Michelle Akers

Michelle Akers

Personal information
Full name	Michelle Anne Akers[1]
Date of birth	(1966-02-01) February 1, 1966 (age 58)
Place of birth	Santa Clara, California, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder, forward
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1985–1988	UCF Knights
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1990	Tyresö FF	18	(8)
1992	Tyresö FF
1992	Orlando Lions Women	29	(8)
1994	Tyresö FF	19	(3)
International career
1985–2000	United States	155	(107)
Managerial career
2022	Orlando Pride (assistant)
Medal record Women's soccer Representing  United States Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta Team competition FIFA Women's World Cup 1991 China Team competition 1999 USA Team competition 1995 Sweden Team competition
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Michelle Anne Akers (formerly Akers-Stahl; born February 1, 1966) is an American former soccer player who starred in the 1991 and 1999 Women's World Cup and 1996 Olympics victories by the United States. At the 1991 World Cup, she won the Golden Shoe as the top scorer, with ten goals.

Akers is regarded as one of the greatest female soccer players in history.^[2][3][4] She was named FIFA Female Player of the Century in 2002, an award she shared with China's Sun Wen.^[5][6] In 2004, Akers and Mia Hamm were the only two women named to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living soccer players selected by Pelé and commissioned by FIFA for that organization's 100th anniversary.

Akers is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, inducted in 2004.^[7]

Early life

Born to Robert and Anne Akers in Santa Clara, California^[8] on February 1, 1966, Akers grew up in the Seattle, Washington suburb of Shoreline, where she attended and played soccer for Shorecrest High School.^[9] Early in her career, she was not sure whether she was willing to do the training necessary to excel. After losing a youth game, she was frustrated and walked off the field in tears. Her father asked her "Did you have fun". Her answer was "yes" which led to the realization that this was the real reason she played, and that helped turn her into the fierce competitor she became.^[8] She was named an All-American three times during her high school career.^[9] At 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) in height and 150 pounds (68 kg), Akers had an imposing physical presence on the soccer field and was noted for her aggressive and physical style of play.^[10]

University of Central Florida

Akers attended the University of Central Florida on a scholarship where she was selected as four-time NCAA All-American.^[9] She was Central Florida's Athlete of the Year in 1988–89, was the all-time leading scorer in UCF history,^[9] won the Hermann Trophy in 1988 as the nation's top college soccer player,^[9] and had her #10 jersey retired by the school.^[11]

International career

Akers was a member of the 1985 United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) for its first-ever game, at a tournament in Italy in August 1985. Due to an ankle injury, she did not play in the first game. However, in the U.S.'s second-ever international game, she scored the first goal in the history of the program, in a 2–2 tie against Denmark.^[12]

Akers scored 15 goals in 24 games for the U.S. from 1985 to 1990, before scoring a team-record 39 goals in 26 games in the 1991 season. In 1990 and 1991 she was named the Female Athlete of the Year by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).^[9] Akers was also the lead scorer in the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup in China in 1991, scoring ten goals, including five in one game.^[9] This led the U.S. women's team to the first women's world championship, defeating Norway 2–1 in the final. Akers scored both U.S. goals in the final.^[13][14]

Throughout most of her career, Akers was afflicted by chronic fatigue syndrome, repeatedly considering retirement only to continue playing in some of U.S. Soccer's most significant matches.^[15]

After the 1991 World Cup, she shifted from striker to central midfielder, in part to minimize the beatings doled out by opposing defenders. Despite the precautions, Akers suffered a concussion and a knee injury early in the 1995 World Cup, and was hampered by the knee in the U.S.'s semifinal loss to Norway.^[16][17]

In 1996, Akers was again a member of the U.S. women's national team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where it won the first gold medal in Olympic Women's Soccer. She played with a torn medial collateral ligament in the holding central midfielder role, anchoring the team's defense, dominating in the air, and playmaking out of the back to maintain possession and generate goal-scoring opportunities. After the tournament her knee required reconstructive surgery for the third time. She was also a member of the gold medal-winning 1998 Goodwill Games team. On June 7, 1998, she was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, FIFA's highest honor in the global game of soccer, for her contributions to the game of soccer on and off the field; she was the first woman ever to receive it. Akers again was a leader and member of the 1999 Women's World Cup team, where the team won their second World Cup championship. Despite playing with a dislocated shoulder, caused by a fan in the quarterfinals,^[18] she was awarded the Bronze Ball of the tournament by FIFA.^[19]

