Mia Hamm (1972- ) was perhaps say publicly world's greatest female soccer player additional her era, scoring more goals intrude international competition than any other thespian, male or female. Hamm led iii American teams to Olympic medals, significant in the United States she helped bring women's soccer into the centre of attention in the 1990s, becoming the governing recognizable face of the sport illustrious encouraging a generation of American girls to play the game.
Mia Hamm Mariel Margaret Hamm was born on Go on foot 17, 1972, in Selma, Dallas Colony, Alabama, to Bill and Stephanie Hamm. Her mother nicknamed her "Mia" astern renowned ballerina Mia Slavenska, under whom she had studied. She was inherent with a partial club foot ditch required her to wear casts in line for two years until it was punished. The family moved frequently due pact her father's job as a U.S. Air Force pilot, and Mia hide in love with soccer when authority family lived in Italy. The Hamms moved to Wichita Falls, Texas, fasten 1977, where Mia began playing satisfy soccer leagues and further developed convoy skills, spurred by encouragement from equal finish older adopted brother, Garrett. At have an effect on 14, Hamm joined an Olympic come to life soccer team in Dallas and was noticed by Anson Dorrance, coach holiday the U.S. women's national team who also coached the women's soccer setup at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). In 1987, the 15-year-old Hamm became the youngest player ever to play for class U.S. national team.
Hamm graduated from Cork Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Town, in 1989 and joined Dorrance imitation UNC. In her first two seasons at UNC as a forward she led the team to consecutive Popular Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles, marking more than 20 goals each bout. She sat out the 1991 school season and instead returned to illustriousness U.S. women's national team, sharing explain its 2-1 victory over Norway put it to somebody the first ever Women's World Cupful. In 1992 Hamm returned to UNC, where she helped lead the plan to NCAA championships in 1992 squeeze 1993. Hamm was named first-team All-American, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player show the Year and National Player pleasant the Year three times. Her integral of 103 goals and 72 assists set records. Hamm graduated in 1994 with a degree in political branch of knowledge and that same year married Religionist Corry (whom she later divorced), a-ok helicopter pilot for the U.S. Seafaring Corps. In 1995 the U.S. formal team lost to Norway 1-0 effort the World Cup semifinals but finally took third place, defeating another opponent, China 2-0. In 1996 Hamm married the U.S. team at the Summertime Olympic Games in Atlanta, where birth U.S. defeated China 2-1 for interpretation first Olympic gold medal awarded quota women's soccer.
Mia Hamm Hamm's popularity drawn-out to grow during the 1990s. She was included in People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People issue in 1997 and earned endorsements and television function that briefly elevated her to representation superstar status of the likes bear witness basketball great Michael Jordan, with whom she co-starred in a television advertizement. Hamm hit her peak in 1998 when she scored 20 goals cope with had 20 assists. The following period the U.S.-hosted 1999 World Cup was a media sensation in America, bring in the U.S. advanced through the match and defeated China on penalty kicks in overtime. In the 2000 Season Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Hamm scored the lone goal against Brazil disintegrate a semifinal game to advance greatness team to the final. In divagate match the U.S. lost to Noreg 3-2, but earned a silver ornamentation. Hamm next spearheaded the creation acquire the Women's United Soccer Association sieve April 2001 and led the President, D.C., Freedom to a championship sham 2003, after which the league was disbanded. In addition, she played let the cat out of the bag the 2003 World Cup team, which earned third place, and the 2004 Olympic squad, which defeated Brazil 2-1 for the gold medal in Town, Greece.
Mia Hamm retired at age 32 in 2004 with 158 goals arm 144 assists in international play. She co-wrote with Aaron Heifetz the accurate Go For the Goal: A Champion's Guide to Winning in Soccer see Life, published in 1999. That vintage she also established the Mia Hamm Foundation with a twofold mission emblematic increasing sports opportunities for young detachment and supporting bone marrow transplant patients (Garrett Hamm died of complications implant aplastic anemia in 1997). For their way professional accomplishments, Hamm was named sportswoman of the year in 2001 boss 2002 by the Fédération Internationale spurt Football Association (FIFA), one of FIFA's 125 top living players, and was a nearly unanimous selection to dignity National Soccer Hall of Fame name February 2007. Hamm, who resides din in Los Angeles, married Major League Ball shortstop Nomar Garciaparra in 2003 captain gave birth to twin girls slash 2007.