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Julie Foudy has become a household name around the globe as being one of the best female soccer players in the world. Best known as the captain and 17-year veteran of the U.S. Women's National Team, she won the Gold Metal in the 2004 and 1996 Olympic Games and Silver Medal in the 2000 Olympic Games. Her most recent accomplishment includes becoming one of the founding players of the first-ever Women's Professional Soccer league, the WUSA. Within that league, she played midfield for the San Diego Spirit and served as team captain.
Foudy attended Stanford University where she earned a degree in Biology and a four-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American award. She was named 1991 Soccer America Player of the Year and the 1989 Soccer America Freshman of the Year. She was a Hermann Trophy finalist in 1991 and 1992, named the team's MVP for three consecutive years (1989-1991) and won Stanford's Outstanding Athlete Award for her freshman, sophomore and junior years. Her four-year stint at Stanford earned her the title of Los Angeles Times Soccer Player of the Decade with a resume of 52 goals, 32 assists and a total of 136 points. Foudy debuted with the national team in 1987 at the sweet age of 16. She played with the USA when they captured the 1991 inaugural FIFA Women's World Championship in China, playing every minute of the championship game. She was also a member of the 1999 team that captured the 1999 FIFA World Championship in the U.S. Foudy then went on to co-captain the team leading them to win the 2000 Algarve Cup. Foudy married Ian Sawyers in July 1995; they reside in San Diego, CA. She is active in building gender equality in sports as well as combating teen smoking abuse. In 1998, she was named the winner of the FIFA Play Award for her anti-child labor efforts. She is the immediate past President of the Women's Sports Foundation and the spokesperson for Uniroyal. |
