We’re joined by Rose Shoen, founder and head coach of Azteca FC out of Sacramento, California for this week’s My Best Ten & Me. She tried to wiggle out of including herself per the rules…
You are the Player/Manager and you have to plug yourself in.
Any player selected must have been active in your lifetime.
She wanted to add an extra player so we gave a bench spot to a legend to ensure Rose gets on the imaginary pitch.
"The vision of a champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when nobody else is watching.” – Anson Dorrance
For the head coach of this team I would make sure US Soccer hires Anson Dorrance. He is the best coach that the women’s game has ever seen, and his system has produced the best female players in the beautiful game of futbol. Technical director of this Best XI= Anson Dorrance. My formation is a 1-3-5-2, it will encompass power in the front and back, and excellent creativity within my midfield. You need an absolute savage in the goal if you want to be the best. Therefore I select…
(GK) Hope Solo
(USWNT , WWC 2015 and two Olympic Gold medals) As of August 6, 2016, Solo holds several U.S. goalkeeper records including appearances (202), starts (190), wins (153), shutouts (102) wins in a season (26), consecutive minutes played (1,256), and longest undefeated streak (55 games). Solo is by far the best female goalkeeper I have ever studied. She is gritty, fearless, can stop PK's, aggressively directs her back line, and mouthy. If your GK isn't a little crazy, then she probably isn't going to win you many championships. Shout out to the Leyenda, Hope Solo.
In my back three I have selected three of my favorite and very versatile center defenders to keep my rock-solid backline.
(LCD) Crystal Dunn
(USWNT and NWSL North Carolina Courage). Crystal Dunn played her collegiate career under the legendary coach, Anson Dorrance, at the University of North Carolina. She has been drilled in technical ability and defensive prowess forever. In 2012 she helped lead the USWNT U20 to a championship in Japan. She returned to UNC to help them win a championship in the NCAA DI finals. This led her to a successful rookie career in the NWSL, where she earned the golden boot in 2015 while playing for the Washington Spirit. She was denied a position in the 2015 USWNT which went on to win the WWC 2015. Dunn refocused herself and earned a position as a defender in the 2019 USWNT and helped anchor the backline as they went onto win the USWNT 4th World Cup. Dunn is versatile in scoring goals and defending against the best offensive lineups in the world.
(CD) Rebecca “Becky” Sauerbrunn
(USWNT and NWSL Portland Thorns) Sauerbrunn has been a standout in the USWNT backline. Fearless in the air, lethal on tackles, and managing her backline with maturity and patience. She is one of the reasons that the USWNT dominated and held so many clean sheets in the 2019 WWC. In the NWSL she anchored the Utah Royals for several seasons but was recently traded to the Portland Thorns for the 2020 season. Becky is one of the best center backs in the world currently, and it could be said she is one of the best female center backs of all time.
(RCD) Wendie Renard
(France National Team and Olympique Lyonnais) While watched the France National team play vs the USWNT in the WWC 2019 it was CLEAR that the French backline had one of THE MOST dominant women in the air managing their D-line. Renard won so many 50/50 balls it was incredible. In the waning minutes of the match vs the US in WWC 2019, Renard went up for a set play and scored a magnificent goal with a lethal header. She is one of the only women in the world who can score like that. She would be an ideal player for my back 3 and she would go up for set plays and offensive corner kicks. Dominant in the 18-yard box offensively and defensively.
(CDM) Julie Ertz
(USWNT and NWSL Chicago Red Stars) If anyone has been paying attention in recent years to the development of Julie Ertz (née Johnson), they will see how she has become the defensive linchpin within the center mid triangle of the USWNT. Additionally, Julie has been a key component to the back to back WWC championships 2015 and 2019. A Santa Clara University standout, Ertz was selected in 2014 to the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL. After her rookie season she was named Rookie of the Year. She was selected as a member of the USWNT 2015 and 2019 WWC squads and was an anchor in the midfield and defense. She has a dominant ability to score on offensive set plays and defend fearlessly on defensive set plays. She is arguably the best Center defensive midfielder (#6) in the women's game currently.
(CAM) Carli Lloyd
(USWNT and NWSL Sky Blue)- There are few things certain in life…. death, taxes, and Lloyd scoring unbelievable goals for the USWNT in the clutch moments. Carli is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2008 and 2012) and WWC champion in 2015 and 2019. Carli was a key player for USWNT during their 4th WWC championship in 2019 even though pundits thought she might be “too old”. Her dominant performances both on the USWNT and at the club level earned her FIFA player of the year in 2015 and 2016. She is the second soccer player to EVER score a hat trick in any senior world cup final. Carli scored three goals in the 2015 WWC final vs Japan in 16 minutes, this is a world cup record. The power, vision, and pure grit which she demonstrates makes her a key member of the center mid triangle. Peak Carli was a force to be reckoned with, even now as her career is winding down, she is still within the USWNT roster and can score as a sub or starter.
