History Of The U.s. Women's Soccer Team

The United States is a relatively late arrival in the world of women's soccer. While European countries had women's teams playing in international competition before World War II, the U.S. did not have a women's soccer team until the 1980s. The history of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team offers a brief but action-packed look at women's soccer.

1972

Many national soccer teams worldwide recruit top players from colleges and universities. However, most U.S. colleges did not have women's soccer teams until the 1970s. In 1972, the passage of Title IX required public schools, including colleges and universities, to provide equal athletic opportunities to men and women. Title IX paved the way for many women's soccer teams in high schools and colleges across the United States, including the University of North Carolina's nine-year winning streak from 1986 to 1994.

1985

In 1985, the United States fielded its first women's soccer team in international competition. The first team played only four games that year and posted four losses: two against Denmark and one each against England and Italy. The first goal scored by the U.S. women's soccer team was made by University of Central Florida alumna Michelle Akers-Stahl.

1986 to 1990

The U.S. women's soccer team quickly made up for its losses in 1985 in the years that followed. Coached by University of North Carolina women's soccer legend Anson Dorrance, the team added a number of future Hall of Fame members to its roster and winning major matches against China, Norway and Italy. However, both women's and men's soccer in the U.S. continued to struggle due to lack of funding until 1994, when the United States hosted the World Cup.

1991

In 1991, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA, organized the first world championship soccer match for women's teams. The U.S. women's team prepared for the first World Cup by sweeping tournaments in Minnesota, Canada, and Bulgaria. In the World Cup finals, Michelle Akers-Stahl scored the winning goal in the game's 88th minute, making the U.S. women's soccer team the first winners of the World Cup.

1996

In 1996, women's soccer became a major event in the United States as the women's team won the Olympic gold medal. Prior to the Olympics that year, the team had swept the BSC tournament in Brazil and won 21 consecutive games, losing only to Norway before the Olympics began. Meanwhile, U.S. women's soccer added an under-21 league and an under-18 league, further increasing the pool of talent from which the national team could draw players in later years.