Brazil’s 18-woman roster for the Olympics was announced on Friday and included Orlando Pride ace and one of the greatest players of all-time, Marta. The 35-year-old’s reaction to hearing her name called to represent her country in Tokyo is what this sport is all about.
History is written by the victors. When you reminisce about the biggest finals of recent times, you’re likely thinking of players like Megan Rapinoe at the 2019 World Cup, Kylian Mbappé in 2018, Carli Lloyd in 2015 or Mario Götze in 2014.
But there are those rare instances when an individual’s performance on the losing team — for better (Zinedine Zidane in 2006) or worse (Loris Karius in 2018) — lives just as vividly in the memory.
As much as we at The18 love women’s soccer, it’s a sad fact that the men’s game receives far more attention, whether it’s from FIFA, other media companies, potential sponsors or the fans themselves. (We could spend hours debating why this is the case, but that’s for another story.) Despite this, there are still a large number of women’s footballers who are far more famous than their partners, who are themselves professional soccer players.
The sternest test of the USWNT’s 2021 SheBelieves Cup was ultimately passed on Sunday as Christen Press’ 11th-minute goal was enough to overcome Brazil before Megan Rapinoe’s late insurance strike at Exploria Stadium in Orlando.
Vlatko Andonovski made four changes to the side that labored to a 1-0 victory over Canada last Thursday, including Press for Rapinoe at left wing, Alex Morgan for Carli Lloyd at striker and match-winner Rose Lavelle for Catarina Macario in midfield.
Brazilian legend Marta turned 35 on Feb. 19 and she still proves to be one of the best in the world. She has the most goals in FIFA World Cup history, she is a six-time World Player of the Year and she is Brazil’s all-time top goal scorer, not to mention she just re-signed for the 2021 season with the Orlando Pride and received her green card so she no longer needs an international roster spot. As a player who many young players look up to, the day she decides to hang up her boots will certainly be a sad one.
The U.S. women’s national team has a remarkable record of reaching the semifinals in every Women’s World Cup. It’s a major reason why we often refer to the USWNT as the greatest sports team of all time. But the road to the final four hasn’t always been easy, and in 2011, the USWNT came closer than ever to an early exit. Only a stunning late Abby Wambach goal vs Brazil — I’d argue the greatest goal in U.S. soccer history — saved the Americans from a quarterfinal exit.
Japan is out. Argentina is in. It’s all absurd.
Less than a month before the 2021 SheBelieves Cup, the tournament has been forced into major changes. The 2011 World Cup champions pulled out of the tournament citing Covid-19 issues and were replaced by the 31st-ranked team in the world, one that struggles mightily for respect from its own federation.
Six-time FIFA Women’s Player of the Year Marta and her Orlando Pride teammate Toni Pressley announced their engagement on Monday morning through Instagram.
Marta, who’s the all-time record goalscorer in FIFA Women’s World Cup history with 17 goals, posted a photo along with the caption, “This is another chapter of the story that we are writing together.”
Brazil's six-times world player of the year Marta has tested positive for COVID-19, the country's soccer governing body (CBF) said on Saturday.
Marta, 34, has been withdrawn from the national team that is set to face Ecuador in two friendly matches at home on Nov. 27 and Dec. 1.
TABOAO DA SERRA, Brazil — When the women's team of Taboao da Serra lost a league match 29-0 last month it looked like things could hardly get much worse for the small club based outside Brazil's biggest city Sao Paulo.
The horrific loss made headlines around the world but it wasn't the final straw. They lost their next three games 14-0, 10-0 and 16-0 and were eliminated from the Sao Paulo state championship at the group stage.