Hamm, Wambach and Morgan headline the USWNT All-Time Best XI
WOMEN'S
Jenny Hojnacki
3 Yrs Ago
The U.S. Women’s National Team has dominated the world of women’s soccer from the very beginning. The Americans have won the World Cup four times, including the very first women’s edition back in 1991, and each of the last two tournaments. They have won gold at the Olympics four times and have finished in the top three of all but one of their major international events.
With all that winning, it’s no surprise that the USWNT All-Time XI is stocked with an unmatched collection of legends of women’s soccer. Some of the most prolific goal scorers, most steadfast defenders, and one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time have played for their ranks over the years and many of them remained fixtures in the team for long stretches of time.
Here is the USWNT All-Time Best XI:
Hope Solo, Goalkeeper
Solo holds almost every major USWNT goalkeeping record, including most appearances (202), starts (190), wins (153), and clean sheets (102). She was the starting goalkeeper for three World Cups, including when the USWNT made the final in 2011, and won it all in 2015 with Solo taking the Golden Gloves as the tournament’s top goalkeeper. In addition to that World Cup, Solo backstopped the USWNT during their gold medal runs at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Christie Rampone, Defender
Rampone was a fixture in the USWNT backline for many years. She represented her nation in five different World Cups, bookending her career with titles in 1999 and 2015, when she became the oldest woman to appear in a World Cup game at the age of 40. Rampone is the second most capped American international player of all time, male or female, with 311 caps.
Joy Fawcett, Defender
Fawcett was the centerpiece of the USWNT defense when they won the very first Women’s World Cup in 1991 and when they won it all on home soil in 1999. Known for being an excellent defender, she was also able to grab a goal from the backline. When she retired in 2004 she was the USWNT’s all-time leading scorer among defenders. Playing in four World Cups overall, Fawcett was the only USWNT player to play every minute during the 1995, 1999, and 2003 tournaments.
Carla Overbeck, Defender
Overbeck captained the USWNT during the 1999 World Cup and was known for her leadership and tenacity in defense. She anchored the USWNT defense that only allowed only five goals in six games during the 1991 World Cup and played every minute during the title run eight years later. Overbeck finished her career in 2000 with the two World Cups and the very first gold medal in Women’s Soccer at the Olympics in 1996.
Brandi Chastain, Defender
Chastain will always be known for scoring the winning penalty in the 1999 World Cup Final at the Rose Bowl and for the subsequent celebration where she ripped off her jersey and fell to her knees in joy. The moment became an iconic image of female empowerment and is one of the most famous images in women’s sports. Chastain is more than just that moment, however. She debuted in 1988 and scored a total of 30 goals playing mostly as a defender. She was known for her toughness, especially when she played through a knee injury in the semifinal and final of the 1996 Olympics.
Carli Lloyd, Midfielder
Whenever the USWNT needed a huge goal in the final of a major tournament, odds are good Carli Lloyd would show up to provide it. She scored the game winning goals in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic finals and is the second player, male or female, to score a hat trick in a World Cup Final when she bagged three goals, including one from the halfway line, against Japan in 2015. She scored six goals overall in that tournament, tied for the tournament lead, and her performances led her to winning the final FIFA Women’s Player of the Year Award.
Kristine Lilly, Midfielder
Nobody has more international caps, male or female, in the entire world than Kristine Lilly. She made her USWNT debut in 1987 and, 23 years and 354 appearances later, wrapped up her career in a World Cup Qualifying defeat against Mexico on November 5, 2010. Lilly played in five World Cups during that time, including the 1991 and 1999 championship squads, while also winning Olympic gold in 1996 and 2005. She literally saved the USWNT’s title hopes in 1999 when she cleared a shot off the line in extra time of the final, stopping what would have been a golden goal that would have handed China the victory.
Michelle Akers, Midfielder
Akers was the USWNT’s first truly prolific goal scorer. She won the Golden Boot in the 1991 World Cup with 10 goals, including both American goals in the 2-1 win over Norway in the final. Akers was a part of the USWNT for its first ever game back in 1985 in the Mundialito Tournament in Italy, although an ankle injury kept her from seeing any action. She did score the first goal in program history, though, in a 2-2 tie against Denmark.
Mia Hamm, Forward
Widely regarded as one of the best players in women’s soccer history, Hamm played a part in two world championship teams and served as the face of the sport in its formative years. The speedy striker retired in 2004 with 158 international goals, more than any man or woman at the time. In addition to her goal-scoring prowess, Hamm still holds the USWNT career assists record with 144. She won each of the first two FIFA Women’s Player of the Year Awards in 2001 and 2002.
Abby Wambach, Forward
Wambach made her USWNT debut in 2001 and went on to break Hamm’s all-time goal scoring record in 2013. She retired with 184 goals overall, the most of any soccer player until Canada’s Christine Sinclair broke that record in the 2019 World Cup. A member of the 2015 World Cup-winning USWNT squad, Wambach finished her national team career with 255 appearances. None of her goals will be remembered nearly as well as her 122nd-minute goal in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal against Brazil, when she headed home a Megan Rapinoe cross to send the game to penalties. It was the latest goal in FIFA competition history and sparked the USWNT’s run to the final that year.
Alex Morgan, Forward
Morgan is the current lead striker for the USWNT and has put up goal scoring and assist numbers that few women have ever seen. One of only two American women to score 20 goals and provide 20 assists in a single year (Hamm being the other), Morgan was the youngest USWNT player to score 20 goals in a year when she did so in 2012 at the age of 23. Morgan scored five goals in the 2019 World Cup opener against Thailand and tied with teammate Megan Rapinoe for the most in the tournament. Overall, Morgan has 107 international goals in 169 matches with the USWNT and she has plenty more waiting for her in the future.