CARY, NC – MAY 17: Makoto Nezu #25 of the Santa Clara Broncos and teammates celebrate after the game-winning penalty kick against the Florida State Seminoles during the Division I Women’s Soccer Championship held at Sahlens Stadium at Wakemed Soccer Park on May 17, 2021 in Cary, North Carolina. Santa Clara won the national championship 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

In the past, football was forbidden for women. The first female football club was founded in 1894. Nettie Honeyball was the founder of the British Ladies’ Football Club (BLFC). With the help of Honeyball, over twelve thousand viewers came to see the first female football match in 1895. 

In fact, “Nettie Honeyball” was her alias. We still don’t know her real name.

Nowadays, female football players have lots of fans. Imagine, their last World Cup gathered about 20 million viewers!

If you are one of the football fans, maybe you should try betting on your favorite team. 

And we are going to tell you about the top-4 greatest football players from the USA. Here they are!

Julie Foudy — Midfielder

She started her career in college and spent much of it playing for the Sacramento Storm — the amateur club. By the way, the club decided to change its name, so it is the California Storm now.

Julie Foudy won 3 California state championships: in 1993, 1995, and 1997. She also took part in three Olympic Games, where she reached two first places and one second place.

Julie Foudy was the co-founder of the WUSA — the Women’s United Soccer Association. She had played there till the end of it.

Hope Solo — Goalkeeper

Hope Solo was born in Richland. As a child, she played different sports, including basketball, snowboarding, beach volleyball, and football. Later, she became one of the best female football school players, according to the magazine “Parade”.

She became the first-choice goalkeeper in the 2007 World Cup and had played in four games before Gregory Ryan replaced her with Brianna Scurry who hadn’t had any practice for three months. The USA team lost the game 4-0. After that, Hope Solo criticized the coach and was excluded from the national team. Although, she came back to the team after Ryan left it.

Megan Rapinoe – Midfielder, winger

Firstly, she had been playing for Elk Grove pride for three seasons. She has played for more than nine clubs in her career.

After she took part in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, people from her native town held a parade in her honor. Moreover, people still celebrate the 10th of September — “The Megan Rapinoe Day”.

She was one of the ten female shortlisted candidates for the FIFA World Player of the Year. Megan Rapioe also was a finalist in the competition conducted by “Sports Illustrated”. She became the sportsman of the year by “Sports Illustrated” in December 2019.

Mia Hamm – Forward

Mia Hamm was named after the ballerina Mia Slavenska, who was a teacher of Stephanie Hamm. Mia’s mother wanted her to become a ballerina but the girl decided to quit the ballet school after two classes.

According to the family legend, Mia kicked the ball for the first time when she was two years old. Her relatives say that she interfered with the game of a five-year-old boy and his father. 

When Mia was five, her parents let her play with the children’s football team. By the time Hamm was 12, she had become the leading player on the boys’ team. When she was 13, John Cossaboon, who was a coach of the Olympic football program, noticed her. He said to her parents that she played well enough to take part in the college team.

When Mia Hamm was 15, she became the youngest player on the national team of the USA in history. She scored her first goal for the team on 25 July 1990.

She played 276 games and scored 156 goals during her career.