclair and Marta. As the regular season champion, the team earned a direct route to the championship playoff game where they faced the Philadelphia Independence. During the final, FC Gold Pride defeated the Independence 4–0 to clinch the WPS Championship. Despite their successful season, the club ceased operations on November 16, 2010, due to not meeting the league's financial reserve requirement.
After FC Gold Pride folded in November 2010, O'Hara was signed by the Boston Breakers. She scored 10 goals during her two seasons in the WPS playing primarily as an outside midfielder. On January 5, 2012, it was announced O'Hara would be going back to her hometown because she had signed with the Atlanta Beat. However, the league folded just before the 2012 season began.
NWSL: Sky Blue FC, 2013–2017 On January 11, 2013, O'Hara joined Sky Blue FC in the new National Women's Soccer League. Because the club's head coach, Jim Gabarra, played O'Hara as a forward, she reverted to a role she filled with success in college.
Over her career at Sky Blue, O'Hara has been played in several roles including forward, winger, right-back, and central midfielder.
Utah Royals FC, 2017–2020 On December 29, 2017, O'Hara was traded to Utah Royals FC. Due to a hamstring injury, O'Hara only appeared in 8 games for Utah in 2018. O'Hara contributed to Utah's first-ever franchise win, scoring a goal in the team's 2–0 victory over the Washington Spirit in May 2018.
Utah finished the season in 5th place, just 2 points shy of making the playoffs. O'Hara underwent ankle surgery after the 2018 season.
In 2019, she made only 2 starts in 4 appearances for Utah due to injuries and World Cup duties. She was still recuperating from an off-season ankle injury at the start of the NWSL season and saw limited minutes as a substitute in two late-April games. Following her World Cup win, O'Hara started in two games for Utah at the end of July, notching an assist in the team's 2–2 draw against Portland. She was named to the 2019 NWSL second XI.
O'Hara played only 65 minutes for the Royals in the abbreviated 2020 NWSL season. She was still recovering from an injury at the start of the Challenge Cup and did not dress for the first few games. She saw limited minutes in Utah's July 13 game against Chicago and the July 18 game against Houston.
Starting in August 2020, rumors of a O'Hara trade to the Washington Spirit began to circulate and O'Hara announced in August that she would opt out of the 2020 NWSL Fall Series, set to begin in early September.
Washington Spirit, 2021–2022 O'Hara's trade to the Spirit was officially announced on December 2, 2020. The deal sent $75,000 in allocation money to the Utah Royals and a 2022 first round draft pick. O'Hara stated that she requested the move to Spirit so that she could live, work in a same city with her partner. The Spirit won their first NWSL Championship on November 20, 2021, when they defeated the Chicago Red Stars, 2–1 in extra time at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. O'Hara scored the winning goal in the 97th minute of the game.
NJ/NY Gotham FC, 2023–2024 After the 2022 season, O'Hara announced on November 15 that she would sign with NJ/NY Gotham FC, returning to the club she formerly played for when it was called Sky Blue. The move made her the first NWSL player to sign with a new team in free agency. Gotham FC officially announced her signing on January 25, 2023. O'Hara won her second NWSL championship with Gotham in 2023.
O'Hara announced on May 2, 2024, that she would retire from professional soccer at the end of the season. On September 21, 2024, O'Hara was put on the season-ending injury list due to chronic knee degeneration, thus effectively ending her career.
International career Youth national teams (2005–2010)
O'Hara represented the United States in various youth national teams from 2005 through 2010. She scored 24 goals in her 35 under-20 caps, the third-most ever for a U.S. player in the U-20 age group. She was a member of the fourth-place United States U-20 women's national soccer team that competed in the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship in Russia. O'Hara scored two goals in the tournament: one against the Congo (for which game she was named FIFA's player of the match) and one against Germany. She was also the first player in the tournament to be ejected from a game, having picked up two yellow cards in the game against Argentina.New record for Germany as USA and France advance, FIFA.com.
O'Hara rejoined the U-20 national team at the 2007 Pan American Games. She scored four goals in the women's football tournament, against Paraguay, Panama, and Mexico.Kelley O'Hara and the U.S. U-20 National Team Falls to Brazil 5–0 in Pan Am Games Championship , Stanford University Athletics Site. The United States, which only sent their U-20 women to the tournament, would fall in the final game, 0–5, to a full-strength Brazilian senior team featuring Brazilian powerhouse, Marta.
In February 2008, O'Hara returned to the U-20 women's national team to play in the U-20 Four Nations Tournament in Chile. Her last appearance for the U-20 team occurred in July 2008, at the 2008 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship in Puebla, Mexico.Noyola and O'Hara Head To Park City For CONCACAF Qualifying, Stanford University Athletics Site. O'Hara helped the U-20 team qualify for the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile. She did not play in the U-20 World Cup, instead remaining with her college team in its NCAA postseason campaign.
Senior national team (2010–2023) She was called into the senior national team's training camp in December 2009 and attended the January 2010 training camp in the lead-up to the 2010 Algarve Cup. O'Hara earned her first senior national team cap in March 2010, coming in as a substitute during a friendly match against Mexico.
2011 FIFA Women's World Cup After falling short of making the 21 player World Cup roster, O'Hara was called up to replace Lindsay Tarpley who tore her ACL in a send-off match against Japan on May 14, 2011. O'Hara earned just one cap at right midfield in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in the final group stage game against Sweden. The United States went on to win the silver medal in that tournament.
2012 Olympics