The National Team (Updated and Expanded Edition): The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is one of the most dominant forces in sports history―World Cup champions, Olympic gold medalists, and cultural trailblazers. But behind the trophies is a far more complicated story of inequality, persistence, and transformation.

In The National Team, journalist Caitlin Murray delivers a definitive account of how these athletes built a powerhouse program while continually pushing back against low pay, poor conditions, and limited professional opportunities.

Drawing on nearly 100 interviews with players, coaches, and officials, she takes readers inside the locker rooms, boardrooms, and defining moments that shaped the team’s trajectory.

From the team’s formation in the 1980s through its rise to global dominance, Murray traces both the on-field triumphs and the off-field battles that redefined women’s sports in the United States. The result is a narrative that captures not just a winning team, but a movement―one that forced lasting change in how women’s athletics are seen, supported, and valued.

The National Team offers a clear-eyed, deeply reported look at the people behind the headlines. For sports readers, it delivers the full story of a modern dynasty; for general readers, it’s a compelling portrait of collective determination, leadership, and the long fight for equity.

Caitlin Murray is a soccer journalist who has covered the U.S. Women’s National Team and multiple World Cups for outlets including The New York Times and The Guardian. Her reporting focuses on the intersection of elite competition and the broader fight for equity in women’s sports, with access to players, coaches, and leadership across the game. She is the author of The National Team, a deeply reported history of the USWNT. She lives in Portland, Oregon.