Mariel Margaret " Mia" Hamm (born March 17, 1972) is an American former professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon,
Hamm competed in four FIFA Women's World Cups: the inaugural 1991 tournament in China, 1995 in Sweden, 1999 and 2003 in the United States. She led the team at three Olympic Games — 1996 in Atlanta (the first time women's soccer was played), 2000 in Sydney, and 2004 in Athens. At these seven international tournaments she played in 42 matches and scored 14 goals.
Hamm held the record for most international goals scored until 2013 and remains in third place as of 2023. She ranks fourth in the history of the U.S. team for international caps (276) and first for career assists (144). Hamm was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002. She was chosen by Pelé as one of FIFA's 125 greatest living players in the FIFA 100, to celebrate the organization's 100th anniversary. Hamm was named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year five years in a row, and won three ESPN including Soccer Player of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year. The Women's Sports Foundation named her Sportswoman of the Year in 1997 and 1999. She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame, and was the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame.
A co-owner of Los Angeles FC and Angel City FC, Hamm is also a global ambassador for FC Barcelona and is on the board of directors of Serie A club A.S. Roma. Author of Go For the Goal: A Champion's Guide to Winning in Soccer and Life, Hamm has been featured in several films and television shows, including the HBO documentary, .
Hamm played sports from a young age and excelled as a football player on the boys' team at junior high school. She played at the 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival, the youngest player to play for the United States women's national soccer team. As a new player, she often started as a forward but did not score a goal during her first year on the team.Pettus, Elise. "Soccer." Nike is a Goddess. Ed. Lissa Smith. New York: Atlantic Inc., 1998. 255–256. Print. Hamm attended Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, and helped the Lake Braddock soccer team win the 1989 state championships.
Hamm was a member of the United States women's national college team that won a silver medal, being defeated by China in the final, at the 1993 Summer Universiade in Buffalo, New York.
During the league's inaugural match between the Freedom and Bay Area CyberRays at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., Hamm was fouled in the penalty area resulting in a penalty kick that her teammate Pretinha converted to mark the first goal scored in the league. The Freedom won 1–0. In addition to the 34,148 fans in attendance being greater than any MLS game that weekend, the Turner Network Television (TNT) broadcast reached 393,087 households: more than two MLS games broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2. Playing as a midfielder and forward, Hamm played in 19 of the Freedom's 21 matches during the 2001 season.
Hamm suffered a knee injury in November 2001 that kept her off the pitch for several months of early 2002. Despite playing only half the 2002 season with the Freedom, she finished the season with eight goals. The team finished in third place during the 2002 season with a record and advanced to the playoffs. After winning the semi-final against the Philadelphia Charge 1–0, the team was defeated 3–2 by the Carolina Courage in the 2002 WUSA Founders Cup. Hamm scored the Freedom's second goal in the 64th minute.
During the 2003 season, Hamm started in 16 of the 19 games in which she played. Her 11 goals ranked second on the team behind Abby Wambach's 13 while her 11 assists ranked first. The Freedom finished in fourth place during the regular season with a record and secured a berth in the playoffs. Hamm finished her club career as a WUSA champion when the Freedom defeated the Atlanta Beat 2–1 in overtime to win the Founders Cup on August 24, 2003.
Hamm retired at age 32 with a record 158 international goals. She and teammates Foudy and Fawcett were honored with a pre-game ceremony where they were presented with framed jerseys and roses in front of 15,549 fans at Home Depot Center in Carson, California. During the 5–0 win against Mexico, Hamm provided the assist on the first two goals. Following her retirement, Hamm's #9 jersey was inherited by midfielder Heather O'Reilly.
Hamm held the record for most international goals scored—by a woman or man—until 2013 and remains in third place as of 2017. She ranks third in the history of the U.S. national team for international caps (276) and first for career assists (144).
