BOOK EXCERPT: The 12 Most Socially Significant National Teamers of All-Time

When Joanna Lohman and Paul Tukey started conceiving of a soccer book, they never envisioned writing about the Xs and Os of playing the game, or who scored the winning goals and made the greatest saves. From the beginning, they were focused on the impact the women have had on society, as well as the lives of girls and boys. The authors’ thesis was simple: The U.S. Women’s National Team has become the most socially significant sports team in American history.

For the Prologue, the authors kicked off their book with the selection of the 12 most socially impactful players of all-time. Some of the most iconic names and faces are a given: Mia Hamm was women soccer’s first superstar; Abby Wambach became America’s greatest scorer; and out-and-proud Megan Rapinoe may be the most recognizable female athlete on the planet today who’s not named Serena.

Some of the names, however, are much lesser known. With 241 all-time National Teamers to choose from (at the time of the book’s publication), did the authors get their list right? Here’s an exclusive excerpt from Raising Tomorrow’s Champions:

Michelle Akers was one of the first women's soccer players to grace the cover of the Wheaties box (from Page 14 of Raising Tomorrow's Champions)

11 Plus 1 Who Changed the Rules

At the end of 2020, a total of 241 women had appeared in at least one game for the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, aka the National Team, since its inception in 1985. In addition to winning more World Cups and Olympic gold medals than any other team in the world during that period, the USWNT and its members have recrafted the very definition of what it means to be female in the 21^st century. Few have made more of a collective difference than these trendsetters whose successes and challenges are reflected in the pages that follow. And, we submit, every good team needs a captain. We picked one for the ages.

Michelle Akers — Appearing in the National Team’s second-ever international women’s soccer game and its most famous game 14 years later, she quickly became America’s first dominant player, proving we could compete without embarrassment on the world stage.

April Heinrichs — Ferociously and unapologetically competing on the soccer field like no woman before her, she infused the team with a DNA that would span generations, and she later became the National Team’s first full-time female coach.

Mia Hamm — Discovered as a high school freshman and placed on the national team a year later at age 15, she would become America’s first female sports superstar and the reluctant face of soccer the world over.

In 2019, Brandi Chastain unveiled a statue of herself depicting what may still be the most iconic moment in National Team history. Credit: Ringo Chiu/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News from page 148 of Raising Tomorrow's Champions

Brandi Chastain — Others scored more goals and drew more fanfare until the instant in 1999 when she became forever known as “the one who took her shirt off” and landed women’s soccer on nearly every front page in America.

Briana Scurry — The first truly transformative yet misunderstood minority player, the self-described “fly in the milk” led the National Team as goalie through some of its greatest triumphs and most controversial moment.

Abby Wambach — A reluctant youth soccer player who dominated on the field despite her lifestyle and inner demons, she became the first Generation X and out team superstar as the sport entered a new century.

Abby Wambach, left, poses with Joanna Lohman, co-author of Raising Tomorrow's Champions

Hope Solo — The girl from the wrong side of the tracks parlayed scholarships and the generosity of strangers into a singularly dominant, yet controversial career as the nation’s female anti-hero.

Carli Lloyd — Originally derided as lazy and unfit, then cut from the National Team with unnerving regularity, the Jersey girl doubled down on effort every single time and became the proverbial lunch pail hero in the process.

Carli Lloyd gets a congratulatory kiss from Hope Solo after the U.S. beat Japan for the Olympic gold medal in 2012. Credit Action Plus Sports / Alamy Stock photo from page 159 of Raising Tomorrow's Champions

Alex Morgan — Late to the pay-to-play soccer culture by modern standards, her knack for scoring big goals in huge games and girl-next-door smile made her the first-ever soccer pin-up model and Generation Y superstar.

Posing for Sports Illustrated helped Alex Morgan become an icon, both on and off the field. Credit: Wenn Rights Ltd. / Alamy Stock Photo from Page 229 of Raising Tomorrow's Champions

Megan Rapinoe — Once known in soccer’s inner circle as a dependable player who showed up most in the biggest games, she emerged in the past decade as the out-and-proud voice of an entire generation of women in their fight for gender and wage equality.

Mallory Pugh — Still in high school when she scored a goal in her first-ever National Team appearance in 2017, she set what some see as a new example by walking away from a full scholarship at UCLA and turning professional at age 18.

