From Michelle Akers to Megan Rapinoe, bold and inspiring profiles of the pioneers, champions and future heroines of women's soccer around the world.

Women’s soccer has come a long way—from its origins as a matchmaking custom in the Scottish Highlands through countrywide bans, cast-off men’s uniforms, and practices in parking lots, to a global sport attracting hundreds of millions of viewers.

This is the history of the game told through the players themselves, the world-famous—like Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, and Brazil’s Marta—as well as the long-forgotten, unsung talents, and rising stars. These women are not just first-rate athletes, they are fighters who have battled everything from inequality and discrimination to racism and homophobia. Their determination has propelled the women’s game through decades of disdainful treatment to help shape the political landscape far beyond their sport.

Based on original interviews with dozens of current and former players and coaches, this book celebrates these remarkable women and their pioneering achievements.