I’ve really been showing my age in the last two posts, but Mia Hamm, along with occasional mentions of Landon Donovan, was really the only soccer icon I ever saw in my formative years (which, by the way, involved a lot of soccer).
Born in Selma, Alabama, Mia bounced around the world with her Air Force family, and began playing the sport while in Italy. After moving back to the states, she quickly became the top dog in soccer at her high school, and even played on the football team in what is usually an all-male sport. She was invited to play with the US Women’s National Team at only 15 years old.