The Women’s Best XI features two unanimous ballot selections in defender Joy Biefeld (Fawcett) and forward Mia Hamm. Midfielders Michelle Akers and Kristine Lilly were near unanimous ballot selections as both were one vote shy.
Three active players – defender Christie Rampone (Pearce) and forwards Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach – were voted to the Women’s Best XI, with Morgan the youngest selection at 24 years old.
Calculated by total votes, U.S. Soccer’s All-Time Women’s Best XI is arranged in a 4-3-3 formation and listed below in alphabetical order by position:
Goalkeeper – Briana Scurry 1994-2008 (31 votes)
Defender – Brandi Chastain 1988-2004 (31)
Defender – Joy Biefeld (Fawcett) 1987-2004 (56)
Defender – Carla Werden (Overbeck) 1988-2000 (49)
Defender – Christie Rampone (Pearce) 1997-present (46)
Midfielder – Michelle Akers 1985-2000 (55)
Midfielder – Julie Foudy 1988-2004 (40)
Midfielder – Kristine Lilly 1987-2010 (55)
Forward – Mia Hamm 1987-2004 (56)
Forward – Alex Morgan 2010-present (15)
Forward – Abby Wambach 2001-present (52)
In an effort to create a fair and reasonable process to determine the All-Time Best XI, U.S. Soccer appointed a committee of soccer historians and former players, coaches, media members and administrators at the National Team level.
The committee determined the list of eligible players for selection to the Best XI, as well as the criteria to be considered by the list of voters. Voters for the Best XI included 56 former players and administrators, as well as media members. The criteria the voters considered in determining their All-Time Best XI:
1) Starter or key contributor to overall success on the field, especially in World Cups
2) Longevity, overall performance and talent on the field with the U.S. Men’s or Women’s National Team
3) Impact on the legacy of the U.S. Men’s or Women’s National Team program
Listed below are the full voting results for all eligible players. The final vote tally for each player is provided in parentheses.
GOALKEEPERS :
Briana Scurry (31), Hope Solo (24), Mary Harvey (1)
DEFENDERS :
Joy Biefeld Fawcett (56), Carla Werden Overbeck (49), Christie Rampone Pearce (46), Brandi Chastain (31), Kate Markgraf Sobrero (9), Lori Chalupny (5), Ali Krieger (2), Rachel Buehler (1), Linda Hamilton (1), Heather Mitts (1), Cat Reddick Whitehill (1), Stephanie Cox Lopez (0), Lori Henry (0), Amy LePeilbet (0), Kelly O’Hara (0)
MIDFIELDERS :
Michelle Akers (55), Kristine Lilly (55), Julie Foudy (40), Shannon Boxx (13), Carli Lloyd (13), Shannon MacMillan (8), Megan Rapinoe (6), Heather O’Reilly (5), Shannon Higgins (4), Tobin Heath (1), Tiffany Roberts (1), Tisha Venturini (1), Lauren Holiday Cheney (0), Lorrie Fair (0), Angela Hucles (0), Lindsay Tarpley (0), Aly Wagner (0)
FORWARDS :
Mia Hamm (56), Abby Wambach (52), Alex Morgan (15), Carin Gabarra Jennings (13), April Heinrichs (12), Tiffeny Milbrett (10), Cindy Parlow Cone (1), Sydney Leroux (0), Amy Rodriguez (0)