Shortly before the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Akers retired from the game due to injuries incurred before and during the 1999 FIFA World Cup. She was the U.S. national team's second all-time leading scorer (behind Mia Hamm) with 105 goals, 37 assists and 247 points.^[20]

Coaching career

On January 19, 2022, the Orlando Pride announced Akers as an assistant coach for the 2022 season, serving under head coach Amanda Cromwell. She also served in a player development and mentorship role, and assisted with community outreach.^[21]

Personal life

From 1990 to 1994, she was married and was known as Michelle Akers-Stahl.^[22] Later she married again (2003–2007) and had a son in Orlando, Florida.^[23] As of 2011, she resided near Atlanta, Georgia, with her son Cody on a small farm doing horse rescue and animal welfare work.^[24]

Since her retirement from the USWNT in 2000, she has also continued to promote the game of soccer as a spokesperson, advocate, and leader on various platforms.^[25][26]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
United States[27]	1985	2	2
	1986	5	0
	1987	9	3
	1988	2	0
	1990	6	9
	1991	26	39
	1993	12	6
	1994	12	11
	1995	20	17
	1996	17	7
	1997	2	1
	1998	15	5
	1999	20	6
	2000	7	1
Total		155	107

International goals

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	August 21, 1985	Jesolo, Italy	Denmark	1–?	2–2	Friendly
2.	August 23, 1985	Caorle, Italy	England	1–?	1–3
3.	December 16, 1987	Taipei, Taiwan	Australia	2–0	6–0
4.	December 19, 1987		Canada	1–0	4–0
5.				?–0
6.	July 25, 1990	Winnipeg, Canada	Norway	2–0	4–0
7.	July 29, 1990		Norway	2–2	4–2
8.	August 5, 1990	Blaine, United States	Soviet Union	?–0	8–0
9.				?–0
10.				?–0
11.	August 9, 1990		England	1–0	3–0
12.				?–0
13.	August 11, 1990		Germany	?–0	3–0
14.				?–0
15.	April 1, 1991	Varna, Bulgaria	Yugoslavia	?–0	8–0
16.				?–0
17.				?–0
18.	April 2, 1991		Bulgaria	3–0	3–0
19.	April 5, 1991		France	2–0	2–0
20.	April 7, 1991		Soviet Union	3–0	5–0
21.				4–0
22.				5–0
23.	April 18, 1991	Port-au-Prince, Haiti	Mexico	2–0	12–0	1991 CONCACAF Women's Championship
24.				4–0
25.	April 20, 1991		Martinique	?–0	12–0
26.				?–0
27.	April 22, 1991		Trinidad and Tobago	?–0	10–0
28.				?–0
29.	April 25, 1991		Haiti	?–0	10–0
30.				?–0
31.	April 28, 1991		Canada	1–0	5–0
32.				2–0
33.				5–0
34.	May 18, 1991	Lyon, France	France	?–0	4–0	Friendly
35.	May 25, 1991	Hirson, France	England	2–?	3–1
36.	May 30, 1991	Kaiserslautern, Germany	Germany	2–0	4–2
37.				4–2
38.	August 4, 1991	Changchun, China	China	1–?	1–2
39.	August 8, 1991	Yanji, China	China	2–?	2–2
40.	August 10, 1991	Anshan, China	China	1–0	3–0
41.				2–0
42.				3–0
43.	October 12, 1991	Fairfax, United States	China	2–0	2–0
44.	November 19, 1991	Guangzhou, China	Brazil	4–0	5–0	1991 FIFA Women's World Cup
45.	November 21, 1991	Foshan, China	Japan	1–0	3–0
46.				2–0
47.	November 24, 1991		Chinese Taipei	1–0	7–0
48.				2–0
49.				3–0
50.				5–0
51.				6–0
52.	November 30, 1991	Guangzhou, China	Norway	1–0	2–1
53.				2–1
54.	March 11, 1993	Agia, Cyprus	Denmark	2–0	2–0	Friendly
