For soccer, while the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) is a growing force, the women’s team (USWNT) is one of the best in the world. It has won multiple Women’s World Cups and Olympic gold medals too.
These successes were built behind many legendary women soccer players. Most have retired, but some are still playing and coaching, building the next generation. In this post, we look at the 10 best female American soccer players of all time.
We select these players based on many factors. These include national caps, goals, and their impact on women’s soccer in the US and worldwide. We also include players who crossed the sport and into popular culture.
10. Christie Pearce
Position: Center Back
Caps: 311
Goals: 4
Years Active: 1997 – 2005
Christie Pearce was a 3-sport standout athlete at Monmouth University, excelling in soccer, lacrosse, and basketball. She, however, realized that focusing on one would be better, and she chose to slow down on basketball and lacrosse to go on tour with the USWNT.
In 1997 she signed with the Central Jersey Splash and played in the W-League. Her club career was probably most remembered by her time with Sky Blue FC. She played over 100 games with the club, scoring two goals.
With the USWNT, she was in the Women’s World Cup finals team 5 times, from 1999 to 2015. She was also part of three USWNT Olympic teams. She racked up 311 national caps with other national games, scoring 4 goals.
9. Julie Foudy
Position: Midfielder
Caps: 273
Goals: 45
Years Active: 1988 – 2004
Foudy was an excellent soccer player with Stanford, having been named to the NSCAA All-American list four times. She was also the American Soccer Player of the Year in 1991 and the finalist for the Hermann Trophy twice, in 1991 and 1992.
That bright collegiate career landed her a chance to play in the W-League with the Sacramento Storm. She later took her career to Europe, playing with Swedish Club Tyreso FF. She returned to the US for another spell with the Storm and the San Diego Spirit.
However, her national career with the USWNT was much more fruitful. He accumulated 273 caps over 16 years, scoring 45 goals. She also won the Women’s World Cup twice, in 1991 and 1999. She also won the Olympic Gold medal in 1996 and 2004.
8. Heather O’Reilly
Position: Midfielder / Winger
Caps: 231
Goals: 47
Years Active: 2002 – 2016
O’Reilly had an illustrious career, both in the club and also with the USWNT. While playing collegiate soccer with North Carolina, she won the Honda Sports Award for soccer in 2006 – 2007. She also played with the New Jersey Wildcats from 2004 – 2005.
She later turned pro and signed with Sky Blue FC, playing for the club from 2009 – 2011. She later joined the Boston Breakers, and Kansas City FC, before taking her talent to Europe. There, she played with Arsenal and the Irish club Shelbourne.
With the USWNT, O’Reilly was a regular for a long time, with over 231 caps over 14 years representing the US. She was in the USWNT, which won 4 Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012) and the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
7. Becky Sauerbrun
Position: Center Back
Caps: 216
Goals: 0
Years Active: 2008 – Current
Becky Sauerbrun was part of the University of Virginia’s soccer team from 2003 to 2007. She totaled over 90 appearances, scoring two goals with the Cavaliers. She was named to many honor lists, such as NSCAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year and ACC Player of the Year.
She later turned pro and played with many US soccer clubs. Her best years at the club level may be with FC Kansas City. There, she played for 5 seasons and was on the field 90 times. She even scored several goals, a good achievement for a center-back.
Her journey with the USWNT was a long and fruitful one. She began in her teens, playing for the USWNT junior teams, such as the Under-16, Under-19, and Under-23. She has picked up 216 caps with the senior team so far, and she is set to collect more as she remains an active player.
6. Hope Solo
Position: Goalkeeper
Caps: 202
Goals: 0
Years Active: 2000 – 2016
Solo started as a forward before transitioning to goalkeeping while playing with the University of Washington. She mentioned that the transition was difficult, having to stand still and be the final defender, fighting her usual playing style of charging forward with the ball.
She later played with the WPS before joining the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). For the inaugural season, she was allocated to Seattle Reign. She ended her club career after playing for 4 seasons with 54 appearances.
