When you consider the heights that the U.S. women's national team has reached over the last few decades, it becomes nearly impossible to truly separate it all. How can you compare success to success? How do you rank a series of seemingly endless legends given all they accomplished, both as individuals and as a group?
The goal here is not to separate the good from the great, but rather the great from the greater. Throughout the past 25 years, so many USWNT players have achieved icon status, transcending the game they play and the country in which they play it. There is no shortage of stars to choose from, and no shortage of stars that just missed the cut.
Start with those legendary figures from the 20th century that barely missed out. Stars such as Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain and Joy Fawcett could easily be on this list, but their resumes were a bit too '90s-heavy. Several current standouts came close, too, but we still need to see more from the likes of Naomi Girma, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson if they want to be among such revered company. For now, their resumes still need a bit of writing. And that's because of the star power is so bright - world champions, Olympic medalists, pop culture icons and record-breakers.
So, as we approach the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, GOAL is on hand to rank the top 25 USWNT players, so far ...