United States women's national soccer team

Origins in the 1980s

The passing of Title IX in 1972, which outlawed gender-based discrimination for federally-funded education programs, spurred the creation of college soccer teams across the United States at a time when women's soccer was rising in popularity internationally.^[8] The U.S. Soccer Federation tasked coach Mike Ryan to select a roster of college players to participate in the 1985 Mundialito tournament in Italy, its first foray into women's international soccer.^[9] The team played its first match on August 18, 1985, losing 1–0 to Italy, and finished the tournament in fourth place after failing to win its remaining matches against Denmark and England.^[10][11]

University of North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance was hired as the team's first full-time head coach in 1986 with the goal of fielding a competitive women's team at the next Mundialito and at future tournaments.^[11] In their first Mundialito under Dorrance, the United States defeated China, Brazil, and Japan before finishing as runners-up to Italy.^[12] Dorrance gave national team appearances to teenage players, including future stars Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, and Kristine Lilly, instead of the college players preferred by the federation, and called into camp the first African-American player on the team, Kim Crabbe.^[13][14] The United States played in the 1988 FIFA Women's Invitation Tournament in China, a FIFA-sanctioned competition to test the feasibility of a regular women's championship, and lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Norway.^[11]

1990s

Following the 1988 tournament, FIFA announced plans for a new women's tournament, named the 1st FIFA World Championship for Women's Football for the M&M's Cup until it was retroactively named the "World Cup". The United States qualified for the tournament by winning the inaugural CONCACAF Women's Championship, hosted by Haiti in April 1991, outscoring their opponents 49–0 for the sole CONCACAF berth in the tournament.^[11][15] The team played several exhibition matches abroad against European opponents to prepare for the world championship, while its players quit their regular jobs to train full-time with meager compensation.^[16][17] Dorrance utilized a 4–3–3 formation that was spearheaded by the "Triple-Edged Sword" of forward Michelle Akers and wingers Carin Jennings and April Heinrichs.^[18]

At the Women's World Cup, the United States won all three of its group stage matches and outscored its opponents 11–2. In the opening match against Sweden, the U.S. took a 3–0 lead early in the second half, but conceded two goals to end the match with a narrower 3–2 victory. The U.S. proceeded to win 5–0 in its second match against Brazil and 3–0 in its third match against Japan, clinching first place in the group and a quarterfinal berth.^[19] The United States proceeded with a 7–0 victory in the quarterfinals over Chinese Taipei, fueled by a five-goal performance by Akers in the first fifty minutes of the match.^[19]

In the semifinals against Germany, Jennings scored a hattrick in the first half as the team clinched a place in the final with a 5–2 victory.^[20] The team's lopsided victories in the earlier rounds had brought attention from American media outlets, but the final match was not televised live in the U.S.^[19] The United States won the inaugural Women's World Cup title by defeating Norway 2–1 in the final, played in front of 65,000 spectators at Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, as Akers scored twice to create and restore a lead for the Americans.^[21] Akers finished as the top goalscorer at the tournament, with ten goals, and Jennings was awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.^[22]

Despite their Women's World Cup victory, the U.S. team remained in relative obscurity and received a small welcome from several U.S. Soccer Federation officials upon arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.^[23] The team were given fewer resources and little attention from the federation as they focused on improving the men's national team in preparation for the 1994 men's World Cup that would be hosted in the United States.^[24] The women's team was placed on hiatus after the tournament, only playing twice in 1992, but returned the following year to play in several tournaments hosted in Cyprus, Canada, and the United States, including a second CONCACAF Championship title. The program was still supported better than those of the former Soviet Union, where soccer was considered a "men's game".^[25][24][26]

The United States played in several friendly tournaments to prepare for the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup and its qualification campaign. The first was the inaugural staging of the Algarve Cup in Portugal, which saw the team win its two group stage matches but lose 1–0 to Norway in the final. It was followed by a victory in the Chiquita Cup, an exhibition tournament hosted in August on the U.S. East Coast against Germany, China, and Norway.^[27][28] Dorrance resigned from his position as head coach in early August and was replaced by his assistant, Tony DiCicco, a former professional goalkeeper who played in the American Soccer League.^[24][29] DiCicco led the United States to a berth in the Women's World Cup by winning the 1994 CONCACAF Championship, where the team scored 36 goals and conceded only one.^[27]

In February 1995, the U.S. women's program opened a permanent training and treatment facility in Sanford, Florida, and began a series of warm-up friendlies that were paid for by American company Nike.^[30] The team topped their group in the Women's World Cup, despite a 3–3 tie with China in the opening match and losing goalkeeper Briana Scurry to a red card in their second match. The United States proceeded to beat Japan 4–0 in the quarterfinals, but lost 1–0 to eventual champions Norway in the semifinals. The team finished in third place, winning 2–0 in its consolation match against China.