55.	June 12, 1993	Cincinnati, United States	Canada	6–0	7–0
56.				7–0
57.	June 21, 1993	Pontiac, United States	Canada	3–0	3–0
58.	August 6, 1993	New Hyde Park, United States	Trinidad and Tobago	?–0	9–0	1993 CONCACAF Women's Invitational Tournament
59.				?–0
60.	April 14, 1994	San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago	Canada	1–0	4–1	Friendly
61.				2–0
62.	April 17, 1994	Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago	Canada	2–0	3–0
63.	July 31, 1994	Fairfax, United States	Germany	2–0	2–1
64.	August 7, 1994	Worcester, United States	Norway	?–?	4–1
65.	August 13, 1994	Montreal, Canada	Mexico	?–0	9–0	1994 CONCACAF Women's Championship
66.				?–0
67.	August 17, 1994		Trinidad and Tobago	?–1	11–1
68.	August 19, 1994		Jamaica	?–0	10–0
69.				?–0
70.	August 21, 1994		Canada	6–0	6–0
71.	January 20, 1995	Phoenix, United States	Australia	?–0	5–0	Friendly
72.	January 23, 1995		Australia	?–?	4–1
73.	February 24, 1995	Orlando, United States	Denmark	?–0	7–0
74.				?–0
75.				?–0
76.	March 19, 1995	Quarteira, Portugal	Norway	1–0	3–3 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p)	1995 Algarve Cup
77.	April 11, 1995	Poissy, France	Italy	1–0	3–0	Friendly
78.	April 12, 1995	Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, France	Canada	2–0	5–0
79.	April 28, 1995	Decatur, United States	Finland	2–0	2–0
80.	April 30, 1995	Davidson, United States	Finland	2–0	6–0
81.	May 14, 1995	Portland, United States	Brazil	?–?	4–1
82.				?–?
83.	May 19, 1995	Dallas, United States	Canada	3–0	9–1
84.				4–1
85.	July 30, 1995	New Britain, United States	Chinese Taipei	7–0	9–0	1995 Women's U.S. Cup
86.				9–0
87.	August 3, 1995	Piscataway, United States	Australia	?–?	4–2
88.	January 13, 1996	Campinas, Brazil	Russia	2–0	8–1	Friendly
89.	February 2, 1996	Tampa, United States	Norway	2–1	3–2
90.	April 20, 1996	Fullerton, United States	Netherlands	6–0	6–0
91.	April 26, 1996	St. Louis, United States	France	1–0	4–1
92.	April 28, 1996	Indianapolis, United States	France	6–0	8–2
93.	May 18, 1996	Washington, D.C., United States	China	1–0	1–0	1996 Women's U.S. Cup
94.	July 28, 1996	Athens, United States	Norway	1–1	2–1 (a.e.t.)	1996 Summer Olympics
95.	November 1, 1997	Chattanooga, United States	Sweden	3–0	3–1	Friendly
96.	March 15, 1998	Olhão, Portugal	Finland	1–0	2–0	1998 Algarve Cup
97.	April 24, 1998	Fullerton, United States	Argentina	3–1	8–1	Friendly
98.	April 26, 1998	San Jose, United States	Argentina	3–0	7–0
99.	July 25, 1998	Hempstead, United States	Denmark	2–0	5–0	1998 Goodwill Games
100.	September 20, 1998	Richmond, United States	Brazil	2–0	3–0	1998 Women's U.S. Cup
101.	January 27, 1999	Orlando, United States	Portugal	3–0	7–0	Friendly
102.	January 30, 1999	Fort Lauderdale, United States	Portugal	2–0	6–0
103.	April 22, 1999	Hershey, United States	China	1–0	2–1
104.	April 29, 1999	Charlotte, United States	Japan	1–0	9–0
105.				2–0
106.	June 24, 1999	Chicago, United States	Nigeria	5–1	7–1	1999 FIFA Women's World Cup
107.	July 4, 1999	Stanford, United States	Brazil	2–0	2–0
108.	August 13, 2000	Annapolis, United States	Russia	4–1	7–1	Friendly

