Women's World Cup 2019 Champions: The United States of America!

Congratulations to the US Women's National Soccer Team! Celebrate their World Cup win by reading these books from the library:

The US Women's National Team has won more Olympic gold medals and Women's World Cup titles than any other team. Learn how the team got started and meet some of the biggest superstars in soccer history in this thrilling title! Discover more through photos and engaging storylines with famous and beloved athletes.

 

The National Team, from leading soccer journalist Caitlin Murray, tells the history of the USWNT in full, from their formation in the 1980s to the run-up to the 2019 World Cup, chronicling both their athletic triumphs and less visible challenges off the pitch. Murray also recounts the rise and fall of U.S. professional leagues, including the burgeoning National Women's Soccer League, an essential part of the women's game.

The moment the U.S. Women's Soccer team won the World Cup in 1999, the team's--and the sport's--popularity exploded in America. The Americans' electrifying rise to the top marked the biggest women's sporting event in our nation's history. Players like Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain instantly became international stars, setting the stage for the arrival of future greats like Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, and Alex Morgan. And with women's professional leagues continuing to take shape in America, as well as the skyrocketing popularity of the U.S. Women's National Team, there's no doubt that women's soccer has captivated fans across the country and beyond.

Under the Lights and in the Dark takes us inside the world of women’s soccer, following players across the globe, from Portland Thorns star Allie Long, who trains in an underground men's league in New York City; to English national Fara Williams, who hid her homelessness from her teammates while playing for the English national team. Oxenham takes us to Voronezh, Russia, where players battle more than just snowy pitches in pursuing their dream of playing pro, and to a refugee camp in Denmark, where Nadia Nadim, now a Danish international star, honed her skills after her family fled from the Taliban.

On a July afternoon in 1999, the United States's proudest moment in soccer occurred in Pasadena, California. In the presence of more than 90,000 fans and viewed by another 40 million on television, the United States women outlasted China to win the World Cup. Although the United States has lagged far behind other countries in regard to the men's game, it has been at the forefront when it comes to women's soccer. In The U.S. Women's Soccer Team: An American Success Story, Clemente A. Lisi examines how the sport has gained popularity over the past few decades.