The team won the gold medal in the inaugural Olympic women's soccer tournament in the 1996 Summer Olympics, defeating China 2–1 in the final before a crowd of 76,481 fans.^[31] An influential victory came in the 1999 World Cup, when the team defeated China 5–4 in a penalty shootout following a 0–0 draw after extended time.^[32] Foudy, Lilly, and the rest of the 1999 team started a revolution towards women's team sports in America. 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 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 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.^[33] This win influenced many girls to want to play on a soccer team.^[34] In the 2000 Summer Olympics, the USWNT were close to defending their gold medal but were controversially defeated by Norway in the final with a golden goal in extra time, which involved an alleged handball in the lead-up.^[35]

2000s

In the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup, the U.S. defeated Norway 1–0 in the quarterfinals but lost 3–0 to Germany in the semifinals. The team then defeated Canada 3–1 to claim third place.^[36] Abby Wambach was the team's top scorer with three goals, while Joy Fawcett and Shannon Boxx made the tournament's all-star team. In the 2004 Olympics, the last major international tournament for Hamm and Foudy, the U.S. earned the gold medal, winning 2–1 over Brazil in the final on an extra time goal by Wambach.^[37]

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 4–0 in the semifinals.^[38] The U.S. recovered to defeat Norway to take third place.^[39] Wambach was the team's leading scorer with 6 goals, and Lilly was the only American named to the tournament's all-star team.

The team won another gold medal in the 2008 Olympics,^[40] but interest in the Women's National Team had diminished since their performance in the 1999 World Cup. However, the second women's professional league was created in March 2009, Women's Professional Soccer.

2010s

In the quarterfinal of the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany, the U.S. defeated Brazil 5–3 on penalty kicks. 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.^[41][42] 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 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.^[43] 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.^[44] 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.^[44]

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.^[45][46] 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.^[47][48]

The U.S. 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 Wambach was greeted with a standing ovation for her last World Cup match.^[49] 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, and honored by President Barack Obama at the White House.^[50] On December 16, 2015, however, a 1–0 loss to China in Wambach's last game meant the team's first home loss since 2004, ending their 104-game home unbeaten streak.^[51]

In the 2016 Summer Olympics, the U.S. drew against Sweden in the quarterfinal; 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.^[52]

After the defeat in the 2016 Olympics, the USWNT underwent a year of experimentation which saw them losing three home games. If not for a comeback win against Brazil, the USWNT was on the brink of losing four 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.^[53]

Throughout 2018, the U.S. would pick up two major tournament wins, winning both the SheBelieves Cup^[54] and the Tournament of Nations.^[55] The team would enter qualifying for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup on a 21-game unbeaten streak and dominated the competition, winning all five of its games and the tournament whilst qualifying for the World Cup as well as scoring 18 goals and conceding none.^[56] On March 7, 2018, Alyssa Alhadeff, the captain of the Parkland Soccer Club, who was killed by gunman Nikolas Cruz in the Parkland High School shooting nearly three weeks earlier, was honored by the U.S. prior to a game against England in Orlando during the 2018 SheBelieves Cup. Alhadeff's teammates and family were invited to the game and presented with official jerseys that featured her name.^[57] The U.S. won the game 1–0, winning its second SheBelieves Cup title in three years.^[54] On November 8, 2018, the U.S. earned their 500th victory in team history after a 1–0 victory over Portugal.^[58] The start of 2019 saw the U.S. lose an away game to France, 3–1, marking the end of a 28-game unbeaten streak and their first loss since a 1–0 defeat to Australia in July 2017.^[59]

The USWNT started off their 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup campaign with a 13–0 victory against Thailand, setting a new Women's World Cup goal record. Alex Morgan equaled Akers' record of scoring five goals in a single World Cup match, while four of her teammates scored their first World Cup goals in their debut at the tournament.^[60] The U.S. would win its next match against Chile 3–0^[61] before concluding the group stage with a win of 2–0 over Sweden.^[62] The team emerged as the winners of Group F and would go on to face Spain in the Round of 16, whom they would defeat 2–1 thanks to a pair of Megan Rapinoe penalties.^[63] The team would achieve identical results in their next two games. With 2–1 victories over France^[64] and then England^[65] seeing them advance to a record third straight World Cup final, they played against the Netherlands for the title. They beat the Netherlands 2–0 in the final on July 7, 2019, becoming the first team in history to win four Women's World Cup titles.

On July 30, 2019, Jill Ellis announced that she would step down as head coach following the conclusion of the team's post-World Cup victory tour on October 6, 2019.^[66]

Vlatko Andonovski was hired as head coach of the USWNT in October 2019, replacing Ellis.^[67]

2020s

The USWNT began the new decade by winning both the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament (which qualified the team for the 2020 Summer Olympics) and the 2020 SheBelieves Cup titles.^[68][69][70]

In early March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the USSF canceled previously scheduled USWNT friendlies against Australia and Brazil.^[71] Later that same month, it was announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government that the 2020 Summer Olympics were to be postponed until July 2021.^[72] The USWNT played their first game in eight months on November 27, 2020, when they took on the Netherlands in a friendly match. Rose Lavelle and Kristie Mewis scored, the team winning the game 2–0.