Julie Foudy (captain) — Taking the lead from her mentor, Billie Jean King, the first female recipient of a soccer scholarship at Stanford led her fellow National Teamers on the field, and has remained one of the world’s most important voices in sports and gender equality.

Pioneers: Denise Merdich, the Selfless Teammate

INTRODUCING: Denise Boyer Merdich

COLLEGE: University of Puget Sound

INTRODUCTION TO THE GAME: Denise never considered herself athletic until John Dunlap, the father of a fellow future National Teamer, Joan Dunlap-Seivold, invited her to play soccer shortly after the Boyer family moved from California to the Seattle area. “I wasn’t competitive and I might have even been considered slow,” said Denise. “But somehow, when there was a soccer ball to chase, suddenly no one could catch me and stop me.”

Denise, playing as a member of the Tacoma Cozars

THE SALVATION: Denise’s father had served in the military during World War II, the Korean War and also in Vietnam and she said she believed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder by the time she was 10. When her father moved out of the home, Denise, her mother and brothers moved to Tacoma where, much to Denise’s surprise, a local soccer coach knocked on her door a week later. “Mr. Dunlap thought I should keep playing soccer, so he made a phone call and here was this man asking me to join his team,” she said. “I appreciated that. For those two hours on the field a few times each week, I was able to forget about everything at home.”

Denise, front of the line, in the Cozars’ team photo

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME: In those days, the University of Puget Sound fielded a women’s team, but the part-time coach had never actually played the game and the competition was less than stellar. Fortunately, Denise had already caught the attention of the Dunlaps and the rest of the Washington area’s immense pool of other soccer talent that would form the cornerstone of America’s earliest women’s national teams: Lorraine Figgins Fitzhugh, Michelle Akers, Sandi Gordon Yotz, Cindy Gordon, Amy Allmann Griffin, Lori Henry, Denise Bender, Shannon Higgins-Cirovski, Gretchen Gegg Zigante, Kathy Ridgewell-Williams and Sharon McMurtry. Denise also played for a bevy of renowned coaches through the years, including Greg Ryan, the first National Team coach, as well as Berhane Andeberhan, Clive Charles, Larry Feir and Booth Gardner, a two-term governor of Washington.

THE NATIONAL TEAM: Denise was first selected for the National Team in 1984 when it existed only on paper and made it again when the infamous selection occurred in July of 1985 at the Olympic Sports Festival in Baton Rouge, La. She played in all four of the National Team’s games in Italy in 1985, then took 1986 off. She agreed to try out again in 1987 and appeared in three games — scoring the only goal of her National Team career on July 7 against Canada — before retiring from the team just prior to it leaving for an international tournament in Tianjin, China.

BETTER HER THAN ME: Denise said she always considered her soccer teammates sisters and found it difficult to watch players get cut from the team when Anson Dorrance began to make significant roster changes, including the addition of teenagers Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Julie Foudy in the summer of 1987. “I’d watch my teammates come out of a meeting with Anson and they’d be crying; it was just so sad,” said Denise. “I went in and told Anson, ‘They want this more than I do. Give one of them my spot.’ And that was that. It was the right thing for me to do, for me and for them.”

ENDURING MEMORIES: Denise said she cringes when she hears people say the first National Team in 1985, with its record of three losses and one tie, wasn’t very good. “We went over there to Italy after just three days of training together in New York, suffering from jet lag, and were competitive against every single team; we had a lot of moxie,” she said. Some of her favorite memories came off the field, including receiving what amounted to her first soccer paycheck — $10 a day in meal money. “I was so excited for that $10,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine why they were paying us after they already paid for the plane ticket and gave us uniforms. That was my mindset, honestly. I bought an Italian bathing suit and two pairs of sweat pants, and a bunch of us rented those paddle boats out on the Adriatic Sea. We had it in our minds that we were going to paddle to Yugoslavia!”

*Denise, accepting her flowers and plaque from the Denmark national team in 1985 . . .*

After the game against Denmark on Aug. 21 that featured the first two goals in American National Team history, by Michelle Akers and Emily Pickering, the two teams gathered for a celebration at a disco in Jesolo. “Our hosts played Bruce Springsteen’s song ‘Born in the USA’ for us. The music was blaring and all of the U.S. team was on the dance floor jumping up and down and bumping into each other, laughing and worrying about nothing.” Later that evening, Denise was presented with a flowers and a plaque with an inscription that, when translated, reads: “To the best American athlete of Denmark vs. USA.” She has held onto it all these years.

HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED: When Denise called her father to tell him she had just made the National Team in 1985, his response was: “Why are you playing that stupid Mickey Mouse game?” When she gave her fiancé the news, he reacted similarly: “You’re not going to play, are you?” More than 35 years later, she’s proud of the legacy she helped build. “It allowed me to help be a part of laying the foundation for young girls to dream attainable, possible dreams — and for parents to have an idea of what that dream can look like for their daughters.”

LIFE LESSONS: A volunteer assistant coach for several teams through the years, Denise is perhaps most proud of the Washington Premier “B” team comprised of girls born in 1994. After losing a series of games by a lopsided score, the head coach asked Denise, who works in the physical therapy industry, to help out. Team administrators wanted to cut most of the players and rebuild the roster with new recruits, but she proudly protested: “Do you know how much talent we have on this team? They’re only 12 years old. They’re babies. Give them time!” Two years later, with virtually the same group of girls still considered a “B” team, they won Washington state championship and ultimately played for a national club championship. “I helped them stay positive the whole time,” said Denise, who played competitively well into her 50s. “I’d ask them to go ‘make a little magic for me,’ just like Berhane used to say to me. Be creative. Take risks. Make your teammates look good, and they’ll make you look good. Most of all, just have fun.”

Denise, with longtime National Team friend and goalie, Amy Allmann Griffin

Our Book's Goal: To Give Back

Our book tells the story of how Jessica McDonald’s success at Phoenix Community College ultimately propelled her to the National Team. In 2019, the college retired her jersey. (Photo courtesy of Phoenix College)

Generosity, in the form of gifts, donations or scholarships, helped launch the careers of numerous National Teamers. Giving back is also the core spirit that drives our book project.

“At the time, I didn’t even realize (the financial assistance) was happening,” said 2019 World Cup champion Jessica McDonald, who was discovered at age 12 by the Sereno Soccer Club of Phoenix. As detailed in the pages of Raising Tomorrow’s Champions, Jessica’s family didn’t have the money for dues and travel for tournaments, but the community always stepped up with support. “As I got older, everything hit me: ‘Oh, my gosh, no wonder why I was always at my teammates’ houses.’ It was as if I had 18 other parents! I’m very grateful that people were willing to pay for my brother and me to play club soccer because we wouldn’t be where we are today without it.”

National Teamer Danesha Adams, likewise, was already on U.S. Soccer’s youth team radar at age 15 when her family dynamics changed suddenly. While Danesha was away at an international tournament in Chicago, her mother moved from southern California all the way to Ohio — but Danesha didn’t want to leave her club team behind. For most of her high school career, the friends and families of the FC Slammers of Newport Beach purchased first-class roundtrip plane tickets. Danesha boarded the 5:05 p.m. flight west on Friday evenings, and took the red-eye back to Ohio at 11:58 p.m. on Sundays, then lived with various families during summers and other extended periods for tournaments. “That’s what got me into UCLA, being a part of that club and the support of all those Moms and Dads. I’m still close to many of them today.”

Believing that the benefits of playing soccer ought to be available to everyone, regardless of their social or economic situation, we have pledged a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book to numerous non-profit causes. We are also making the book available as a fundraiser to soccer clubs and other organizations that tie the soccer experience to social causes such as gender, race and LGBTQ+ issues.

“We wanted to create a program that would give young girls a chance to play, teach them about health and wellness, that it’s OK to be bold, to have a voice,” said Brandi Chastain, the soccer Hall of Famer who co-founded of one of our partner organizations, BAWSI (pronounced bossy), the Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative.

“One of the things we do at the Mia Hamm Foundation is to encourage and empower girls through sport, and it doesn’t mean you have to be on the National Team,” Mia told us. “At the end of the day, it’s not about who plays at the highest level, it’s just about all those life lessons you learn through sport and how that can impact your life going forward.”

It’s amazing for everyone involved when young women like Jessica and Danesha, and several others, take that spark provided by generosity and take their games to the highest level. The most moving stories and photographs in our book, however, came from the girls most people will never hear about; they just love, and benefit from, the game. Thank you, in advance, for helping to make a few more of those possible.

