The Union’s Nathan Harriel gets a new contract

Nathan Harriel is the latest Union player to sign a new contract. The team announced Thursday that Harriel agreed to a deal that’s guaranteed through 2025, with a team option for 2026.

The 21-year-old Union academy product is the team’s No. 2 right back behind Olivier Mbaizo. For a time last year, he moved to the top of the depth chart, but he hit a wall after a while and Mbaizo regained the spot.

While Mbaizo remains the No. 1, with so many games the Union is able to platoon the two of them based on matchups. Mbaizo’s offensive game is better than his defense, and Harriel’s defense is better than his offense. But both players have improved on their weaknesses over the last year.

So if Mbaizo moves on to a European team — really a matter of when, not if — Harriel will be ready to be the full-time starter.

“Nathan’s commitment to developing his game has impressed us, and we are thrilled he will continue to grow and contribute here in Philadelphia,” Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement. “His quickness and relentlessness have always been evident, and his decision-making has drastically improved. Homegrown players are a pillar of our success and Nathan will continue to exemplify that going forward.”

» READ MORE: Jakob Glesnes signs a new deal that keeps him with Union through 2025

Former U.S. women’s national team star Ali Krieger, one of the most famous Penn State alums in soccer history, announced she’ll retire from playing at the end of this year.

Krieger, 38, was on the 2015 and 2019 World Cup-winning squads, and on the 2011 team that made the Americans’ first final since 1999. She also was on the 2016 Olympic squad. She totaled 108 caps, with the first in 2008 and the last in early 2021.

At the club level, she played in Washington and Orlando before joining Gotham FC last year. She also had multiple stints in Europe, most famously with Germany’s 1. FFC Frankfurt. She became the first American woman to win a UEFA Champions League title when Frankfurt lifted the crown in 2008.

» READ MORE: From our archives, a feature on Ali Krieger making the 2019 World Cup team

“I see the 2023 season as an opportunity to celebrate with our fans and my fellow players, but make no mistake — my entire focus is on winning the NWSL championship with Gotham FC,” Krieger said in a statement. “In a career filled with blessings, the NWSL title is one of the only trophies I still have yet to win. … I’ve always been inspired by winning, competing, and a desire to be the best, and this will be my last chance to win a championship. I’m determined to work with my teammates to make this final goal a reality.”

Beyond the field, Krieger is in the midst of a campaign to earn a seat on Penn State’s board of trustees. The election runs from April 10 to May 4.