On July 21, 2021, the USWNT lost 3–0 against Sweden in the opening round of group stage at the 2020 Summer Olympics, thus ending a 44-match unbeaten streak.^[73] The U.S. rebounded by winning their 2nd match against New Zealand, before concluding the group stage by drawing 0–0 with Australia. The team finished second in the group stage and qualified for the knockout stage. They first faced World Cup runners-up Netherlands, with whom they drew 2–2 after extra-time before winning the match in a penalty shootout. The USWNT advanced to the semifinals, where they faced Canada. However, the team lost to Canada 1–0 by a penalty scored by Jessie Fleming. They later faced Australia again in the bronze medal match in a rematch of their final group stage game. The U.S. won 4–3, making it the first time the team had won the bronze medal.^[74]

In July 2022, the team competed in the CONCACAF W Championship. The USWNT won its group, outscoring opponents 9–0 in the group stage, and then won the semifinal 3–0 against Costa Rica and the final 1–0 against Canada.^[75][76][77] It was their ninth CONCACAF championship title.^[78] By reaching the semifinal, the team qualified for the 2023 World Cup, and by winning the final, it qualified for both the 2024 Summer Olympics in France and the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup.

In November 2022, the USWNT's 71-game home unbeaten streak ended, after a 2–1 defeat in an exhibition game against Germany.^[79]

At the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, the USWNT were in Group E along with Netherlands, Portugal and Vietnam. They had gone in hoping to be the first men's or women's team to pull off a three-peat at the World Cup.^[80] The USWNT opened with a 3–0 win over Vietnam, followed this up with a 1–1 draw against Netherlands and finished up with a 0–0 draw against Portugal, to finish second in the group, avoiding elimination after a shot from Portugal struck the goalpost in injury time. This marked the least amount of points the team has ever gained in a group stage (counting 1991 results as 3 points for a win) and set them up for a round of 16 match against Sweden, where they played out a goalless draw and lost 5–4 after a penalty shootout. This marked the first time since the 2016 Summer Olympics that the United States did not reach the semifinals of a major tournament.^[81] It also marked the first Women's World Cup the United States wouldn't finish in the Top 3, and their earliest elimination in either the Women's World Cup or the Olympics. On August 17, 2023, Andonovski resigned as head coach and Twila Kilgore became the interim head coach.^[82] That August the team dropped to third in the FIFA Women's World Ranking, their worst ever position.^[83]

Media coverage

U.S. television coverage for the five Women's World Cups from 1995 to 2011 was provided by ESPN/ABC and Univision,^[84][85] while coverage rights for the three Women's World Cups from 2015 to 2023 were awarded to Fox Sports and Telemundo.^[86][87] In December 2021, a deal was signed to broadcast TV coverage of other USWNT games between TNT and TBS and streaming on HBO Max through the end of 2030. The USWNT games in the 2014 CONCACAF Women's Championship and the 2015 Algarve Cup were broadcast by Fox Sports.^[88][89] NBC will broadcast the Olympic tournament through 2032.^[90]

The 1999 World Cup final set the original record for largest U.S. television audience for a women's soccer match, averaging 18 million viewers.^[91][92] It was the most viewed English-language U.S. broadcast of any soccer match until the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup final between the United States and Japan.^[93]

The 2015 Women's World Cup Final between the United States and Japan was the most watched soccer match, men's or women's in American broadcast history.^[94] It averaged 23 million viewers and higher ratings than the NBA finals and the Stanley Cup finals.^[94][95] 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.^[96]

In popular culture

A narrative nonfiction book covering the entire history of the team from 1985 to 2019 called The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer was named one of Vanity Fair's best books of 2019 and made NPR's 2019 year-end books list.^[97][98] A book about the team's 1999 Women's World Cup campaign, Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How It Changed the World was released in 2001 and in 2020 Netflix announced a film based on the book.^[99]

In 2005, HBO released a documentary called Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team.^[100] In 2013, a documentary about the 1999 World Cup-winning team called The 99ers was produced by former player Julie Foudy and ESPN Films.^[101]

Attendance

The 1999 World Cup final, in which the United States defeated China, set a world attendance record for a women's sporting event of 90,185 in a sellout at the Rose Bowl in Southern California (until it was broken on March 30, 2022, with 91,553 people at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain in the second-leg of a UEFA Women's Champions League match).^[102] 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.^[103]

Pay discrimination

Since 2016, the players of the U.S. team had waged an escalating legal fight with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) over gender discrimination. Central to their demands was equal pay. The players pointed to their lower paychecks as compared to their male counterparts despite their higher record of success in recent years.^[104]

In April 2016, five U.S. team players filed a wage-discrimination action against the USSF with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.^[105] The group consisted of Hope Solo, Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, and Becky Sauerbrunn.

