FC Kansas City to retire Lauren Holiday’s jersey

In the franchise’s third year, FC Kansas City will retire its first jersey as it will honor midfielder Lauren Holiday on Aug. 27.

The ceremony, which will take place before the Blues’ final home game at 7 p.m. against the Washington Spirit, will cap Holiday’s decorated career in Kansas City as she prepares to retire from soccer. She made the announcement after winning the 2015 Women’s World Cup with the U.S. national team.

“I have so much respect for FC Kansas City and when I made my decision to retire, I knew I wanted to come back and finish out the season, not only for the club, but for the fans,” Holiday said in a statement. “Hopefully, we can win another title and really go out on top.”

Holiday will have played three seasons with the Blues and helped them win the NWSL championship in 2014. She assisted on both of Amy Rodriguez’s goals in the 2-1 victory against the Seattle Reign FC and was named 2014 NWSL championship game MVP. She was later named the 2014 U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year.

“Lauren (Holiday) is one of the finest midfielders in U.S. women’s soccer history and a cornerstone of the FC Kansas City franchise,” Director of Soccer Operations Huw Williams said in a statement. “We thank her for all she has accomplished both on and off the field for the national team and our club. She has attained her success with distinction, integrity and professionalism. We are proud to honor her by retiring our first jersey.”

Autographed items from Holiday, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, will be auctioned off during the match and all proceeds will go to CHD Babies, a non-profit selected by Holiday.

This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 1:11 PM with the headline "FC Kansas City to retire Lauren Holiday’s jersey."