The 2015 World Cup champion U.S. Women’s National Team earned a coveted third star above its crest this summer by winning the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in July, and the accolades keep on coming. Five U.S. players were among the 23 selected to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup All-Star squad; Golden Glove goalkeeper Hope Solo, defenders Julie Johnston and Meghan Klingenberg, midfielder Megan Rapinoe and Golden Ball winner Carli Lloyd.
Solo backstoped the WNT throughout the tournament, playing all seven games and earning five shutouts in a clean-sheet streak that reached 540 minutes.
Johnston and Klingenberg also contributed in the back to help bolster the elite, title-winning defense. Johnston played every minute of the tournament at center-back, while Klingenberg did the same at left back. In addition to shutting down the opposition, both defenders made memorable and important individual plays in the tournament. Klingenberg jumped to head a ball off the goal-line to save the game against Sweden in the group stage and Johnston delivered an assist that Carli Lloyd headed in for a goal to defeat China in the quarterfinals.
It was Rapinoe that got the WNT off to a great start, scoring two goals in the USA’s 3-1 win against Australia in its tournament opener. She also tallied two assists in the tournament, including one in the World Cup Final.
Lloyd earned Golden Ball honors as the tournament’s best player. She scored six goals, all coming in the knockout rounds, including a historic hat trick in the Women’s World Cup Final. She also won the Silver Boot as the tournament’s second leading scorer.
The All-Star squad is made up of 23 players who succeeded in getting fans out of their seats and truly impressed FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG). In addition to naming the All-Stars, the TSG published the FIFA Technical Report, a 234-page document that covers the 52 matches of the World Cup as well as technical and tactical analysis, trends, confederations analysis, a refereeing report, a goal-line technology report and a medical report.
2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup All-Star Squad
Goalkeepers: Nadine Angerer (GER), Karen Bardsley (ENG), Hope Solo (USA)
Defenders: Saori Ariyoshi (JPN), Lucy Bronze (ENG), Kadeisha Buchanan (CAN), Steph Houghton (ENG), Julie Johnston (USA), Meghan Klingenberg (USA), Wendie Renard (FRA)
Midfielders and forwards: Ramona Bachmann (SUI), Lisa De Vanna (AUS), Amandine Henry (FRA), Elise Kellond-Knight (AUS), Eugénie Le Sommer (FRA), Carli Lloyd (USA), Anja Mittag (GER), Aya Miyama (JPN), Megan Rapinoe (USA), Mizuho Sakaguchi (JPN), Celia Sasic (GER), Elodie Thomis (FRA), Rumi Utsugi (JPN).