1. 12 Attractive, Athletic Women Soccer Stars
The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup tournament once again highlighted the
incredible athleticism, discipline and dedication of all those who competed. But
these soccer stars aren’t just hard-charging soccer stars—some of them are quite
attractive as well. With twelve women like this on the field of play, soccer has
never looked so good.
1. U.S. goalie Hope Solo was born in Richland, Washington in 1981. While other
girls were playing with their Barbie dolls, Solo was learning all about soccer from
her father Jeffrey, a veteran of the War in Vietnam. Jeffrey remained her mentor
despite the fact that she lived with her mother after her parents divorced.Her
father's 2007 passing was unexpected. Solo was a Parade All-American as a
forward for Richland High School where she scored 109 goals and celebrated three
straight championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998. She set records for saves, shutouts
and goals against average after switching to goalkeeper while at the University of
Washington. She was All PAC-10 four times and an All-American three times.
Despite the U.S. loss to Japan, she earned the award for best goalkeeper in the
2011 World Cup. Solo was also chosen to the tournament’s all-star team.
2. Forward Josefine Oqvist was the Swedish Rookie of the Year at the 2003
Women’s World Cup. Oqvist scored a decisive goal in the semi-finals, propelling
Sweden to the finals. She was unable to play in the 2007 World Cup due to a torn
ACL. She played in all of Sweden’s matches at the 2011 World Cup, where they
won the Bronze Medal. Oqvist gained notoriety for posing for a photo session with
Slitz magazine. She was also a YouTube favorite for a video showing her trading
shirts with a male fan after Sweden’s match with North Korea.
3. France’s attacking midfielder Gaetane Thiney doubles as a striker for Juvisy,
her present team. She debuted in 2009 at the UEFA Women's Euro. She gathered a
hat trick during France’s victory over Estonia at the 2011 World Cup qualification
match. Her twelve goals enabled France to earn a spot at the World Cup, where
Thiney scored two goals during a victory over Canada that permitted France to
reach the knockout stage of the championship.
4. California native Alex Morgan plays forward for Western New York Flash of
the Women's Professional Soccer League. She was the youngest member of the
USA’s 2011 World Cup team. She enjoyed scoring her very first goal in the semi-
final World Cup against France. Her goal gave the U.S. some breathing room. She
tallied a 69 foot goal in the USA’s finals match against Japan and assisted on Abby

2. Wambach’s extra time header. Morgan will be competing with the U.S. team for
many years to come.
5. Striker Kyah Simon, of Australia, is a member of Sydney FC of the Australian
W-League. She is no stranger to modeling, having appeared on the cover of
Australian soccer magazine FourFourTwo. 2011 was quite a year for Simon, as she
racked up several awards including Players’ Player of the Year, Young Player of
the Year and Player of the Year. She also scored both of Australia’s goals in the 2-
1 victory over Norway that earned Australia a spot in the quarterfinals. Simon’s
World Cup goals were the first ever scored by an Aboriginal.
6. Alexandra Popp is the striker for the German national team and the FCR 2001
Duisberg professional team. During her first season with Duisberg, she won both
the 2009 German Cup and the UEFA Women's Cup. She also was honored with
the Fritz Walter silver medal as the second-best junior player in 2009. During the
2010 FIFA Junior Women's World Cup she scored ten goals and was selected top
goalscorer and best player in the tournament. She has lately played as a left wing
due to injuries.
7. Lotta Schelin plays striker and winger for the Olympique Lyonnais and
Sweden’s national team. She joined the Swedish team for the 2004 season after a
stellar professional beginning that saw her take her place as a club star. Schelin is
best known by fans and foes alike for her strength and offensive style. Injuries
sustained in the 2004 Olympis forced Schelin to rest for two years. In 2006, she
received the Diamond Ball as Sweden’s best female soccer player. She played for
the Swedish national team during the 2007 World Cup in China. Despite saying
that she’d like to play in the U.S. Women’s Professional Soccer league, Schelin
refused to come to the U.S. after her selection by the Saint Louis Athletica.
8. Midfielder Ali Riley was born in the United States but plays for the New
Zealand national team. She is also a member of the Western New York Flash of
the Women’s Professional Soccer league. In the 2011 World Cup, she helped the
Football Ferns earn their first point in a World Cup final with her assist on the
tying goal during the last moments of extra time against the Mexican team. She got
her fiftieth A-International cap despite being defeated by Japan in New Zealand’s
first match.
9. Norway’s attacking midfielder Leni Larsen Kaurin is a veteran soccer player
who is on the VFL Wolfsburg team. She played on the Norway national team that
earned fourth place in the 2007 Women’s World Cup in China. Kaurin is renowned

3. for her accurate passing and penchant for evading defenders. She subsequently
records many assists on goals scored. In 2008, she scored the fastest goal up to that
time with a 61 second score against the United States. Her record was short-lived,
however. Heather O'Reilly broke it in six days.
10. Rachel Unitt, of England, is a left-back. She plays for Everton Ladies and
England Women. She started playing at the age of 14 for the Wolves Women and
went professional with Fulham L.F.C. in 2002, when she was 20. She was on
England’s team for the 2007 Women’s World Cup but did not play. She debuted in
the 2011 World Cup, starting in England’s tie with the Mexican team.
11. Jessica Landstrom plays for Sweden’s National team as a forward and
midfielder. She scored her first international goal in 2007 in her national team
debut. After beginning with Hammarby IF DFF, she was signed shortly thereafter
by Linköpings FC to replace a player who left for another team. Landstrom’s new
team increased her salary by six hundred percent, from $500 per month to $3,000
per month.
12. Corine Franco is a defensive midfielder for the French national team. She
made her international debut in 2009 at the UEFA Women's Euro. She is the vice-
captain for the Olympique Lyonnais team of the Division 1 Féminine. Franco is
known for her physical, creative defensive play. She frequently plays the role of
deep-lying playmaker. She began her soccer career with her hometown team of
Avenir Maritime Laleu. In 2000, she switched to the D1 Féminine team ASJ
Soyaux. She scored seven goals in 19 matches in her last year playing for Soyaux.
That facilitated her eventual move to the Olympique Lyonnais team in 2008. She
scored two goals in a 2011 Women's World Cup qualification match against Serbia
that France won. She also scored another goal in a separate qualification match
against Estonia.