One year later, in April 2017, the U.S. team agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the USSF. The agreement stated that the U.S. team players would have an increased base pay and improved match bonuses. These changes could increase their previous pay from $200,000 to $300,000. However, the CBA did not guarantee equal pay compared to the men's team. The CBA's five-year term through 2021 ensured that the next negotiation would not become an issue for the team for the 2019 World Cup and the 2020 Olympics. On top of this CBA, the USSF had agreed to pay the players for two years' worth of unequal per-diem payments.^[106]

On March 8, 2019, 28 members of the U.S. team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the USSF.^[107] The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, accused the USSF of "institutional gender discrimination."^[108] The lawsuit claimed that the discrimination affected not only the amount the players were paid but also their playing, training, and travel conditions. In May 2020, several key parts of the case were dismissed, with federal judge R. Gary Klausner noting that the team had agreed to take higher base compensation and other benefits in their most recent CBA instead of the bonuses received by the men's team.^[109]

On March 8, 2021, the second anniversary of the team's pay discrimination lawsuit, Congresswomen Doris Matsui and Rosa DeLauro introduced the Give Our Athletes Level Salaries (GOALS) Act to ensure the team members "are paid fair and equitable wages compared to the U.S. Men's team."^[110] The GOALS Act threatened to cut federal funding for the 2026 World Cup if the USSF did not comply.^[111]

On February 22, 2022, the USSF agreed to settle the lawsuit for $24 million, contingent upon the U.S. team agreeing to a new CBA. $22 million would go to the players named in the case, and $2 million would contribute toward players' post-playing career and other women's soccer charitable efforts.^[7][112] On May 18, 2022, the U.S. team agreed to a new CBA that would run through 2028 and would equalize compensation, bonuses, and other work conditions between the women's and the men's national teams friendlies, therefore finalizing the legal settlement. The new agreement mandates that men and women split prize money from international competitions equally, making it the first such instance in the world.^[113]

Artificial turf

Along with their lawsuit for pay-equity, the US Women's Soccer players have fought FIFA on policies regarding artificial turf. This battle to eliminate its use in major women's games heightened around the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada; during this tournament, the US played eight of their ten games on artificial turf.^[114] Prior to the 2015 World Cup, Abby Wambach headed a discrimination lawsuit with other global soccer stars including Marta of Brazil and Homare Sawa of Japan.^[115] Due to the tournament's quick approach, the suit was dropped as players were denied an expedited hearing.

Coaching staff

Role	Name	Start date	Ref.
Manager	Emma Hayes	May 2024	[116]
Interim manager	Twila Kilgore	August 2023	[117]
Assistant managers	Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak	January 2022	[118]

Technical staff

Role	Name	Start date	Ref.
Sporting director	Matt Crocker	April 2023	[119]
Vice president of sporting	Oguchi Onyewu	May 2023	[120]

Head coach history

As of April 9, 2024, after match against  Canada

Below is the record of each head coach in the national team's history.^{[121][122][123]} The winning percentages given are per U.S. Soccer, with draws counted as ½ wins.^[124]

Name	Years	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %	World Cup	Olympics
Mike Ryan	1985	4	0	1	3	.125
Anson Dorrance	1986–1994	92	65	5	22	.734
Tony DiCicco	1994–1999[a]	121	105	8	8	.901
Lauren Gregg	2000 (interim)[b]	3	2	1	0	.833
April Heinrichs	2000–2004	124	87	20	17	.782
Greg Ryan	2005–2007	55	45	9	1	.900
Pia Sundhage	2008–2012	107	91	10	6	.897
Tom Sermanni	2012–2014	24	18	4	2	.833
Jill Ellis	2012 (interim), 2014–2019	132	106	19	7	.875		5th
Vlatko Andonovski	2019–2023	65	51	9	5	.854	9th
Twila Kilgore	2023–present (interim)	14	10	3	1	.821
Totals		741	580	89	72	.843

Notes

Current squad

The following 23 players were named to the squad for 2024 SheBelieves Cup.^[127]

