50 Fun Facts About USWNT

In which year did the U.S. women's team play its first-ever match?

The debut was a 1–0 loss to Italy at the Mundialito on August 18, 1985, with a roster of college players picked by coach Mike Ryan.

Who was hired in 1986 as the team's first full-time head coach?

Dorrance came from the University of North Carolina and handed caps to teenagers Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Kristine Lilly instead of the college players the federation preferred.

In which Chinese city was the 1991 Women's World Cup final played?

Some 65,000 fans filled Tianhe Stadium to watch the U.S. beat Norway 2–1, but the match was not shown live on American television.

Who scored both U.S. goals in the 1991 World Cup final?

Akers finished the tournament as top scorer with ten goals, five of them in the first 50 minutes of the quarterfinal.

Which American won the Golden Ball as best player of the 1991 World Cup?

Jennings scored a first-half hat-trick in the 5–2 semifinal win over Germany.

What nickname did the 1991 team's front three go by?

Dorrance's 4–3–3 was built around forward Michelle Akers and wingers Carin Jennings and April Heinrichs.

The 1991 tournament was officially a championship played for which sponsor's cup?

It was billed as the 1st FIFA World Championship for Women's Football and only retroactively named a World Cup.

Which country hosted the 1991 CONCACAF qualifying where the U.S. outscored rivals 49–0?

The confederation had a single World Cup berth, and the Americans made sure of it in April 1991.

Where did the U.S. finish at the 1995 Women's World Cup?

A 1–0 semifinal loss to Norway was followed by a 2–0 win over China for bronze.

Whom did the U.S. beat 2–1 in the first Olympic women's soccer final in 1996?

Women's soccer debuted at the Atlanta Games, and the hosts took the first gold.

Which former goalkeeper coached the U.S. to the 1996 gold and 1999 World Cup?

DiCicco had been Dorrance's assistant and took over when Dorrance resigned in August 1994.

The 1999 World Cup final drew a crowd of 90,185 to which stadium?

It stood as the world attendance record for a women's soccer match until a 2022 Champions League game at Camp Nou drew 91,553.

Who scored the winning penalty in the 1999 World Cup final shootout?

Her sports-bra celebration made the cover of Sports Illustrated and front pages around the world.

Which U.S. goalkeeper saved Liu Ying's kick in the 1999 final shootout?

Scurry came well off her line, a violation that should have meant a retake, but the save stood.

Which team beat the U.S. with a golden goal in the 2000 Olympic final?

The winner came in extra time after an alleged handball in the build-up, and the Americans settled for silver.

Whose extra-time goal won the 2004 Olympic gold-medal final 2–1?

Athens was the last major tournament for Hamm and Foudy, and the young Wambach sent them out as champions.

Which coach benched Hope Solo for a veteran keeper before the 2007 semifinal?

The U.S. lost 4–0, its heaviest defeat ever, and Solo's post-game remarks got her frozen out by teammates.

Wambach's 2011 quarterfinal equalizer came in which minute, a World Cup record?

It has been voted the greatest goal in U.S. soccer history, and the Americans went on to win the shootout 5–3.

Who delivered the cross for Wambach's famous 122nd-minute header in 2011?

Earlier in that tournament she celebrated a goal by grabbing a pitchside microphone and singing Springsteen.

Who beat the U.S. on penalties in the 2011 World Cup final?

The match finished 2–2 after extra time; Solo was named best goalkeeper and Wambach won the Silver Ball.

The 2012 Olympic final against Japan was played at which venue?

The crowd of 80,203 remains the record for a women's soccer match at the Olympics.

Who scored the winning goals in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic finals?

She later became the second player of any gender to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

By which minute was the first-ever Women's World Cup final hat-trick complete in 2015?

It was the fastest hat-trick from kick-off in World Cup history, and the U.S. beat Japan 5–2.

The 2015 final against Japan averaged how many U.S. television viewers?

