Since FIFA started ranking women’s teams in 2003, the United States Women’s National Team has been ranked first or second in the world, and never worse. They’ve hoisted three of the seven Women’s World Cup trophies, and over the course of history have to be considered the best team in the world.
This is in stark contrast to the men’s side that has struggled to gain traction in our sports-fueled nation, despite the same or arguably better resources at its disposal. In Part 2 of this series we examined what features of a nation indicate success on the soccer pitch for the men.