Caps and goals are current as of April 9, 2024, after match against  Canada.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Alyssa Naeher	(1988-04-20) April 20, 1988 (age 36)	104	0	Chicago Red Stars
18	1GK	Casey Murphy	(1996-04-25) April 25, 1996 (age 28)	18	0	North Carolina Courage
21	1GK	Jane Campbell	(1995-02-17) February 17, 1995 (age 29)	7	0	Houston Dash
2	2DF	Abby Dahlkemper	(1993-05-13) May 13, 1993 (age 30)	84	0	San Diego Wave FC
3	2DF	Jenna Nighswonger	(2000-11-28) November 28, 2000 (age 23)	7	2	NJ/NY Gotham FC
4	2DF	Naomi Girma	(2000-06-14) June 14, 2000 (age 23)	31	0	San Diego Wave FC
6	2DF	Eva Gaetino	(2002-12-17) December 17, 2002 (age 21)	0	0	Paris Saint-Germain
12	2DF	Tierna Davidson	(1998-09-19) September 19, 1998 (age 25)	57	1	NJ/NY Gotham FC
19	2DF	Crystal Dunn	(1992-07-03) July 3, 1992 (age 31)	145	24	NJ/NY Gotham FC
20	2DF	Casey Krueger	(1990-08-23) August 23, 1990 (age 33)	47	0	Washington Spirit
23	2DF	Emily Fox	(1998-07-05) July 5, 1998 (age 25)	47	1	Arsenal
5	3MF	Olivia Moultrie	(2005-09-17) September 17, 2005 (age 18)	4	2	Portland Thorns FC
10	3MF	Lindsey Horan	(1994-05-26) May 26, 1994 (age 29)	146	35	Lyon
14	3MF	Emily Sonnett	(1993-11-25) November 25, 1993 (age 30)	90	2	NJ/NY Gotham FC
15	3MF	Korbin Albert	(2003-10-13) October 13, 2003 (age 20)	9	0	Paris Saint-Germain
16	3MF	Lily Yohannes	(2007-06-12) June 12, 2007 (age 16)	0	0	Ajax
17	3MF	Sam Coffey	(1998-12-31) December 31, 1998 (age 25)	15	1	Portland Thorns FC
7	4FW	Catarina Macario	(1999-10-04) October 4, 1999 (age 24)	18	8	Chelsea
8	4FW	Jaedyn Shaw	(2004-10-20) October 20, 2004 (age 19)	12	7	San Diego Wave FC
9	4FW	Mallory Swanson	(1998-04-29) April 29, 1998 (age 25)	90	32	Chicago Red Stars
11	4FW	Sophia Smith	(2000-08-10) August 10, 2000 (age 23)	46	18	Portland Thorns FC
13	4FW	Alex Morgan	(1989-07-02) July 2, 1989 (age 34)	223	123	San Diego Wave FC
22	4FW	Trinity Rodman	(2002-05-20) May 20, 2002 (age 21)	36	7	Washington Spirit

Recent call-ups

The following players were also named to a squad in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Aubrey Kingsbury	(1991-11-20) November 20, 1991 (age 32)	2	0	Washington Spirit	v.  China; December 5, 2023
DF	Becky Sauerbrunn	(1985-06-06) June 6, 1985 (age 38)	219	0	Portland Thorns FC	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
DF	Alana Cook	(1997-04-11) April 11, 1997 (age 27)	29	1	Seattle Reign FC	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup PRE
DF	Gisele Thompson	(2005-12-02) December 2, 2005 (age 18)	0	0	Angel City FC	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup PRE
DF	M.A. Vignola	(1998-02-11) February 11, 1998 (age 26)	1	0	Angel City FC	v.  China; December 5, 2023
DF	Sofia Huerta	(1992-12-14) December 14, 1992 (age 31)	32	0	Seattle Reign FC	v.  Colombia; October 29, 2023
DF	Kelley O'Hara	(1988-08-04) August 4, 1988 (age 35)	160	3	NJ/NY Gotham FC	v.  South Africa; September 21, 2023 PRE
MF	Rose Lavelle	(1995-05-14) May 14, 1995 (age 28)	98	24	NJ/NY Gotham FC	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
MF	Savannah DeMelo	(1998-03-26) March 26, 1998 (age 26)	7	0	Racing Louisville FC	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup PRE
MF	Andi Sullivan	(1995-12-20) December 20, 1995 (age 28)	52	3	Washington Spirit	v.  Colombia; October 29, 2023
MF	Ashley Sanchez	(1999-03-16) March 16, 1999 (age 25)	27	3	North Carolina Courage	v.  Colombia; October 29, 2023
MF	Julie Ertz	(1992-04-06) April 6, 1992 (age 32)	123	20	Retired	v.  South Africa; September 21, 2023
MF	Kristie Mewis	(1991-02-25) February 25, 1991 (age 33)	53	7	West Ham United	2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
FW	Lynn Williams	(1993-05-21) May 21, 1993 (age 30)	63	18	NJ/NY Gotham FC	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
FW	Midge Purce	(1995-09-18) September 18, 1995 (age 28)	30	4	NJ/NY Gotham FC	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
FW	Mia Fishel	(2001-04-30) April 30, 2001 (age 22)	3	1	Chelsea	2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup PRE
FW	Ashley Hatch	(1995-05-25) May 25, 1995 (age 28)	22	5	Washington Spirit	v.  China; December 5, 2023
FW	Alyssa Thompson	(2004-11-07) November 7, 2004 (age 19)	9	0	Angel City FC	v.  China; December 5, 2023
FW	Megan Rapinoe	(1985-07-05) July 5, 1985 (age 38)	203	63	Retired	v.  South Africa; September 24, 2023

Notes:

• PRE: Preliminary squad

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win  Draw  Lose  Postponed

2023

United States  v  Wales

July 9 Friendly	United States	2–0	Wales	San Jose, California
16:00 ET	Rodman 76', 87'	Report		Stadium: PayPal Park Attendance: 18,000 Referee: Karen Hernandez (Mexico)

United States  v  Vietnam

July 21 World Cup GS	United States	3–0	Vietnam	Auckland, New Zealand
21:00 ET	Smith 14', 45+7' Horan 77'	Report		Stadium: Eden Park Attendance: 41,107 Referee: Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco)