That made it the most-watched soccer match, men's or women's, in American broadcast history, outdrawing the NBA and Stanley Cup finals.

After the 2015 World Cup, where did the team get a ticker-tape parade?

It was the first ticker-tape parade ever held for a women's sports team.

Which team knocked the U.S. out of the 2016 Olympics on penalties?

It was the first time the Americans failed to reach the semifinals of a major tournament.

The U.S. opened the 2019 World Cup with a record 13–0 win over which team?

Four Americans scored their first World Cup goals in the match, and the celebrations drew criticism.

Who scored five goals in that 13–0 win, equalling Akers' single-match record?

It came on her 30th birthday, and she later mimed sipping tea after scoring against England.

Whom did the U.S. beat 2–0 in the 2019 World Cup final?

It was a record third straight final and made the U.S. the first nation with four Women's World Cup titles.

Who won both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball at the 2019 World Cup?

She added the Ballon d'Or Féminin and The Best FIFA Women's Player award later that year.

Which coach won the 2015 and 2019 World Cups before stepping down?

She became only the second coach, after Italy's Vittorio Pozzo, to win consecutive World Cups.

Who became head coach in October 2019 after the World Cup victory tour?

He resigned in August 2023 after the team's earliest-ever exit from a major tournament.

Which team beat the U.S. 1–0 in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic semifinal?

Jessie Fleming's penalty decided it, and the Canadians went on to win gold.

Whom did the U.S. beat 4–3 to win Olympic bronze in Tokyo?

It was the first bronze medal in team history, and Rapinoe scored twice including a second career Olimpico.

How much was the 2022 equal-pay settlement between the players and U.S. Soccer?

The new CBA made the U.S. the first country where men and women split international prize money equally.

Which defender joined the 2016 EEOC wage complaint with Solo, Lloyd, Morgan and Rapinoe?

The five filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in April 2016, the opening move in a six-year fight.

A late shot from which team hit the post and spared the U.S. in the 2023 group stage?

The 0–0 draw gave the Americans the fewest group-stage points in their history before Sweden ended their run on penalties.

Who served as interim head coach after the August 2023 resignation?

That month the team dropped to third in the FIFA rankings, its worst position ever.

Whom did the U.S. beat 1–0 in the Paris 2024 Olympic final?

It was a record-extending fifth gold and the first since London 2012, won despite two extra-time knockout games.

What did 2024 attackers Rodman, Swanson and Smith call themselves?

The trio scored ten of the team's twelve goals in Paris.

Which club did Emma Hayes manage for 12 years before taking the U.S. job?

She won seven Women's Super League titles there, including five in a row from 2020 to 2024.

The team's record 14–0 win in 2012 came against which opponent?

It came in Olympic qualifying; the team's worst defeat is 0–4, to Brazil in 2007.

Who is the most-capped player in soccer history, with 354 appearances?

Her 23-year career ran from 1987 to 2010; only she, Lloyd and Pearce have passed 300 caps for the U.S.

Which country's Adnan Al-Talyani held the 164-cap men's record Lilly passed in 1999?

A year earlier she had passed Norway's Heidi Støre for the women's record of 151.

How many U.S. shutouts did Hope Solo record, a national team record?

She also holds the records for appearances (202), wins (153) and a 55-game undefeated streak.

How many international goals did Mia Hamm score?

That put her third all-time across any gender as of 2026, and she is first in international assists with 144.

Where was Mia Hamm born in 1972?

She was born with a club foot, wore corrective shoes as a toddler and first played soccer while living in Florence, Italy.

Which WUSA club did Mia Hamm play for from 2001 to 2003?

The WUSA was the first U.S. professional women's league, and she was one of its founding players.

Rapinoe's 2012 'Olimpico' goal at the Olympics was scored directly from what?

She remains the only player of any gender to score one at the Games.

Which children's book series about four soccer players did Morgan co-write?

The books follow four young soccer players and were adapted into an Amazon series.