The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team: An American Success Story (Review)

The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team: An American Success Story by Clemente A. Lisi is one of the latest titles to take advantage of the buzz created by the London Olympics.  While other authors focus on the current status of the national team program, Lisi goes back to where it began, where the program became a model for other nations.

The U.S. Women’s National Team deserves the attention as they have experienced success on a global level, providing dominance and consistency that their male American counterparts can only dream of.  They have had exemplary players and coaches and because of this have been the best in the world for an entire generation.

Yes, other countries are catching up to our national team. They are using our blueprint, a plan that has brought the U.S. victories in the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics.  Simply put, they are playing our game.

Lisi gives us a chronicled history of the program from its early days with limited exposure and shoestring budgets to a modern squad consisting of stars on and off the pitch.  The book explains the roots of a program that represents tremendous progress for women’s sports.  But it hasn’t been an easy road as trailblazers like Michelle Akers, Julie Foudy, and Mia Hamm paved the way for a new generation of stars like Hope Solo and Alex Morgan.

The text is an easy read with lots of information.  I’m fairly confident that this book contains stories and information that hasn’t been published before.  Even soccer experts will find something new to talk about.

I discovered that the U.S. played a game in Mansfield, Ohio against Italy in June 1993. The match ended in a 5-0 victory for the Americans.  This is the first mention I have ever seen of this even though I live in the area.

Overall it was a splendid book that you can get through in just a few days.  It is a great history of the women’s program and the special people that made it what it is today.  Even though the book ends with the 2008 Beijing Olympics, I am already waiting for Lisi’s next project that will bring us up to present day and talk about the future of the program in what is certainly an incredibly competitive global game.

I finished this book the day Pia Sundhage announced that she wouldn’t return as the head coach of the USWNT.  It seems fitting since she has followed in the footsteps of Anson Dorrance and Tony DiCicco in developing a program that all American players can be proud of.