These Are the Stories Worth Telling

Abby Wambach, with a gift for the future President at the White House after the World Cup victory in 2015 (©Brad Smith/ISI Photos)

All I ever wanted in my professional life, in my earliest memories, was to become a journalist. As soon as I could read and write, I copied articles from the sports pages and presented them to my mother as if they were my own. As soon as I got to college, I volunteered for the student newspaper and covered sporting events for free. By age 20, in 1981, I was getting paid, 25 bucks a game story, writing about high school or college basketball, baseball and football. These were, in those days, virtually all boys’ and men’s games. A 2019 study by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport revealed that only 4 percent of sports media coverage is dedicated to girls and women, but I can assure you it was even less than that when I began my career.

For more than nine years after graduation, I lived my childhood dream as a sportswriter and editor in Portland, Maine, often times traveling to Boston to cover the Celtics, and occasionally the Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins. I had some thrilling moments; when you’re that age and doing something for the first time, the sheer awe of it all sweeps you along from season to season. It also made me a popular guest at the keg parties whenever I dropped it into the conversation that I had interviewed Larry Bird and Magic Johnson or Roger Clemens.

At the ripe old age of 29, more than half my life ago, I quit. Friends were incredulous. “You had courtside seats to every game!” they noted. “How can you give that up?” This will be a gross generalization to state out loud, but the truth is it all became terribly mind numbing. I don’t know how many times I wrote or read, and you can fill in the blanks, “_______ scored 24 points, with 10 rebounds and led _____ to the victory.” You walked into the locker room and the enlightened coach would say some version of: “We took care of the ball and left it all on the court.” In the environment of men’s sports, at least back in the 1980s, I found myself yearning game after game, year after year, for someone to say something, anything, that was truly worth hearing.

Then, 20 years later, my youngest child was born. “This one’s going to be a soccer player,” the babysitter announced matter-of-factly one day after a visit to the park when Angie was 2. The still rare women’s soccer game on TV would stop her in her tracks and, eager to connect and learn, I watched, too, and started reading everything I could find about my daughter's heroes. I won’t ever forget the day my wife told me, red-faced with tears in her eyes, that if I loved my daughters I needed to stop everything I was doing at that moment and listen to Abby Wambach’s words to the graduating students of Barnard College in May of 2018. Soon afterward, I started reading Abby’s autobiography titled “Forward” — and found it to be so good, so revealing, so rivetingly authentic that I finished it that same night.

I will admit that, like many straight, white American males of a certain age, I could only pick one female soccer player out of a crowd prior to 2011. Mariel Margaret Hamm, an almost mononymous being who, like other icons of a bygone era — Cher or Madonna or Björk come to mind — only required one moniker for instant recognition. Recently, when I told a group of older male acquaintances at a socially distant bonfire that I was co-writing a book, “Raising Tomorrow’s Champions,” about life and parenting lessons from U.S. Women’s National Team, their first excited question was, “Did you meet Mia?” Yes, I did, I told them. Mia Hamm was terrific. “But, honestly, I think the most interesting interview so far has been with Abby.”

“Abby who?” one man asked.

“Abby Wambach,” I said. “She’s America’s leading all-time scorer, but she’s also a writer now, one of the most important voices of our time. Ask your daughter about her; she’ll know her.” Moments of silence followed. Then the next questions came in rapid succession, as if I were caught in an intervention from 40 years ago.

“Isn’t she gay?”

“Aren’t most female athletes gay?”

“You’re not going to write about being gay, are you?”

Joanna Lohman, with her friend, Abby Wambach

Instantly raging inside, I slowly nodded my head in the affirmative. “Actually, my co-author, Joanna Lohman, is gay, too,” I said. “And we plan to tackle the topics of gender, orientation and race head on in our book. No, most of the players are not gay. But we still think these are important elements of growing up that parents need to talk about with their children, whether they’re straight or gay, black or white, or somewhere in between.”

More silence followed, then the dinosaurs to my left and right offered a question and a statement:

“What does any of that have to do with playing sports?”

“Good luck with that. But I’m not going to let my daughter read it.”

Let’s just say I’ve never been back for another bonfire. I lived through 1981 once already. But in honor of this week’s 35th anniversary of the National Women and Girls in Sports Day, Joanna and I are so proud to be officially launching this web site, blog and soon our book. They’re the stories I wish I had been telling all along.