The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer

by Caitlin Murray

Overview

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has won three World Cups and four Olympic gold medals, set record TV ratings, drawn massive crowds, earned huge revenues for FIFA and U.S. Soccer, and helped to redefine the place of women in sports. But despite their dominance, and their rosters of superstar players, they’ve endured striking inequality: low pay, poor playing conditions, and limited opportunities to play in professional leagues.

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.

Through nearly 100 exclusive interviews with players, coaches, and team officials, including Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, Heather O’Reilly, Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain, Pia Sundhage, Tom Sermanni, and Sunil Gulati, Murray takes readers inside the locker rooms and board rooms in engrossing detail. A story of endurance and determination, The National Team is a complete portrait of this beloved and important team.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419734496
Publisher:	Abrams Press
Publication date:	04/02/2019
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	235,357
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

CAITLIN MURRAY has written about soccer for The New York Times, ESPN, Fox Sports, and Yahoo Sports. She was also The Guardian’s correspondent during the 2015 World Cup and followed the U.S. team on their path to victory. Her work has also appeared in The Buffalo News, the Oregonian, the Orlando Sentinel, Minnesota’s Star Tribune, and many other publications. She graduated with a degree in journalism from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. A native of Buffalo, New York, she now resides in Portland, Oregon. Follow her at caitlinmurraysoccer.com and @caitlinmurr.

Table of Contents

Prologue: "Where Are All These People Going?" vii

Part I

Chapter 1 "We're Not Very USA-ish" 3

Chapter 2 "I Just Want to Play Soccer" 13

Chapter 3 "Screw You, We'll Show You Differently" 24

Chapter 4 "From Darkness into the Light" 32

Chapter 5 "Babe City, Ladies and Gentlemen" 46

Chapter 6 "Oh S***, These Women Are for Real" 55

Chapter 7 "Is That the Starting Team? Am I Not on It?" 68

Chapter 8 "We Kind of Bled to Death" 78

Chapter 9 "It Was Their Team" 94

Chapter 10 "Why Do We Have to Deal with This Discrimination?" 111

Part II

Chapter 11 "If There Isn't a Goalkeeper Controversy, Why Make One?" 121

Chapter 12 "Whoa, Can We Do This Without Her?" 133

Chapter 13 "You Wouldn't Be on the Field If It Was Up to Me" 145

Chapter 14 "The Americans? They Just Go for It" 158

Chapter 15 "Okay, This Is Our Payback" 170

Part III

Chapter 16 "Let's Give This League a Shot, Let's Go for It" 189

Chapter 17 "I Cannot Comment Further at This Time" 209

Chapter 18 "I've Dreamed of Scoring a Shot Like That" 221

Chapter 19 "It Is Our Job to Keep on Fighting" 241

Chapter 20 "We Played a Bunch of Cowards" 263

Chapter 21 "The Power of Collective Bargaining" 280

Chapter 22 "We Had to Turn the Lens on Ourselves" 297

Chapter 23 "For Inspiration and For Power" 304

Chapter 24 "A Total S***show Circus" 313

Acknowledgments 331

Sources 333

Index 347

Editorial Reviews

"In The National Team, Caitlin Murray has told an inspiring tale of the long arc of the U.S. women's national team, shedding new light on all the major tournaments while revealing fascinating details on its decades-long fight for better treatment from the men who run soccer. I learned a lot of new things from this terrific book."

author of Masters of Modern Soccer - Grant Wahl

I've always had tremendous respect for the Women's National Team but, after reading The National Team, that level of respect skyrocketed. This is a fantastic story about perseverance, overcoming obstacles and following your passion in life."

Landon Donovan

A comprehensive account of the glory and strife that has accompanied the rise of the U.S. women’s national team, from the days of wearing men’s hand-me-down jerseys to gracing the covers of Time, Newsweek, People and Sports Illustrated. … This summer, it’s quite likely that the U.S. women will be the most popular athletes in America. The complexities of how they've gotten this far, as described so precisely by Murray, makes it all the more impressive.

Soccer America

Reading The National Team, I couldn’t help but laugh, cry, smile, and have an overall warm feeling. I enjoyed it so much I had to force myself to put it down because I didn’t want it to end. Caitlin Murray has done a wonderful job sharing the history, personal stories, and memories of the national team. Everyone who loves a great, original, genuine story will love this book.

Brandi Chastain

Reading The National Team, I couldn’t help but laugh, cry, smile, and have an overall warm feeling. I enjoyed it so much I had to force myself to put it down because I didn’t want it to end. Caitlin Murray has done a wonderful job sharing the history, personal stories, and memories of the national team. Everyone who loves a great, original, genuine story will love this book.”—Brandi Chastain

“The story of the USWNT is one of success, perseverance, and drama, on and off the field. Caitlin Murray takes us though it all. I gobbled up every page of this deep dive into the incredible history and culture that surrounds this team.”—Alexi Lalas

“I've always had tremendous respect for the Women's National Team but, after reading The National Team, that level of respect skyrocketed. This is a fantastic story about perseverance, overcoming obstacles and following your passion in life."—Landon Donovan

"In The National Team, Caitlin Murray has told an inspiring tale of the long arc of the U.S. women's national team, shedding new light on all the major tournaments while revealing fascinating details on its decades-long fight for better treatment from the men who run soccer. I learned a lot of new things from this terrific book."—Grant Wahl, author of Masters of Modern Soccer

“The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is one of the greatest collectives the United States has ever produced. For all its World Cups and Olympic Golds, it has never had a history worthy of its name. Caitlin Murray has put that right with this book. The National Team is the definitive telling of the team's journey, giving the reader a behind the scenes understanding of the dreams, elite skills, and enormous sacrifices that have brought success on the field, and the huge battle for equality still to be won off it.”—Roger Bennett, Men in Blazers

“A comprehensive account of the glory and strife that has accompanied the rise of the U.S. women’s national team, from the days of wearing men’s hand-me-down jerseys to gracing the covers of Time, Newsweek, People and Sports Illustrated. … This summer, it’s quite likely that the U.S. women will be the most popular athletes in America. The complexities of how they've gotten this far, as described so precisely by Murray, makes it all the more impressive.”—Soccer America

From the Publisher

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is one of the greatest collectives the United States has ever produced. For all its World Cups and Olympic Golds, it has never had a history worthy of its name. Caitlin Murray has put that right with this book. The National Team is the definitive telling of the team's journey, giving the reader a behind the scenes understanding of the dreams, elite skills, and enormous sacrifices that have brought success on the field, and the huge battle for equality still to be won off it.

Men in Blazers - Roger Bennett

The story of the USWNT is one of success, perseverance, and drama, on and off the field. Caitlin Murray takes us though it all. I gobbled up every page of this deep dive into the incredible history and culture that surrounds this team.

Alexi Lalas