The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) is governed by United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football). The team is the most successful in international women's soccer, winning three Women's World Cup titles (including the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991), four Olympic women's gold medals, seven CONCACAF Gold Cup wins, and ten Algarve Cups. It medaled in every single World Cup and Olympic tournament in women's soccer history from 1991 to 2015, before being knocked out in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Olympics.
After being ranked No. 2 on average from 2003 to 2008 in the FIFA Women's World Rankings, the team was ranked No. 1 continuously from March 2008 to November 2014, falling back behind Germany, the only other team to occupy the No. 1 position in the ranking's history. The team dropped to 2nd on March 24, 2017, due to its last-place finish in the 2017 SheBelieves Cup, then returned to 1st on June 23, 2017, after victories in friendlies against Russia, Sweden, and Norway. The team was selected as the U.S. Olympic Committee's Team of the Year in 1997 and 1999, and Sports Illustrated chose the entire team as 1999 Sportswomen of the Year for its usual Sportsman of the Year honor. On April 5, 2017, U.S. Women's Soccer and U.S. Soccer reached a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement that would, among other things, lead to a pay increase.
Video United States women's national soccer team
History
The team played its first match at the Mundialito tournament on August 18, 1985, coached by Mike Ryan, in which they lost 1-0 to Italy.
1990s
The U.S. team's first major victory came at the 1991 World Championship (retroactively named the 1991 Women's World Cup). The U.S. cruised to lopsided victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals, before defeating Norway 2-1 in the final. Michelle Akers was the team's leading scorer with 10 goals, including both of the team's goals in the final, and Carin Jennings won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.
Julie Foudy, Kristine Lilly, and the rest of the 1999 team started a revolution towards women's team sports in America. Arguably their most influential and memorable victory came in the 1999 World Cup when they defeated China 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out following a 0-0 draw after extended time. With this win they emerged onto the world stage and brought significant media attention to women's soccer and athletics. On July 10, 1999, over 90,000 people (the largest ever for a women's sporting event and one of the largest attendances in the world for a tournament game final) filled the Rose Bowl to watch the United States play China in the Final. After a back and forth game, the score was tied 0-0 at full-time, and remained so after extra time, leading to a penalty kick shootout. With Briana Scurry's save of China's third kick, the score was 4-4 with only Brandi Chastain left to shoot. She scored and won the game for the United States. Chastain famously dropped to her knees and whipped off her shirt, celebrating in her sports bra, which later made the cover of Sports Illustrated and the front pages of newspapers around the country and world. This win influenced many girls to want to play on a soccer team.
2000s
In the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, the U.S. defeated Norway 1-0 in the quarterfinals, but lost 0-3 to Germany in the semifinals. The team then defeated Canada 3-1 to claim third place. Abby Wambach was the team's top scorer with three goals; Joy Fawcett and Shannon Boxx made the tournament's all-star team.
At the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, the U.S. defeated England 3-0 in the quarterfinals but then suffered its most lopsided loss in team history when it lost to Brazil 0-4 in the semifinals. The U.S. recovered to defeat Norway to take third place. Abby Wambach was the team's leading scorer with 6 goals, and Kristine Lilly was the only American named to the tournament's all-star team.
2010s
In the quarterfinal of the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany, the U.S. defeated Brazil 5-3 on penalty kicks. Abby Wambach's goal in the 122nd minute to tie the game 2-2 has been voted the greatest goal in U.S. soccer history and the greatest goal in Women's World Cup history. The U.S. then beat France 3-1 in the semifinal, but lost to Japan 3-1 on penalty kicks in the Final after drawing 1-1 in regulation and 2-2 in overtime. Hope Solo was named the tournament's best goalkeeper and Abby Wambach won the silver ball as the tournament's second best player.
In the 2012 Summer Olympics, the U.S. won the gold medal for the fourth time in five Olympics by defeating Japan 2-1 in front of 80,203 fans at Wembley Stadium, a record for a women's soccer game at the Olympics. The United States advanced to face Japan for the gold medal by winning the semifinal against Canada, a 4-3 victory at the end of extra time. The 2012 London Olympics marked the first time the USWNT won every game en route to the gold medal and set an Olympic women's team record of 16 goals scored.
The National Women's Soccer League started in 2013, and provided competitive games as well as opportunities to players on the fringes of the squad. The U.S. had a 43-game unbeaten streak that spanned two years--the streak began with a 4-0 win over Sweden in the 2012 Algarve Cup, and came to an end after a 1-0 loss against Sweden in the 2014 Algarve Cup.
The USA defeated Japan 5-2 in the final of the 2015 World Cup, becoming the first team in history to win three Women's World Cup titles. In the 16th minute, Carli Lloyd achieved the fastest hat-trick from kick-off in World Cup history, and Abby Wambach was greeted with a standing ovation for her last World Cup match. Following their 2015 World Cup win, the team was honored with a ticker tape parade in New York City, the first for a women's sports team. Sports Illustrated celebrated them with 25 covers of the magazine. President Barack Obama welcomed them to the White House, stating, "This team taught all of America's children that 'playing like a girl' means you're a badass," before going on to say, "'playing like a girl' means being the best."