United States  v  Netherlands

July 26 World Cup GS	United States	1–1	Netherlands	Wellington, New Zealand
21:00 ET	Horan 62'	Report	Roord 17'	Stadium: Wellington Regional Stadium Attendance: 27,312 Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan)

Portugal  v  United States

August 1 World Cup GS	Portugal	0–0	United States	Auckland, New Zealand
03:00 ET		Report		Stadium: Eden Park Attendance: 40,958 Referee: Rebecca Welch (England)

Sweden  v  United States

August 6 World Cup Round of 16	Sweden	0–0 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p)	United States	Melbourne, Australia
03:00 ET		Report		Stadium: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium Attendance: 27,706 Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (France)
	Penalties
	Rolfö Rubensson Björn Blomqvist Bennison Eriksson Hurtig		Sullivan Horan Mewis Rapinoe Smith Naeher O'Hara

United States  v  South Africa

September 21 Friendly	United States	3–0	South Africa	Cincinnati, Ohio
19:30 ET	Williams 32', 41' Rodman 34'	Report		Stadium: TQL Stadium Attendance: 22,016 Referee: Katia Garcia (Mexico)

United States  v  South Africa

September 24 Friendly	United States	2–0	South Africa	Chicago, Illinois
17:30 ET	Rodman 18' Sonnett 49'	Report		Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 25,622 Referee: Carly Shaw-MacLaren (Canada)

United States  v  Colombia

October 26 Friendly	United States	0–0	Colombia	Sandy, Utah
21:00 ET		Report		Stadium: America First Field Attendance: 13,058 Referee: Melissa Borjas (Honduras)

United States  v  Colombia

October 29 Friendly	United States	3–0	Colombia	San Diego, California
17:30 ET	Fishel 56' Horan 62' Shaw 83'	Report		Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium Attendance: 16,202 Referee: Odette Hamilton (Jamaica)

United States  v  China

December 2 Friendly	United States	3–0	China	Fort Lauderdale, Florida
18:00 ET	Smith 8' Horan 52' Rodman 77'	Report		Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Attendance: 8,768 Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (Canada)

United States  v  China

December 5 Friendly	United States	2–1	China	Frisco, Texas
20:00 ET	Coffey 62' Shaw 79'	Report	Shen 45+1'	Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 11,024 Referee: Lizzet Garcia (Mexico)

2024

United States  v  Dominican Republic

February 20 Gold Cup GS	United States	5–0	Dominican Republic	Carson, California
22:15 ET	Moultrie 7', 58' Williams 30' Nighswonger 86' (pen.) Morgan 90+2' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Dignity Health Sports Park Attendance: 3,242 Referee: Astrid Gramajo (Guatemala)

Argentina  v  United States

February 23 Gold Cup GS	Argentina	0–4	United States	Carson, California
22:15 ET	Mayorga  45+5'   75' Cometti  65'	Report	Shaw 10', 17',  58' Morgan 19' Horan 77' (pen.)	Stadium: Dignity Health Sports Park Attendance: 8,315 Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (Canada)

United States  v  Mexico

February 26 Gold Cup GS	United States	0–2	Mexico	Carson, California
22:15 ET		Report	Ovalle  29', 38' Luna  88' Pelayo 90+2'	Stadium: Dignity Health Sports Park Attendance: 11,612 Referee: Melissa Borjas (Honduras)

United States  v  Colombia

March 3 Gold Cup QF	United States	3–0	Colombia	Los Angeles, California
20:15 ET	Horan 13' (pen.),  67' Morgan  18' Rodman  21' Nighswonger 22' Shaw 45+2'	Report	Carabalí  11' Umse  15' Restrepo  68' Paví  75'	Stadium: BMO Stadium Attendance: 16,746 Referee: Marianela Araya (Costa Rica)

Canada  v  United States

March 6 Gold Cup SF	Canada	2–2 (a.e.t.) (1–3 p)	United States	San Diego, California
19:00 ET	Huitema 82' Leon 120+7' (pen.)	Report	Shaw 20' Smith 99'	Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium Attendance: 15,245 Referee: Katia García (Mexico)
	Penalties
	Leon Huitema Quinn Fleming		Smith Albert Naeher Horan

United States  v  Brazil

March 10 Gold Cup F	United States	1–0	Brazil	San Diego, California
20:15 ET	Horan 45+1'	Report		Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium Attendance: 31,528 Referee: Melissa Borjas (Honduras)

United States  v  Japan

April 6 SheBelieves Cup SF	United States	2–1	Japan	Atlanta, Georgia
12:30 ET	Shaw 21' Horan 77' (pen.)	Report	Seike 1'	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 50,644 Referee: Myriam Marcotte (Canada)

United States  v  Canada

April 9 SheBelieves Cup F	United States	2–2 (5–4 p)	Canada	Columbus, Ohio
19:00 ET	Smith 50', 68'	Report	Leon 40', 86' (pen.)	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 19,049 Referee: Crystal Sobers (Trinidad and Tobago)
	Penalties
	Rodman Smith Naeher Horan Sonnett Dahlkemper Fox		Fleming Leon Rose Lacasse Grosso Lawrence Viens