(CAM) Marta Viera da Silva
(Brazil national team and NWSL Orlando Pride) One of the only players to earn FIFA player of the year more than five times is the great Brazilian leyenda, Marta. She has earned FIFA world player of the year SIX times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,2010, and 2018). Another record from this crafty and ruthless midfielder, is that she holds the FIFA WWC all time record goal scorer with 17 goals. She strikes fear into defenders as she is one of the most experienced female players on the global stage and the classic #10 possesses the silky touch which is known as a trademark skill of the Brazilian ballers. Marta and Carli would be an ideal combo in the midfield due to their vast experience, vision, and the DEEP desire to be a CHAMPION at all costs.
(RM) Tobin Heath
(USWNT and Portland Thorns NWSL) If you want to see a player with the handles to drop a defender to their knees and then go back again on the next play and perform another dizzying display of pure finesse, then look no further than Tobin Heath. A former coach of Heath at the youth level stated, that Tobin was “bored” with girls her age and would nutmeg and rainbow them for fun at nationals. She went onto have an illustrious career at UNC under coach Anson Dorrance, who truly put Heath into his system. Under his guidance she helped lead UNC to three NCAA DI championships. Dorrance helped her sharpen her skills into the dominant world champion we know her as today, and put her through his “competitive cauldron”, truly making her one of the best 1v1 female players in the world. Her creativity, distribution, servicing, and ability to make the game FUN on the wing makes her one of the best to watch in the women’s game. With the USWNT Heath was a member of the 2015 and 2019 WWC championship squads. In the Thorns she has been a member of the NWSL franchise since 2013 and has been a key member of both of their championship lineups. Heath scored the game winning goal for the Thorns to earn the 2013 NWSL championship. If you want a winger who can connect and read the game and be fully synchronized with the likes of Marta and Carli, then you need Tobin on your wing.
*(LM) Rose Shoen
Reluctantly, this is where Rose would line herself up. But if she could, she would sub in Kristine Lilly as soon as possible. (USWNT and Boston Breakers WPS) On a global scale there has not be one other player with the consistency and dedication to total EXCELLENCE to do their job in the pitch for decades as the ultimate USWNT legend, Kristine Lilly. This baller holds the record for both men and women in caps for their national team, at a staggering 354 appearances and 130 goals, Lilly STANDS ALONE at the top. A true shining example of what a quiet and focused level of dedication can lead to. A stellar career for the USWNT which began as a high schooler, Kristine geared up for the USA starting in 1987 and playing her final match in 2010. Very few players can even comprehend the level of mental, emotional, psychological, and physical dedication it takes to continually earn a position in the most dominant women’s soccer player pool in the world. She is another product of the legendary college coach, Anson Dorrance, she went onto win a NCAA DI championship EVERY single year she played at UNC (1989-1992). Even though there have been MANY world champions to come out of the UNC system, the program honored Lilly by retiring her #15 jersey in 1994. Lilly played n the 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 Women’s World Cups for USWNT. She is the only third player to participate in five different World Cup Finals. She additionally played in three Olympics, earning a gold medal in the 1996 and 2004 Olympics and a silver medal in 2000. She only missed the 2008 Olympics due to giving birth to her child. Lilly is arguably the toughest player to participate in the national team ever, her consistency over three decades is unmatched on a global scale by any other player male or female. The stats don’t lie and there may never be another player like Kristine Lilly in our lifetime.
My striker pair was a very hard decision. I decided on two of the grittiest strikers, who just always find a way to score and had to battle for the women’s game on many levels.
(S) Abby Wambach
(USWNT, Washington Freedom WUSA and Ney York Flash NWSL) One of the most iconic WWC moments was Wambach scoring the equalizer goal on a last ditch attempt in the 2011 WWC quarterfinals, this goal lead to a PK shoot out in which the USA advanced to the WWC Semis and then eventually the finals where they earned 2nd place. Abby’s dominance during clutch moments made her a standard #9 in the USWNT lineup. Her USWNT career spanned from 2001-2015 she appeared 256 times winning the WWC in 2015, Olympic Gold Medal in 2004 and 2012 and FIFA World player of the year in 2012. She currently holds the goal scoring record with 184 goals scored while donning the red, white, and blue. When the cards are down you send Wambach to the box on any type of offensive set play or last ditch run to the final third. Abby is a champion and she WILL find a way to put the ball in the back of the net.
(F) Mia Hamm
(USWNT and Washington Freedom WUSA) If there is any player who lifted up the sport of women’s soccer to a global level and demonstrate what it REALLY means to “play like a girl” then you need to say the name, Mia Hamm. Another champion to come out of UNC and the direction of Anson Dorrance, Hamm won the NCAA DI championship every single year she played at UNC (1989-1993). She holds too many records to count at UNC and in the ACC. She debuted for the USWNT at the age of 15 and went onto score 158 while representing the United States. She was a key member of the 1991 and then the top striker for the WWC Championship in 1999. Additionally, she went onto win gold medals in the 1996 and 2004 Olympics. Mia was a household name in the 90’s and for good reason, she lit the field on fire with her lethal runs to goal and clutch finishes. Her performances earned her FIFA world player of the year in 2001 and 2002. Her USWNT career lasted from 1987-2004 and her goal scoring record was only surpassed by Abby Wambach. Which is why we need this striker pair at the top. They are THE BEST to ever compete in the Women’s world cup and it will be hard for any player to surpass their lengthy and star-studded careers.
