U.S. Women's Soccer Team

Updated through the 2012 Olympics. On a July afternoon in 1999, the proudest moment for U.S. soccer occurred in Pasadena, California. In the presence of more than 90,000 fans and viewed by another 40 million on television, the U.S. women outlasted China to win the World Cup. Although the United States has lagged far behind other countries in the mens game, it has been at the forefront when it comes to womens soccer.In the second edition of The U.S. Womens Soccer Team: An American Success Story, Clemente A. Lisi examines how the sport has gained popularity over the past few decades. While other books have been 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 programs infancy and how it steadily became a model for womens teams around the globe.Beginning with the start of the U.S. program in 1985, Lisi recounts the development of the womens team, highlighted by their two first place finishes in the Womens World Cups (1991 and 1999) and four Olympic womens gold medals (1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012). In addition to chronicling the history of the team as a whole, this book offers mini profiles and photographs of some of the best players over the years, including Julie Foudy, Amy Rodriguez, Hope Solo, and Mia Hamm.