Allie
Long
- Position Midfielder
- Number 20
- Date of Birth Aug 13 1987
- Height 5' 8"
- Club Reign FC
For years, Allie Long was a star midfielder for the Portland Thorns but remained just outside of the National Team picture. That changed in the 2016 Olympics, where Long started three out of four games for the U.S. and was Player of the Match against France. A confident conductor with grit, vision, and one of the highest passing percentages on the team, Long never goes laterally when there is an option to go forward.
Underground New York Leagues
In high school gyms across Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, immigrant men from all over the world play for money in cutthroat futsal leagues, games often stretching until three in the morning. This is Long’s favorite place to spend her off seasons. “It’s hands down the best training I get,” says Long. The Latino men she plays with are her biggest supporters and the entire community embraces “La Gringa.” They follow her NWSL games—first for the Thorns and now for Reign FC—and you can bet they’ll be watching and pulling for Long come June and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Football’s in the Family
Football ran in Allie’s blood: her great uncle, Croatian, was a diehard who started the first girls club on Long Island, and Barb, Allie’s mom, grew up playing for it. Barb has continued to play her entire life. Growing up, Allie and her mom spent hours and hours and years and years playing together on the strip of road in front of Allie’s childhood house. Today, they still play together in the occasional pickup game.
Bati, Allie’s husband, is also a player—he introduced her to the New York futsal games and is her most frequent training partner. From the international fields with her USA teammates to the streets of her upbringing in NYC, Long plays the game with the people she loves.
Underground New York Leagues
In high school gyms across Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, immigrant men from all over the world play for money in cutthroat futsal leagues, games often stretching until three in the morning. This is Long’s favorite place to spend her off seasons. “It’s hands down the best training I get,” says Long. The Latino men she plays with are her biggest supporters and the entire community embraces “La Gringa.” They follow her NWSL games—first for the Thorns and now for Reign FC—and you can bet they’ll be watching and pulling for Long come June and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Football’s in the Family
Football ran in Allie’s blood: her great uncle, Croatian, was a diehard who started the first girls club on Long Island, and Barb, Allie’s mom, grew up playing for it. Barb has continued to play her entire life. Growing up, Allie and her mom spent hours and hours and years and years playing together on the strip of road in front of Allie’s childhood house. Today, they still play together in the occasional pickup game.
Bati, Allie’s husband, is also a player—he introduced her to the New York futsal games and is her most frequent training partner. From the international fields with her USA teammates to the streets of her upbringing in NYC, Long plays the game with the people she loves.