The 20 goals scored by Hamm in 1998 were the highest annual total of her international career. She also provided 20 assists. On September 18, she scored her 100th international goal in a friendly match against Russia in Rochester, New York. The same year, she led the U.S. to the first-ever Goodwill Games gold medal. Hamm scored five of the team's seven goals at the tournament, including two during the championship match against China.
After 90 minutes of scoreless regulation time and 30 minutes of sudden death, the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Final was decided by a penalty shootout between the U.S. and China. The five American players to take penalty kicks, including Hamm, converted; China missed one attempt so that the home team won. The final surpassed the 1996 Atlanta Olympic final as the most-attended women's sports event, with more than 90,000 people filling the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It held the record until 2014 for the largest U.S. television audience for a soccer match with 17,975,000 viewers. , it ranks third following the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup (25,400,000 viewers) and 2014 FIFA World Cup group stage match between the U.S. men's team and Portugal (18,220,000 viewers).
Immediately following the final, Hamm collapsed in the locker room from severe dehydration. She was treated by medical staff with an intravenous drip and three liters of fluids. After 12 hours of sleep, she joined the team for magazine cover shoots, went to Disneyland for a celebration rally, and made numerous television appearances. A week later, the team met Bill Clinton at the White House and flew with Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton on Air Force One to Cape Canaveral. Her leadership and performance at the 1999 World Cup cemented Hamm as a soccer icon.
Hamm helped lead the U.S. national team to its second gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and was selected by her fellow Olympians to carry the American flag at the closing ceremony. During the team's first group stage match against Greece, Hamm served the cross to Shannon Boxx's game-opening goal, and scored the last goal of the match to lift the U.S. to a 3–0 win. During a 2–0 win over Brazil in the second group stage match, Hamm converted a penalty kick for the opening goal. The U.S. finished at the top of Group C with seven points after a 1–1 draw against Australia to advance to the quarter-finals, where they defeated Japan 2–1. During the semi-final match against Germany, Hamm served an assist to Heather O'Reilly who scored in overtime to secure a 2–1 win. The U.S. faced Brazil for a second time at the Games in the gold medal match and won 2–1 in overtime. Her teammates swarmed Hamm after the final whistle to celebrate their second Olympic gold medal and her final win at the Olympics. The game marked the last Olympic appearance for the five remaining players who had helped win the inaugural 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup: Hamm, Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett, Brandi Chastain, and Kristine Lilly (often referred to as the Fab Five).
In 2000, the video game Mia Hamm Soccer 64 was released for Nintendo 64. It was the first game to feature female athletes only and sold a "relatively high" 42,886 copies in the United States. In 2023, when EA Sports made both male and female players selectable in their Ultimate Team mode for the first time in EA Sports FC 24, Hamm was one of the first five female Icons, denoting retired legends of the sport, alongside Birgit Prinz, Homare Sawa, Camille Abily and Kelly Smith. She received a 93 overall rating, tied for fourth highest among all Icons with Ronaldinho and Johan Cruyff and behind only Pelé, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo.
Hamm was featured on the covers of Sports Illustrated, Time, and People. She has made appearances on numerous television shows, including: Late Night with David Letterman, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Today, , Good Morning America, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. She was profiled in ESPN's SportsCentury and Biography documentaries, ESPN 25: Who's #1?, and was featured in . In 2005, she was featured in the HBO documentary . Her likeness was used in the logo of Women's Professional Soccer, the second women's professional soccer league in the United States.
In 2012, after Pia Sundhage's departure as head coach of the national team, Hamm joined Danielle Slaton and Sunil Gulati as a member of the search committee for Sundhage's successor. In 2014, she was named to the board of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
In October 2014, Hamm was announced as a co-owner of the future Major League Soccer team, Los Angeles FC. The same month, Hamm joined the board of directors of Serie A club A.S. Roma, owned by American investors. Hamm joined Vice President Joe Biden and Second Lady Jill Biden as members of the United States delegation at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Final in Vancouver, Canada.
