U.S. Youth National Team goalkeeper Julia Dohle announced on Instagram on Sunday that she was forced to retire from soccer due to a rare heart condition. The 19-year-old shared her emotional thoughts in a post on the social media app over the weekend. 

“The last couple of months have been the hardest of my life and I still cannot fully wrap my head around it all,” Dohle said. “I was recently diagnosed with a very serious and rare heart condition and have to medically retire from the game of soccer because of it. Never did I ever think that I would be saying those words, especially because I felt that I had so much more to give... Even though I am filled with sadness, pain and confusion about it all, I am also grateful and very lucky to still be here today.”

She added that the surgery was a success and recovery is going well. 

It was a heartbreaking discovery for a player with so much potential. The teenager was a key player for the U.S. U20 Women’s National Team. She appeared in four games during the 2020 Concacaf Championship including the final, a 4-1 victory over Mexico. 

Born in Germany, Dohle moved to New York as a child and became one of the top players in the county. She was named to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Best XI for the 2017-2018 season. 

She utilized her redshirt season in 2019 and figured to be the starter with Penn State during the 2020 campaign. 

Following the announcement of news, many members of the soccer community sent their well-wishes to Dohle on social media, as she was a beloved member of every team she played on during her career.

Once a member of GK union, always a part of GK union! Wishing you a speedy recovery @julia_dohle and all the best in your future! #WeAre 🦁 https://t.co/Z4jPtFAnHz

— Alyssa Naeher (@AlyssaNaeher) October 19, 2020

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

10-18-2020 💔 To the beautiful game, No one will ever know the impact that you have had on my life. From the day that I could first walk to the final minutes of my last game, you never failed to put a smile on my face. Apart from the joy and passion that I felt when I was on that field, you taught me lifelong lessons, gave me some of the most incredible experiences, allowed me to travel the world and most importantly - you introduced me to some of my lifelong friends and family... Thank you for being my second home. I would not be where I am or who I am without you 🤍 That being said, I still have no idea where to go from here. The last couple of months have been the hardest of my life and I still cannot fully wrap my head around it all. I was recently diagnosed with a very serious and rare heart condition and have to medically retire from the game of soccer because of it. Never did I ever think that I would be saying those words, especially because I felt that I had so much more to give... Even though I am filled with sadness, pain and confusion about it all, I am also grateful and very lucky to still be here today. Thank you to all of the doctors, nurses, trainers etc. that have been so incredibly supportive and helpful during these hard times and to those who continued to send their love and prayers. I may not be able to fully understand why this is happening, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason🤞 -Jules p.s. Surgery was a success and recovery is going well. Thank you for everyone’s notes and prayers. They mean the world to me.

A post shared by julia dohle (@julia.dohle) onOct 18, 2020 at 5:12pm PDT

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