^{[28] [29]}

See also

• List of women's footballers with 100 or more international goals
• List of Olympic medalists in football
• List of 1996 Summer Olympics medal winners
• List of players with the most goals in an association football game
• 1985 United States women's national soccer team
• List of University of Central Florida alumni
• List of athletes on Wheaties boxes
• List of Golden Scarf recipients
• List of prizes named after people

References

1. "Michelle Akers". SoccerTimes. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
2. Lewis, Michael (August 3, 2016). "The 20 Greatest Female Football Players of all Time". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
3. Jeff Carlisle (June 2, 2013). "Players whose influence reaches beyond the pitch". ESPN. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
4. "Best American Soccer Players of All Time (Men and Women)". Soccer Mavericks. December 21, 2023. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
5. "Michelle Akers Named FIFA Player of the Century". US Soccer. Archived from the original on March 13, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
6. "FIFA names Akers 'Player of the Century.'". ESPN. Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
7. "Michelle Akers - 2004 Inductee". National Soccer Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
8. Layden, Joseph, 1959- (1997). Women in sports : the complete book on the world's greatest female athletes. Los Angeles: General Pub. Group. p. 14. ISBN 1-57544-064-4. OCLC 36501288.
9. Schafer, Elizabeth D (2002) [1992]. Dawson, Dawn P (ed.). Great Athletes. Vol. 1 (Revised ed.). Salem Press. pp. 26–28. ISBN 1-58765-008-8.
10. Miller, Marla All-American Girls New York: Pocket Books, 1999, pp. 14–15.
11. "Michelle Akers - Women's Soccer (1984, 1986-88) - Class of 1998". UCF Athletics. Archived from the original on September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
12. "US WNT Flashback – 20th Anniversary of First-Ever Match: Who Scored First?" http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Womens-National-Team/2005/08/U-S-WNT-Flashback-20th-Anniversary-Of-First-Ever-Match-Who-Scored-First.aspx Archived June 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, accessed October 3, 2012.
13. "Michelle Akers - All 12 goals in World Cup". YouTube. September 2, 2020. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021.
14. Abnos, Alexander. "Start of Something Big". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 11, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
15. Shipley, Amy. "Akers's Exhausting Opponent". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
16. Michelle Akers Biography http://www.biography.com/people/michelle-akers-21321911#national-superstar Archived June 10, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
17. Michelle Akers enjoying life after soccer http://www.cfs-info.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=712&Itemid=79 Archived November 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
18. "Soccer Star Akers Out Of Games". CBS. August 24, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
19. "1999 FIFA Women's World Cup". U.S. Soccer. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
20. Alexander, Valerie (July 7, 2014). "World Cup Soccer Stats Erase The Sport's Most Dominant Players: Women". Jezebel.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
21. "Orlando Pride Announces Assistant Coaching Staff Ahead of 2022 NWSL Season". Orlando Pride. January 19, 2022. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
22. Whiteside, Kelly (June 5, 1995). "WORLD BEATER MICHELLE AKERS, SOCCER'S TOP FEMALE, IS READY TO LEAD THE U.S. TO ANOTHER TITLE". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
23. Josh Robbins (September 19, 2007). "With the U.S. women chasing the World Cup, Michelle Akers is a happy mom at home just..." Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 6, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
24. Wahl, Grant, "Green Acres", Sports Illustrated, July 4, 2011, pp. 98–101.
25. Cardenas, Natalia. Michelle Akers. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
26. Scavuzzo, Diane. (12 juni 2015). Women in Soccer: Michelle Akers. Archived June 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine Goal Nation. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
27. "FIFA Century Club" (PDF). FIFA. February 9, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 23, 2014.
28. Some scorelines in the goal log above are courtesy of RSSSF: Garin, Erik. "RSSSF Archive - International Country Results - Women Tournaments". RSSSF. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023., others via Canada Soccer archive e.g.: "Canada Soccer". Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
29. Sources disagree on whether Akers scored vs Hungary on 3 April 1991 or whether Wendy Gebauer got 2 that day. Compare "USWNT Results: 1990-1994". Society for American Soccer History. March 5, 2019. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2023. (credits Gebauer), vs RSSSF: Litterer, Dave. "USA - Women - International Results". RSSSF. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023. (credits Akers-Stahl)

Match reports

Further reading

• Grainey, Timothy (2012), Beyond Bend It Like Beckham: The Global Phenomenon of Women's Soccer, University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 0803240368
• Kassouf, Jeff (2011), Girls Play to Win Soccer, Norwood House Press, ISBN 1599534649
• LaFontaine, P.; Valutis, E.; Griffin, C.; Weisman, L. (2001), Companions in Courage: Triumphant Tales of Heroic Athletes, Hatchette Digital Inc., ISBN 0759520518
• Lisi, Clemente A. (2010), The U.S. Women's Soccer Team: An American Success Story, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 0810874164
• Longman, Jere (2009), The Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women's Soccer Team and How it Changed the World, HarperCollins, ISBN 0061877689
• Mitchell, N.; Ennis, L. (2007) Encyclopedia of Title IX and Sports, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 0313335877
• Rutledge, Rachel (2000), The Best of the Best in Soccer, First Avenue Editions, ISBN 0761313923
• Silverman, Al (2004), It's Not Over 'til it's Over, Penguin, ISBN 1468304313

External links

• National Soccer Hall of Fame profile
• University of Central Florida biography at the Wayback Machine (archived April 19, 2012)
• Michelle Akers at the United States Olympic Team at the Wayback Machine (archived November 6, 2006)
• Michelle Akers at Olympedia (archive)
• Michelle Akers at Olympics.com
• Michelle Akers horse rescue website at the Wayback Machine (archived April 13, 2008)