United States  v  South Korea

June 1 Friendly	United States	v	South Korea	Commerce City, Colorado
17:00 ET				Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park

United States  v  South Korea

June 4 Friendly	United States	v	South Korea	St. Paul, Minnesota
20:00 ET				Stadium: Allianz Field

United States  v  Mexico

July 13 Friendly	United States	v	Mexico	Harrison, New Jersey
15:30 ET				Stadium: Red Bull Arena

United States  v  Costa Rica

July 16 Friendly	United States	v	Costa Rica	Washington, D.C.
19:30 ET				Stadium: Audi Field

United States  v  Zambia

July 25 Olympics GS	United States	v	Zambia	Nice, France
15:00 ET				Stadium: Stade de Nice

United States  v  Germany

July 28 Olympics GS	United States	v	Germany	Marseille, France
15:00 ET				Stadium: Stade de Marseille

Australia  v  United States

July 31 Olympics GS	Australia	v	United States	Marseille, France
13:00 ET				Stadium: Stade de Marseille

• USWNT Schedule
• USWNT Results
• USA: Fixtures and Results – FIFA.com

As of April 9, 2024

Sources^{[131][132][133][134]}

Player records

As of April 9, 2024. 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.^[135] These players have since been joined in the 200-cap club by several players from other national teams, as well as by seven more Americans: Kate Markgraf, Abby Wambach, Heather O'Reilly, Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Alex Morgan.^[136] Kristine Lilly, Carli Lloyd, and Christie Pearce 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.^{[citation needed]}

The following players were chosen as the USWNT All-Time Best XI in December 2013 by the United States Soccer Federation:^[137]

• 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

Source(s)^[138][139]

Source(s)^[138][139]

Source(s)^[140][141]

Source(s)^{[142][143][144][145]}

Notes

Most goals in a match

Player	Date	Opponent	Location	Competition	Line-up
Brandi Chastain	April 18, 1991[155]	Mexico[155]	Port-au-Prince, Haiti	World Cup Qualifying Tournament	Substitute (41') (80 minute match)
Michelle Akers	November 24, 1991[155]	Chinese Taipei[155]	Foshan, China	1991 FIFA World Cup	Starting (80 minute match)
Tiffeny Milbrett	November 2, 2002[155]	Panama[155]	Seattle, United States	2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Starting
Abby Wambach	October 23, 2004[155]	Republic of Ireland[155]	Houston, United States	International Friendly	Starting
Amy Rodriguez	January 20, 2012[155]	Dominican Republic[155]	Vancouver, Canada	2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament	Substitute (46')
Sydney Leroux	January 22, 2012[155]	Guatemala[155]			Substitute (46')
Crystal Dunn	February 15, 2016[155]	Puerto Rico[155]	Frisco, United States	2016 Olympic Qualifying Tournament	Starting
Alex Morgan	June 11, 2019[155]	Thailand[155]	Reims, France	2019 FIFA World Cup	Starting
Carli Lloyd	September 16, 2021[156]	Paraguay	Cleveland, United States	International Friendly	Starting

Note: The goal record for most scored in a match by a member of the USWNT is five, which has been accomplished by the nine players above.

Head coach records

• Most appearances: Jill Ellis: 132
• Most wins: Jill Ellis: 106

Biggest victory

• 14–0 vs. Dominican Republic, January 20, 2012

Biggest defeat

• 0–4 vs. Brazil, September 27, 2007

FIFA Women's World Cup

The team has participated in every World Cup through 2023 and won a medal in each of the first eight editions until 2023, when they lost to Sweden on penalties in the round of 16.

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Host	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Coach
1991	Champions	6	6	0	0	25	5	Anson Dorrance
1995	Third place	6	4	1	1	15	5	Tony DiCicco
1999	Champions	6	5	1	0	18	3
2003	Third place	6	5	0	1	15	5	April Heinrichs
2007	Third place	6	4	1	1	12	7	Greg Ryan
2011	Runners-up	6	3	2	1	13	7	Pia Sundhage
2015	Champions	7	6	1	0	14	3	Jill Ellis
2019	Champions	7	7	0	0	26	3
2023	Round of 16	4	1	3	0	4	1	Vlatko Andonovski
Total	9/9	53	41	8	4	142	39

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Olympic Games

The team has participated in every Olympic tournament through 2020 and reached the gold medal game in each until 2016, when they were eliminated in the quarterfinals on a penalty shootout loss to Sweden.

