Mia Hmm, Megan Rapinoe, Michelle Akers and the 20 greatest USWNT players of all time

The United States is the most successful women’s national team of all time, and it is not really close.

There have been six women’s Olympic tournaments. USWNT has won four of them.

Eight women’s World Cups have been held. USWNT has also won four of them.

Put together, USWNT has won more than half of the leading female international competitions of the modern era. Naturally, there have been some stalwarts who have helped the team to its great success.

Here, the goals count the 20 greatest USWNT players of all time.

• Brian Skurry – Goalkeeper

  A two-time Olympic gold medalist and 1999 World Cup winner, Scarry set the standard for American goalkeepers in the 1990s and 2000s. His 175 caps are the most for any American goalkeeper.

• Hope Solo – Goalkeeper

  Equally prolific and controversial, Solo won two Olympic gold medals and led the USWNT to the 2015 World Cup, redefining goalkeeper status. Solo recorded 202 appearances during his American career – the only goalkeeper to ever surpass the 200 cap.

• Christy Pearce Rampone – Defender

  Pammers Rampone played five World Cups and four Olympics, bridging the gap between Hamm and the generation of Foodito Morgan and Wamach. With 311 appearances, she is the second most capped player in women’s international football history.

• Joey Fawcett – Defender

  Fawcett helped protect USWNT from its first cap in early 1987 to early 2000. He was an important part of the four World Cup teams, winning the title in 1991 and 1999, while only winning yellow cards twice and no red cards in the 241 cap.

• Brandi Chastain – Defender

  Shastriyanam is known for his iconic celebration after scoring the decisive penalty kick in the 1999 World Cup, but his career was more than just a successful spot kick. He accumulated 192 caps and won two Olympic gold medals, as well as the 1991 World Cup.

• Carla Overbeck – Defender

  Overbeck was the captain of the USWNT for the 1999 World Cup, anchoring the event he won just three times throughout the tournament. Overbeck was also part of the 1991 World Cup winning team, earning 170 caps in his career.

• Kate Markgraf – Defender

  Markgrafwas one of the most inexperienced members of the 1999 World Cup team, but became a key member of the team’s backline in that tournament – and for the next decade. One of only 11 USWNT players with more than 200 caps, Markgraf now serves as USWNT general manager.

• Becky Soberbrun – Defender

  Soberbrunn has been an important part of the two World Cup winning strongholds and was recently named captain of the USWNT going forward. Aged 35 and already with a cap of 182, the veteran defender is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

• Christine Lilly – Midfielder

  A true legend in every sense, Lily is the most capped player in international football history, with an amazing 354 appearances. In a career spanning 24 years, Lily won two Olympic gold medals, two World Cups and scored 130 international goals.

• Julie Fowdy – Midfielder

  Fowdy held the midfield of USWNT for nearly 20 years, and played in every sport at the 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003 World Cups and the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics. He scored 45 goals, securing 274 caps.

• Mitchell Acres – Midfielder

  Considered by many to be the greatest female player, Acres was named the Player of the Century in 2000. The midfielder joined the USWNT when it first formed in 1985 and dominated the game for the next 15 years. He won two World Cups in 1991 and became the winner and also won a gold medal in 1996.

• Lauren Holiday – Midfielder

  He retired from national team duty at the tender age of 27 in 2015, but what he did in nine years with the team makes him a worthy member of this list. One of the most versatile and talented players USWNT has seen, Holiday captured two gold medals and led the team to the 2015 World Cup before going out on top.

• Shannon Boxx – Midfielder

  Boxx almost gave up football as a young professional and did not make his USWNT debut 2003 when she was 26 years old. Nevertheless, he became a mainstay in the defensive midfield for 12 years, making the World Cup roster and played in three Olympics, winning gold in all three.

• Heather O’Reilly – Midfielder

  O’Reillywas one of the most important attacking players in the USWNT that tied his 14-year international career with his 231 cap for eighth place in program history. She won the gold medal and the 2015 World Cup.

• Megan Rapinoe – Midfielder

  Rapinoe had already won the World Cup and the Olympic gold medal at the 2019 World Cup, but his performance in France made him great. Reppino won the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball in the tournament, becoming a household name for his outspoken temperament off the field, winning in the final against the Netherlands.

• Carly Lloyd – Midfielder

  The last big-game player, Lloyd scored the winner in the 2008 Olympic gold medal match and then scored both goals in the USWNT’s 2–1 win over Japan in the 2012 Olympic gold medal game. Her signature performance was, of course, her 16-minute hat-trick against Japan in the 2015 World Cup final.

• AB Wambach – Forward

  The most prolific scorer in the history of USWNT and by the end of recent years, the most prolific scorer in the history of international football – man or woman – Wamach scored an incredible 184 goals during his national team career. The forward dominates the defense with his strength, aerial ability and skill on the ground.

• Mia Hmm – Forward

  Acres may have been the team’s first true star, but hmm when he was in the USAID when he became an idol in the United States. Hamm’s 1515 goals for the USWT stood until Wambach broke it in 2013.

• Alex Morgan – Forward

  Morgan burst onto the scene as of the 2011 World Cup when, as the youngest player on the team, he scored and assisted in the final against Japan. Although the USWNT lost that final, Morgan helped them win the next two World Cups, as well as winning a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. With 108 goals to his name, the 31-year-old Morgan has plenty of time to move up USWNT’s all-time scatter chart.

• Tiffany Milbrett – Forward

  One of only seven players to reach 100 goals with the USWNT, Milbrett was the mainstay of the team’s attack for 15 years. He led the team scoring goals in the 1999 World Cup and scored the winning goal in the 1996 Olympic gold medal match against China at the 1996 Olympics.