With the USWNT, Solo started as a backup for Briana Scurry and backup for Kristin Luckenbill before becoming the regular starter in 2005. In her 202 appearances with the USWNT, she won the 2015 World Cup and two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012.)
5. Carli Lloyd
Position: Midfielder, Forward
Caps: 316
Goals: 134
Years Active: 2005 – 2021
Lloyd is one of history’s most capped USWNT players, with 316 caps collected over 16 years. That also means she was part of many championship-winning USWNT teams, including two Women’s World Cups (2015, 2019) and two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012).
Similar to many successful USWNT players, Lloyd had a superb college career. With the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, she played 83 times and scored 50 goals. That is a massive haul of goals for a midfielder that may put many strikers to shame.
Her professional career was spent mostly in the US, with a brief spell in England in 2017 with Manchester City. She was also the FIFA World Player Of The Year in 2015. She retired in 2021 after playing in the Tokyo Olympics.
4. Abby Wambach
Position: Forward
Caps: 255
Goals: 184
Years Active: 2001 – 2015
Wambach currently holds the record of being the USWNT player with the most goals in history. Her record of 184 goals in 255 appearances represents a strike rate of 0.72 goals per game, which means whenever she plays, chances are she will score a goal.
Wambach first played with the University of Florida Gators before joining the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) League. She played with the Washington Freedom.
Her club career was paused for several years until the Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPS) came online in 2008. She played for several clubs and ended her career with the Western New York Flash in 2014.
With the USWNT, Wambach was part of many championship teams, including World Cups and Olympic gold medals. She also transcended sports, being named one of the 100 most influential women in 2015 by Time Magazine.
3. Alex Morgan
Position: Striker
Caps: 209
Goals: 121
Years Active: 2010 – Current
Morgan is as popular on the field as off the field. She is known to be one of the leading stars of the USWNT, as well as an icon in popular culture. Morgan was co-captain of the USWNT team, yet had movies made about her simultaneously.
She started playing soccer at a young age but only joined a club at 14. Despite starting off late, she got called up to the USWNT Under-20 team at 16 and never looked back since.
With the USWNT, she has totaled 209 caps and 121 goals. Along the way, she picked up 2 World Cups (2015, 2019), one Olympic gold medal (2012), and two US Athlete of the Year awards (2012, 2018).
2. Mia Hamm
Position: Midfielder, Forward
Caps: 276
Goals: 158
Years Active: 1987 – 2004
In US women’s soccer, Mia Hamm may be as influential and iconic as Landon Donovan for US Men’s soccer. She helped bring soccer to the US public’s awareness and led the USWNT to multiple World Cups and Olympic gold medals.
Hamm never had a club career, as there were no major US soccer clubs with women’s teams in her active years. She managed to play for two seasons with Washington Freedom in the now-defunct WPS league from 2001 to 2003.
With the USWNT, however, she was a goal-scoring machine. She collected 276 national caps over 17 years, scoring 158 goals. That earned her 2 World Cups and 2 Olympic gold medals. She remains active in soccer as a part-owner of the MLS club LAFC.
1. Kristine Lilly
Position: Midfielder, Forward
Caps: 354
Goals: 130
Years Active: 1987 – 2010
We decided to put Kristine Lilly first for a reason. Aside from having the most national caps in the history of USWNT, she also had an incredibly long career, spanning over 23 years. This may make her the female version of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
She was part of the University of North Carolina’s Tar Heels soccer team. There, she won every NCAA championship that she played in, showing her dominance on the field. She later turned pro and went to play in Sweden with Tyreso FF.
With the USWNT, she may most be remembered for her deadly partnership with Mia Hamm in the late 80s and 90s. She was part of many championship-winning teams, winning two World Cups (1991, 1999) and an Olympic gold medal (1996, 2004).
Kristine Lilly was also the third-highest goalscorer in USWNT’s history, behind Abby Wambach and Mia Hamm.
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