Michelle Anne Akers is an American former soccer player who starred in the 1991 and 1999 Women's World Cup and 1996 Olympics victories by the United States.
16 Facts About Michelle Akers
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Michelle Akers was named FIFA Female Player of the Century in 2002, an award she shared with China's Sun Wen.
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Michelle Akers is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame; she was inducted in 2004, along with Paul Caligiuri and Eric Wynalda.
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Michelle Akers's answer was "yes" which led to the realization that this was the real reason she played, and that helped turn her into the fierce competitor she became.
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Michelle Akers was named an All-American three times during her high school career.
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Michelle Akers attended the University of Central Florida on a scholarship where she was selected as four-time NCAA All-American.
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Michelle Akers was a member of the 1985 United States women's national soccer team for its first-ever game, at a tournament in Italy in August 1985.
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Michelle Akers scored 15 goals in 24 games for the US from 1985 to 1990, before scoring a team-record 39 goals in 26 games in the 1991 season.
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Michelle Akers was the lead scorer in the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup in China in 1991, scoring ten goals, including five in one game.
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In 1996, Michelle Akers was again a member of the US women's national team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where it won the first gold medal in Olympic Women's Soccer.
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Michelle Akers played with a torn medial collateral ligament in the holding central midfielder role, anchoring the team's defense, dominating in the air, and playmaking out of the back to maintain possession and generate goal-scoring opportunities.
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Michelle Akers was a member of the gold medal-winning 1998 Goodwill Games team.
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Michelle Akers again was a leader and member of the 1999 Women's World Cup team, where the team won their second World Cup championship.
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Shortly before the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Michelle Akers retired from the game due to injuries incurred before and during the 1999 FIFA World Cup.
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Michelle Akers was the US national team's second all-time leading scorer with 105 goals, 37 assists and 247 points.
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Michelle Akers served in a player development and mentorship role, and assisted with community outreach.