The U.S. Women's Soccer Team

On a July afternoon in 1999, this country's proudest moment in soccer occurred in Pasadena, California. In the presence of more than 90,000 fans and viewed by another 40 million watching on television, the United States women outlasted China to win the World Cup. Though it has lagged far behind in regard to the men's game, the United States was at the forefront when it came to women's soccer. In The U.S. Women's Soccer Team: An American Success Story, Clemente A. Lisi looks at how the sport has gained popularity over the last couple of decades. While other books have written about the team during a specific year, such as those focused solely on the World Cup win on U.S. soil, Lisi looks beyond this event, detailing the program's infancy and how it steadily became a model for women's teams around the globe. Beginning with the start of the U.S. program in 1985, Clemente Lisi recounts the development of the women's team, highlighted by their two first place finishes in the Women's World Cups (1991 and 1999) and three Olympic Women's Gold Medals (1996, 2004, and 2008). In addition to chronicling the history of the team as a whole, this book offers mini profiles, as well as photographs, of some of the best players over the years, including Julie Foudy, Amy Rodriguez, Hope Solo, and Mia Hamm.