This episode is co-hosted by Michelle’s son, Cody. As Michelle shares, “If you want to know who I am, Cody has been with me through it all.” According to Cody, growing up, “my classmates and teachers would pull me aside and say, ‘we know who your Mom is,’ but for me, she was just my […]

It’s been a few months since the World Cup, but we committed to telling the stories of the entire first USWNT, so we tracked down one of the two outstanding players. Here she is! Tara Buckley O’Sullivan, grew up doing everything with her twin sister, Moira. The duo would go to their older brother’s soccer […]

Yes, it’s been a few months since the World Cup, but we committed to telling the stories of the entire first USWNT, so we tracked down one of the two outstanding players. Here she is! Sharon was the first woman to be named U.S. Soccer Player of the Year and according to Michelle Akers, she’s […]

Kim Crabbe was the first African-American to roster on the USWNT. She was on the 1986 team, but given that we’ve been telling the stories of the original USWNT trailblazers, Kim needed to be celebrated. According to longtime friend and soccer leader, Samuel Okpodu, Kim is the “Cinderella of soccer…Today everybody’s enjoying it, but nobody […]

Denise was a swimmer, diver, gymnast, and track and field athlete before becoming a soccer player at 14. That said, Washington had strong support for women’s soccer at the time, so once she was hooked, she was all in on soccer. Hilariously, Denise and Michelle have a moment where they both share how they felt […]

Pam was working in the credit department of JCPenney when she got a call from The Washington Post asking her about making the first U.S. Women’s National Team — she hadn’t heard from U.S. Soccer yet, so she wasn’t sure what was happening. The Post had the scoop — she was on the team. The […]

*Content Warning: This episode includes stories of sexual abuse. This production contains material of a highly sensitive nature including stories of sexual grooming and manipulation that may be triggering. Resources provided below.* Cindy remembers going to her brothers’ soccer games to watch. “They didn’t have girls soccer then, and I was dying to play… I […]

Nobody in Ann’s family played soccer, so at 12, she went to the town firehouse to sign herself up — she strategically jotted down “goalie” because she thought it increased her odds of making the team. Flash forward to UVA, and Ann is playing field hockey to help with the costs, yet she returned home […]

While Kathy (or Ridgey as she was called) had older sisters, she grew up playing with the boys, and doing so in what SHE wanted to wear. Just as Kathy started public elementary school, the rules changed to allow girls to wear pants (Kathy’s older sisters had been required to wear dresses or skirts). As […]

Kim Wyant is used to being the first. She recorded the first USWNT goalkeeper win, the first shutout, the first anterior ACL injury (was the first goalie to be replaced by a field player, shoutout Lori Henry), was one of the first female BMX riders, and as of eight years ago (in 2015) became the […]

When asked to recall her first soccer memory, Lori shares her team’s post-game tradition: whether they won or lost, 6-year old Lori and team would go to the nearby hamburger establishment and chow down on free french fries. And while the teams have changed over the years, Lori’s love for the game has only kept […]

Emily grew up as #7 of 8 kids so she always had someone to play with…and she played every sport possible, particularly enjoying team sports. Older sister, Aimee describes Emily’s “quiet strength” and “natural leadership” at a young age. Coach Mike Ryan called Emily a “maverick” because she tucked in her shirt sleeves, and wore […]

Margaret (or as she goes by in soccer, Tucka) grew up in Palo Alto, California, where there were three teams for players ages 10-16. Tucka made the All Star team as a 10 year old, and she didn’t stop there… She shares about her time at Cal (currently tied with Alex Morgan at #3 for […]

When Lori Henry talks about her six year run on the USWNT, she talks about the “little moments along the way,” the moments she says that changed her life. She describes making the first team, being the last name called and not hearing it, but having her teammates jump on her in a pig pile. […]

Linda Gancitano was the first girl on her high school boy’s soccer team, so she got to play alongside her younger brother, Nick. According to Nick, even at an early age, Linda “never took any guff from anyone” and would slide tackle the biggest male forwards. Flash forward to University of Central Florida (UCF) and […]

Stacey Enos is one of the three original University of North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels to blaze the trail to the USWNT. Stacey was actually the FIRST Tar Heel to earn a cap for the USWNT, but Stacey was used to being the first, or the only one doing something. “I had to play with […]

“What a gritty bunch, you know?” was Ruth Harker’s response when asked about her team, the original USWNT. Ruth grew up with her Mom and older brother Steven (who she calls the Harker ‘golden boy’) who would put peanut butter on her face and hold her down while their dog licked it off. She was […]