On December 16, 2015, however, a 0-1 loss to China in Wambach's last game meant the team's first home loss since 2004, ending their 104-game home unbeaten streak.
In the 2016 Olympics, the U.S. drew against Sweden in the quarter-finals; in the following penalty kick phase, Sweden won the game 4-3. The loss marked the first time that the USWNT did not advance to the gold medal game of the Olympics, and the first time that the USWNT failed to advance to the semifinal round of a major tournament.
After the defeat in the 2016 Olympics, the USWNT underwent a year of experimentation which saw them losing 3 home games. If not for a comeback win against Brazil, the USWNT was on the brink of losing 4 home games in one year, a low never before seen by the USWNT. 2017 saw the USWNT play 12 games against teams ranked in the top-15 in the world. The USWNT heads into World Cup Qualifying in fall of 2018.
Maps United States women's national soccer team
Team image
Media coverage
U.S. TV coverage for the five Women's World Cups from 1995 to 2011 was provided by ESPN/ABC and Univision, while coverage rights for the three Women's World Cups from 2015 to 2023 were awarded to Fox Sports and Telemundo. In May 2014 a deal was signed to split TV coverage of other USWNT games between ESPN, Fox Sports, and Univision through the end of 2022. The USWNT games in the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship and the 2015 Algarve Cup were broadcast by Fox Sports.
The 1999 World Cup final set the original record for largest US television audience for a women's soccer match with 18 million viewers on average and was the most viewed English-language US broadcast of any soccer match until the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final between the United States and Japan.
The 2015 Women's World Cup Final between the USA and Japan was the most watched soccer match - men's or women's - in American broadcast history. It averaged 23 million viewers and higher ratings than the NBA finals and the Stanley Cup finals. The final was also the most watched US-Spanish language broadcast of a FIFA Women's World Cup match in history.
Overall, there were over 750 million viewers for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, making it the most watched Women's World Cup in history. The FIFA Women's World Cup is now the second most watched FIFA tournament, with only the men's FIFA World Cup attracting more viewership.
Attendance
The 1999 World Cup final, in which the USA defeated China, set a world attendance record for a women's sporting event of 90,185 in a sellout at the Rose Bowl in California. The record for Olympic women's soccer attendance was set by the 2012 Olympic final between the USWNT and Japan, with 80,023 spectators at Wembley Stadium.
Coaching staff
Team
Current squad
The following 22 players were named to the roster for the friendlies against Mexico on April 5 and 8, 2018.
Caps and goals are current as of March 7, 2018, after match against England.
Recent call-ups
The following players were also named to a squad in the last 12 months.
Notes:
- PRE = Preliminary squad
Recent schedule and results
The following is a list of match results from the previous year and the current year, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
2017
2018
- US Soccer Schedule
- US Soccer Results
- USA: Fixtures and Results - FIFA.com
Competitive record
- For results in minor tournaments, see the History of the United States women's national soccer team
The two highest-profile tournaments that the USWNT participates in are the quadrenniel FIFA Women's World Cup and the Summer Olympics.
World Cup
The team has participated in every World Cup through 2015 and won a medal in each.
Olympic Games
The team has participated in every Olympics tournament through 2016 and won a medal in each until 2016, when they were eliminated in the quarter-finals on a penalty shootout loss against Sweden.
Player records
- As of March 7, 2018. Active players are shown in Bold.
The women's national team boasts the first six players in the history of the game to have earned 200 caps. These players have since been joined in the 200-cap club by several players from other national teams, as well as by five more Americans: Kate Markgraf, Abby Wambach, Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd and Hope Solo. Kristine Lilly and Christie Rampone are the only players to earn more than 300 caps.
In March 2004, Mia Hamm and Michelle Akers were the only two women and the only two Americans named to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living soccer players chosen by Pelé as part of FIFA's centenary observances.
The USWNT All-Time Best XI was chosen In December 2013 by the United States Soccer Federation:
- Goalkeeper: Briana Scurry
- Defenders: Brandi Chastain, Carla Overbeck, Christie Rampone, Joy Fawcett
- Midfielders: Kristine Lilly, Michelle Akers, Julie Foudy
- Forwards: Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan
Most goals in a match
The record for most goals scored in a match by a member of the USWNT is five, which has been accomplished by seven players.
Head coaching history
- Statistics as of November 13, 2016
Honors
See also
- USWNT All-Time Best XI
- Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team - 2005 HBO documentary
- List of women's national football teams
- Women's association football around the world
- United States U-17 women's national soccer team
- United States U-20 women's national soccer team
- United States U-23 women's national soccer team
- Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), 2001-03
- Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), 2009-11
- National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), 2013-present
- Soccer in the United States
- United States men's national soccer team
References
External links
- Official website
- FIFA profile
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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