Are the US women’s soccer players no longer the best in the world?

America has the best women’s football team, so why are the Yanks not winning the Ballon d’Or?

One of the most iconic images in women’s football history was snapped on 10 July 1999, as United States midfielder Brandi Chastain whipped off her shirt and fell to her knees in celebration.

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The US had just defeated China on penalties in the final of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the Rose Bowl. The Yanks had won the trophy on home soil, and Chastain had scored the winning penalty kick following a nil-nil draw after extra time which sent the fixture to spot kicks.

The win for the Americans did two things. First, it sent sales for Nike’s women’s sports bras through the roof in the States (Chloe Kelly’s Nike sports bra celebration after England won the Euros over 20 years later did the same for the sportswear company in the United Kingdom). Second, the win reaffirmed the US as the best national team in women’s football.

United States Women’s National Team Dominates International Football

The 1999 Women’s World Cup win was the second for the Yanks after they lifted the trophy in 1991. Sure, it took until 2015 for America to win a third Women’s World Cup, when they defeated Japan. The Yanks repeated the feat for a fourth time in 2019 by defeating the Netherlands 2-0.

One of the things fans of women’s and men’s football have always heard, for at least the last 25-plus years, is that the Americans dominate the ladies’ game. Despite being the best team in the world, the Americans don’t seem to produce the best individual players in the world. At least according to the voters of recent Ballon d’Or Feminin voters, America’s women’s players are trailing behind those competing in Europe.

There was a time not too long ago when America’s top women’s players were considered the best in the world. In 2016, Carli Lloyd won the Best FIFA Women’s Player award while playing for the Houston Dash. Lloyd played nearly her entire career in the US for the various women’s league incarnations and clubs. She did spend a short spell at Manchester City but only played six matches for the club in 2017.

Three years after Lloyd won the trophy, America’s most outspoken player, Megan Rapinoe, won the award. Rapinoe is probably known more by some fans for her pink her and politics than her football. Yet, Rapinoe has had a strong career and has played for OL Reign since 2013. Like Lloyd, Rapinoe has spent much of her career in the States sans a spell in Australia with Sydney FC and in Europe with Lyon.

Rapinoe did the double that season by winning the Ballon d’Or Feminin, as she became the only American player to win the award. She is also the last American female player to win the Best FIFA Women’s Player.

The Rise of European Players

Since Rapinoe’s double award win in 2019, the Ballon d’Or Feminin and the Best FIFA Women’s Player trophies have gone to European players. Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or Feminin in 2021 and in 2022 (the 2020 award was not given out due to COVID-19).

Meanwhile, the Best FIFA Women’s Player award went to England’s Lucy Bronze in 2020 and Putellas in 2021. The 2022 award has not been awarded, but the award is likely to go to Putellas. The Barcelona midfielder was already honoured with the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year for 2021-22.

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So, what does this mean for women’s football in the States? Well, for one, the gap the Americans had built in women’s football is closing. England’s October 2-1 friendly win at Wembley against the Yanks reaffirmed the closing gap. Meanwhile, the rise of national teams such as Spain and the Netherlands in Europe continues to show just how much the rest of women’s football is improving.

Women’s leagues in Europe are thriving and producing top-notch players. England’s Women’s Super League is one competition that continues to see growth. After England’s Women’s European Championship win in 2022, ticket sales for the league skyrocketed. More fans are watching the matches live in person or on television. The influx of fans and finances is helping the game grow further.

The Downfall of the National Women’s Super League

The 2022-23 season in Europe saw the fees paid in transfers for players exceed previous records. However, those records aren’t being paid by American teams nor for American players.

Yet, across the pond, America’s National Women’s Soccer League is in disarray. In 2021, five out of the 10 teams in the NWSL dismissed coaches due to an abuse scandal that rocked the soccer league. Even the NWSL’s commissioner, Lisa Baird, resigned due to the abuse issues. The ownership and transparency of the league are now under scrutiny.

The problems within the league are just another issue to America’s waning presence in women’s football. The NWSL was a home for the top American players to compete, yet with the rise of leagues outside of the States and the money offered, most of the top foreign players are being influenced to leave. American players are being left behind to play against one another, rather than compete against the best in the world.

In Europe, women’s football clubs not only compete domestically but also in the Champions League. The best of the best in women’s football play in the competition, yet the top stars from America are nowhere to be seen.

Do American Players Fail Playing in Europe?

It isn’t their fault for not moving to Europe. For one, players are likely told just how good the talent is in America, and there is no need to move on. In addition, the top American women’s players want to remain on home soil to play their club football.

Yet, they are missing out on the chance to play the best players. If a footballer competes against the same players over and over again, then they become stagnant. Americans aren’t going to win the Ballon d’Or Feminin if they remain complacent, playing in the NWSL, a league not to the standards of the WSL, Liga F, or Division 1 Feminine.

In recent seasons, the highly thought of American players such as Lloyd, Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan all tried their hands in Europe with differing degrees of success. All three were considered the best of the best from the States at the time.

Morgan had a much-publicised stint with Lyon before turning out for Tottenham Hotspur. She made eight appearances for Lyon and four for Tottenham. Her goalscoring record looked good on paper (though several were from penalties), and Morgan returned to the US after both short-term contracts were up.

The US may turn out one of the strongest women’s national teams in the world. Collectively, the Yanks are nearly unbeatable. However, individually, the rest of the world is turning out more impressive, consistent players at the club level.

Unless an American player moves to Europe and has long-term success at a football club, then it is unlikely the States will see a Ballon d’Or Feminin winner anytime soon. There are simply better players competing in Europe in the women’s game.