1991-11-17 | Panyu | Start | 62 | 3–0 | Group stage | ||||
1991-11-19 | Panyu | Start | 63 | 5–0 | Group stage | ||||
1991-11-21 | Foshan | Group stage | |||||||
1991-11-24 | Foshan | Start | Quarter-final | ||||||
1991-11-27 | Guangzhou | Start | Semi-final | ||||||
1991-11-30 | Guangzhou | Start | Final | ||||||
1995-06-06 | Gävle | Start | 51 | 3–1 | Group stage | ||||
1995-06-08 | Gävle | Start | Group stage | ||||||
1995-06-10 | Helsingborg | Start | Group stage | ||||||
1995-06-13 | Gävle | Quarter-final | |||||||
1995-06-15 | Västerås | Start | Semi-final | ||||||
1995-06-17 | Gävle | Start | 55 | 2–0 | Third place match | ||||
1996-07-21 | Orlando | 41 | 2–0 | Group stage | |||||
1996-07-23 | Orlando | Group stage | |||||||
1996-07-28 | Athens | Start | Semi-final | ||||||
1996-08-01 | Athens | Gold medal match | |||||||
1999-06-19 | E Rutherford | 17 | 1–0 | Group stage | |||||
1999-06-24 | Chicago | 20 | 2–1 | Group stage | |||||
1999-06-27 | Boston | Group stage | |||||||
1999-07-01 | Washington | Start | Quarter-final | ||||||
1999-07-04 | San Francisco | Semi-final | |||||||
1999-07-10 | Los Angeles | Start | Final | ||||||
2000-09-14 | Melbourne | 24 | 2–0 | Group stage | |||||
2000-09-17 | Melbourne | Start | Group stage | ||||||
2000-09-20 | Melbourne | Group stage | |||||||
2000-09-24 | Canberra | 60 | 1–0 | Group stage | |||||
2000-09-28 | Sydney | Start | Gold medal match | ||||||
2003-09-21 | Washington | Start | Group stage | ||||||
29 | 2003-09-25 | Philadelphia | Start | 6 pk | 1–0 | Group stage | |||
12 | 2–0 | ||||||||
2003-10-01 | Foxborough | Start | Quarter-final | ||||||
2003-10-05 | Portland | Start | Semi-final | ||||||
2003-10-11 | Carson | Start | Third place match | ||||||
2004-08-11 | Heraklion | Start | 82 | 3–0 | Group stage | ||||
2004-08-14 | Thessaloniki | Start | 58 | 1–0 | Group stage | ||||
2004-08-17 | Thessaloniki | Group stage | |||||||
2004-08-20 | Thessaloniki | Start | Quarter-final | ||||||
2004-08-23 | Heraklion | Start | Semi-final | ||||||
2004-08-26 | Piraeus | Start | Gold medal match |
Exhibition match |
4–1 |
8–0 |
?–0 |
3–0 |
1991 CONCACAF Women's Championship |
12–0 |
?–0 |
10–0 |
?–0 |
Friendly |
2–2 |
1991 FIFA Women's World Cup |
5–0 |
Friendly |
2–0 |
5–0 |
?–0 |
1–0 |
6–0 |
?–0 |
?–0 |
7–0 |
?–0 |
3–1 |
1994 Algarve Cup |
Friendly |
4–1 |
?–? |
1994 CONCACAF Women's Championship |
11–1 |
?–0 |
?–0 |
?–? |
6–0 |
Friendly |
?–0 |
1995 Algarve Cup |
Friendly |
?–0 |
?–0 |
3–0 |
6–0 |
3–0 |
2–0 |
9–1 |
9–? |
1995 FIFA Women's World Cup |
2–0 |
1995 Women's U.S. Cup |
4–0 |
4–2 |
?–? |
2–1 |
Friendly |
3–2 |
3–0 |
6–0 |
8–2 |
3–0 |
5–0 |
7–0 |
1996 Summer Olympics |
Friendly |
7–0 |
3–0 |
6–1 |
3–? |
5–0 |
3–0 |
4–0 |
6–0 |
1997 Women's U.S. Cup |
3–0 |
4–0 |
9–1 |
4–0 |
2–0 |
Friendly |
3–0 |
2–1 |
1998 Four Nations Tournament |
1998 Algarve Cup |
2–? |
4–? |
Friendly |
8–1 |
6–0 |
3–0 |
4–2 |
3–0 |
4–1 |
1998 Goodwill Games |
4–0 |
5–0 |
2–0 |
2–0 |
1998 Women's U.S. Cup |
4–0 |
4–0 |
4–0 |
Friendly |
6–0 |
2–0 |
7–0 |
5–0 |
3–0 |
3–0 |
4–2 |
1999 FIFA Women's World Cup |
7–1 |
Friendly |
4–2 |
3–2 |
2–3 |
2000 Algarve Cup |
Friendly |
