CHAPTER TWELVE:

THE WOMEN WIN AMERICA’S FIRST WORLD CUP

When FIFA finally decided to stage the very first Women’s World Cup in China in 1991, the US Women’s National Team was ready. After Anson Dorrance took over the program in 1986, he established a playing identity, improved the program’s overall sophistication and the work led to positive results in the 1986 and 1987 seasons. Though there was still learning to be done, with new players being added to the roster and then growing together through the 1988 and 1989 seasons, the USWNT began to look like the dominant team we’ve come to know around 1990. Then, in 1991, the women delivered America its first World Cup of any kind with a historic win in China. Only one reporter was there to see it, and the victory garnered virtually no press. But, the soccer community took notice and the roots of a legend were established and it would grow over the decades to come. 

(Photo credit: Getty Images Archive via Sports Illustrated)

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE WOMEN WIN AMERICA’S FIRST WORLD CUP

The early years of USWNT glory were marked by Dorrance’s decision to optimize for athleticism and fitness. He deployed a 3-4-3 formation, largely to counter the traditional and widely played 4-4-2, and focused on pressing opposition into mistakes then transition into attack with dominant attacking talent. 

The 1991 World Cup Champions boasted an attacking trio the like of which had never been seen. Legend Michelle Akers tallied ten (10) goals — including five (5) in the quarterfinal match — en route to Golden Shoe honors. Carin Jennings-Gabarra scored six (6) of her own and captured Golden Ball honors. While April Heinrichs scored four (4) goals, meaning the trio accounted for 20 of the team’s 25 total goals. An astonishing showing.   

Akers season, overall, was even more historic. She scored 39 goals in 26 total matches that season.  Her legend was cemented during that World Cup run. 

(Photo credit: Sports Illustrated)

Our GUEST

As part of the “Triple-Edged Sword” described above — the group of attackers that included Akers and Heinrichs — Carin Jennings-Gabarra become a legendary figure for the USWNT. She finished her national team career five years later with 53 goals in 117 games. In addition to that World Cup, she also played for the United States in the 1995 Women’s World Cup and the 1996 Olympic Games, winning a gold medal in the latter. Inducted in 2000.

Gabarra moved on to the coaching ranks and has led the US Naval Academy’s women’s soccer team since 1993. Since taking over the Navy program, she has taken the Midshipmen from a club-level organization to a team who has claimed at least a share of the Patriot League regular-season title 10 times, made five NCAA Tournament appearances, and produced 21 consecutive winning seasons from 1995 through 2015. In total she’s had 25 total winning seasons in her 29 years at the helm of the Midshipmen.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

To learn more about the USWNT journey to America’s first World Cup win and its importance to the growth of the game in America, we recommend the following resources.

Books

Articles

    Our PERSPECTIVE

    We talk frequently about the importance of the 1999 World Cup run by the USWNT — both because we hosted the event and won it in front of captivated fans, including thousands and thousands of girls that would aspire to become part of that tradition.

    But, without the 1991 team — proving that Title IX and the evolution of women’s soccer in America was impactful — there may not have been the continued investment in the USWNT program to make 1999 a possoibility. 

    The 1991 World Cup win was a spark that lit a fire of excellence and gave the US its own brand of excellence in the sport of soccer. 

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