Olympic Games record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Coach
1996	Gold medal	5	4	1	0	9	3	Tony DiCicco
2000	Silver medal	5	3	1	1	9	5	April Heinrichs
2004	Gold medal	6	5	1	0	12	4
2008	Gold medal	6	5	0	1	12	5	Pia Sundhage
2012	Gold medal	6	6	0	0	16	6
2016	Quarterfinals	4	2	2	0	6	3	Jill Ellis
2020	Bronze medal	6	2	2	2	12	10	Vlatko Andonovski
2024	Qualified							Emma Hayes
2028	Qualified as host
Total	7/7	38	27	7	4	76	36

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

CONCACAF W Championship

CONCACAF W Championship record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Coach
1991	Champion	5	5	0	0	49	0	Anson Dorrance
1993	Champion	3	3	0	0	13	0
1994	Champion	4	4	0	0	16	1	Tony DiCicco
1998	Did not participate1
2000	Champion	5	4	1	0	24	1	April Heinrichs
2002	Champion	5	5	0	0	24	1
2006	Champion	2	2	0	0	4	1	Greg Ryan
2010	Third place	5	4	0	1	22	2	Pia Sundhage
2014	Champion	5	5	0	0	21	0	Jill Ellis
2018	Champion	5	5	0	0	26	0
2022	Champion	5	5	0	0	13	0	Vlatko Andonovski
Total	10/11	44	42	1	1	212	6

¹ The U.S. team directly qualified for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup as hosts of the event. Because of this, they did not participate in the 1998 CONCACAF Championship, which was the qualification tournament for the World Cup.

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

CONCACAF W Gold Cup

CONCACAF W Gold Cup record
Year	Result	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Coach
2024	Champion[157]	6	4	1	1	15	4	Twila Kilgore
Total	1/1	6	4	1	1	15	4

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Minor tournaments

SheBelieves Cup

The SheBelieves Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer hosted in the United States.

SheBelieves Cup record
Year	Result	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	Coach
2016	Champions	3	3	0	0	4	1	Jill Ellis
2017	4th place	3	1	0	2	1	4
2018	Champions	3	2	1	0	3	1
2019	Runners-up	3	1	2	0	5	4
2020	Champions	3	3	0	0	6	1	Vlatko Andonovski
2021	Champions	3	3	0	0	9	0
2022	Champions	3	2	1	0	10	0
2023	Champions	3	3	0	0	5	1
2024	Champions	2	1	1	0	4	3	Twila Kilgore
Total	9/9	26	19	5	2	47	15

Tournament of Nations

The Tournament of Nations was a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer hosted in the United States in non-World Cup and non-Olympic years.

Tournament of Nations record
Year	Result	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	Coach
2017	Runners-up	3	2	0	1	7	4	Jill Ellis
2018	Champions	3	2	1	0	9	4
Total	2/2	6	4	1	1	16	8

Algarve Cup

The Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's soccer hosted by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it has been one of the more prestigious women's soccer events other than the Women's World Cup and Olympic tournament,^[158] and it has been nicknamed the "Mini FIFA Women's World Cup."^[159] Since 2016, the SheBelieves Cup replaced it on the U.S. team's schedule.

Algarve Cup record
Year	Result	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	Coach
1994	Runners-up	3	2	0	1	6	1	Tony DiCicco
1995	4th place	4	2	1	1	8	5
1996	Did not enter
1997
1998	3rd place	4	3	0	1	10	6	Tony DiCicco
1999	Runners-up	4	2	1	1	8	4
2000	Champions	4	4	0	0	11	1	April Heinrichs
2001	6th place	4	1	0	3	5	9
2002	5th place	4	2	1	1	8	6
2003	Champions	4	2	2	0	5	2
2004	Champions	4	3	0	1	11	5
2005	Champions	4	4	0	0	9	0	Greg Ryan
2006	Runners-up	4	2	2	0	9	1
2007	Champions	4	4	0	0	8	3
2008	Champions	4	4	0	0	12	1	Pia Sundhage
2009	Runners-up	4	3	1	0	5	1
2010	Champions	4	4	0	0	9	3
2011	Champions	4	4	0	0	12	3
2012	3rd place	4	3	0	1	11	2
2013	Champions	4	3	1	0	11	1	Tom Sermanni
2014	7th place	4	1	1	2	7	7
2015	Champions	4	3	1	0	7	1	Jill Ellis
Total		79	56	11	12	172	62	[160]

Last update was on March 15, 2024^[177]

  Best Ranking    Worst Ranking    Best Mover    Worst Mover  

United States' FIFA World Ranking history
Year	Rank at year end	Best		Worst
		Rank	Move	Rank	Move
2024	–	2	1	4	2
2023	2	1		3	2
2022	1	1		1
2021	1	1		1
2020	1	1		1
2019	1	1		1
2018	1	1		1
2017	1	1	1	2	1
2016	1	1		1
2015	1	1	1	2
2014	2	1		2	1
2013	1	1		1
2012	1	1		1
2011	1	1		1
2010	1	1		1
2009	1	1		1
2008	1	1	1	1
2007	2	1	1	2	1
2006	2	2		2
2005	2	1	1	2	1
2004	2	2		2
2003	2	1		2	1

• Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team – 2005 HBO documentary
• List of United States women's national soccer team hat-tricks
• U.S. Women's National Team Players Association
• U.S. women's national soccer team pay discrimination claim
• USWNT All-Time Best XI
• National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), 2013–present
• Soccer in the United States
• United States men's national soccer team

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