2000 Women's U.S. Cup |
2000 CONCACAF Women's Championship |
8–0 |
4–1 |
Friendly |
7–1 |
4–0 |
4–0 |
2000 Summer Olympics |
1–0 |
2001 Women's U.S. Cup |
4–1 |
Friendly |
8–2 |
4–2 |
6–2 |
2002 Women's U.S. Cup |
4–0 |
2002 CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup |
Friendly |
2003 Algarve Cup |
Friendly |
5–0 |
5–0 |
5–0 |
2003 FIFA Women's World Cup |
2–0 |
2004 CONCACAF Women's Pre-Olympic Tournament |
6–0 |
2004 Algarve Cup |
Friendly |
3–0 |
3–1 |
3–1 |
2004 Summer Olympics |
2–0 |
Friendly |
5–0 |
2–0 |
5–0 |
1–1 |
Hamm was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation in 1997 and 1999. In June 1999, Nike named the largest building on their corporate campus after Hamm. In December 2000, Hamm was named one of the top three female soccer players of the twentieth century in the FIFA Female Player of the Century Award, finishing behind only Sun Wen and compatriot Michelle Akers.
While at North Carolina, she won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top female soccer player in both 1993 and 1994, and won the Honda-Broderick Cup in 1994 as the nation's top female athlete.
In March 2004, Hamm and former U.S. teammate Michelle Akers were the only two women and Americans named to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living soccer players, selected by Pelé and commissioned by FIFA for the organization's 100th anniversary. Other accolades include being elected U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year five years in a row from 1994 to 1998, and winning three ESPN including Soccer Player of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year.
In 2006, Hamm was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, followed by the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on March 11, 2008. In 2006, Princeton University awarded her an honorary Doctorate of Humanities. In 2007, during her first year of eligibility, Hamm was selected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In 2008, an image of her silhouette was used in the logo for the second professional women's soccer league in the United States: Women's Professional Soccer. ESPN named her the greatest female athlete in 2012.
In 2013, Hamm became the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame, located in Pachuca, Mexico. She was named to U.S. Soccer's USWNT All-Time Best XI in December 2013. In 2014, Hamm was named one of ESPNW's Impact 25; she was also the recipient of the Golden Foot Legends Award.
For their first match of March 2019, the women of the United States women's national soccer team each wore a jersey with the name of a woman they were honoring on the back; Samantha Mewis chose the name of Hamm.
In 2021, Hamm was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
In 2022, Los Angeles F.C. of Major League Soccer - of which Hamm is part owner - won the MLS Cup, thus giving Hamm an MLS championship to her credit.
NCAA National Champion |
NCAA National Champion |
FIFA World Cup Champion |
NCAA National Champion |
NCAA National Champion |
Olympic Gold |
FIFA World Cup Champion |
WUSA Founder's Cup Champion |
Olympic Gold |
2022 MLS Cup |
Match reports
|
|