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Top 10 USWNT Players of all time

The USA Women national football team has dominated women football in recent years and here we learn about the top 10 USWNT players of all time.  

10. Tiffeny Milbrett

Tiffeny Milbrett (Credit: frontrowsoccer.com)

Milbrett made her debut in 1991, almost missing the first Women’s World Cup. Before retiring in 2006, she made up for it by appearing in three Cups. The 5-foot-2 striker scored a lot of goals at the World Cup, which helped her reach 100 goals in her international career, making her one of just a few women to do so.

9. Christie Rampone

Christie Rampone (Credit: foxsports.com)

Christie Rampone is the only player to have won the World Cup in both 1999 and 2015. During that time, the dependable defender served as captain of the national team for eight years, winning two Olympic gold medals and the 2015 World Cup. She retired with 311 caps, the second-most in USWNT history, earning her the moniker “Captain America.”

8. Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan (Credit: cbssports.com)

Morgan seems like she was just a talented young striker attempting to make her name not long ago. She’s already a seasoned pro with 101 goals for the American squad. Of course, she has time to add to that number because she is just 29 years old. Morgan has averaged 0.62 goals per game, which is the third-best rate among the top 10 scorers in the United States.

7. Julie Foudy

Julie Foudy (Credit: ncrusav.org)
Julie Foudy (Credit: ncrusav.org)

Foudy is a Hall of Famer and a former captain who is one of three midfielders on the All-Time Best XI. She also has a tie for fourth place in all-time caps and sixth place in assists. We’ve known her as a TV personality for a long time, but she was also a fantastic player who was a member of two World Cup-winning teams.

6. Megan Rapinoe

Megan Rapinoe (Credit: brignews.com)

Rapinoe may have been the latest bloomer of all the American players, owing to knee ailments that hampered her debut with the USWNT and lost her a spot on the 2008 Olympic team.

In the 2011 World Cup quarterfinals, it was her exquisite cross that set up Abby Wambach to score the game-tying goal at the last second, keeping the US in contention for a place in the final. Rapinoe scored twice in the 2015 World Cup’s first game, kicking off the offensive with a bang.

The 2019 World Cup, on the other hand, became her big break. Rapinoe was able to use the intersection of national politics and international soccer to express her views on issues in her native country while also playing some of the finest games of her career.

5. Kristine Lilly

Kristine Lilly (Credit: kristinelilly13.com)

Although we know Brandi Chastain from the 1999 World Cup, Lilly was the actual American hero, clearing a ball off the goal line in extra time that would have won the game for China and avoided the penalty shootout that made Chastain famous.

Lilly joined the national team programme while still in high school and lasted until she was 39, breaking the all-time record for national team appearances set by Cy Young (511 wins) and Wayne Gretzky (894 goals), which may be unreachable. In 46 appearances at big events, she scored a total of 12 goals. She appeared in three Olympic gold-medal games and two World Cup finals.

4. Carli Lloyd

Carli Lloyd (Credit: sportingnews.com)

Carli Lloyd scored a hat trick in the 2015 World Cup finals, which was an unforgettable performance. Those were only three of the 110 goals she’s scored in her international career. She will also rise to third in all-time caps at the World Cup, cementing her place in American soccer history.

3. Abby Wambach

Abby Wambach (Credit: Getty Images)
Abby Wambach (Credit: Getty Images)

Abby Wambach scored 184 goals in international competitions. That’s not just more than any lady, but also more than any male. Wambach averaged 0.72 goals per game while playing in a large number of games. For a soccer player, that’s a huge number. In 2012, FIFA awarded her Women’s World Player of the Year, and she has won the US Women’s Player of the Year award six times.

2. Michelle Akers

Michelle Akers (Credit: kodromagazine.com)

Michelle Akers, the first star in USWNT history, established a record with 10 goals in the first World Cup in 1991. She scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Norway in the final. She played forward and midfield for her nation in 155 games, scoring 107 goals and providing 36 assists.

Akers was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in 1994. She adjusted her diet and drank more water, according to USA Today, which allowed her to play a major role in the United States’ 1996 Olympic goal medal and 1999 World Cup triumph. She left the company in 2000 and is known for her output, dedication, and wide range of skills.

1. Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
Mia Hamm (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

Akers, Lilly, Foudy, and the rest of “The ’99ers” inspired a generation, but Mia Hamm had the most influence. She was the face of soccer in the United States for numerous years.

During her brilliant career, the two-time FIFA Player of the Year (and two-time runner-up) scored a then-record 158 international goals. She also has 145 assists for the USWNT and is one of just six players with at least 274 caps.

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On his way to the Hall of Fame in 2007, Hamm won the World Cups in 1991 and 1999, as well as the Olympics in 1996 and 2004.