9781422275962

Akers, she was vital in helping to win America’s Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2004. Hamm’s scoring feats include 158 career goals and a record 145 assists. MICHELLE AKERS Akers has been called the “Babe Ruth of women’s soccer,” and her success was due to a unique combination of energy, skill, and dominating size. At nearly 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall, she was one of the tallest and most intimidating players of her time. Akers was part of the dominant 1991 U.S. Women’s World Cup championship team and was an amazing player that year. For example, she scored thirty-nine goals in twenty-six matches, a rate of 1.5 goals per game. Her skills were crucial in getting America qualified for the first World Cup, as she scored eleven goals to get her team into the tournament. Akers then scored eight times in the World Cup to lead the team to the final match against Norway. It was there that Akers sealed her legendary status by scoring two more goals in the 2–1 win. Her second goal was the true stunner of the competition, as Akers put it into the net with just two minutes left in the match. Despite Akers having to fight chronic fatigue syndrome since 1994, she remained a crucial player for the U.S. Women’s team and its continued dominance of the sport. In the 1999 World Cup tournament, she nailed a late penalty kick during the semifinal game to advance past Brazil. For her efforts, she won the Bronze Ball as the tournament’s third best player. Akers retired in 2000. Akers was given the Order of Merit honor by FIFA in 1998 and was named to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, she was named one of the 125 greatest living soccer players by FIFA.

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