Thursday, April 8, 2010

Kristine Lilly

Kristine Marie Lilly Heavey (born Kristine Marie Lilly on 22 July 1971, in New York City, New York) is an American soccer forward/midfielder currently playing for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer and is a member of the United States women's national soccer team. She is the most capped men's or women's soccer player in the history of the sport.

International
Lilly (LEFT) along with Mia Hamm in St.Louis 1998.

Lilly made her debut for the United States women's national soccer team in 1987, when she was still attending high school. During her international career, she surpassed the previous women's world record of 151 caps, held by Norway's Heidi Støre, on 21 May 1998. On 30 January 1999, she surpassed what was then the men's record of 164 caps, held by Adnan Al-Talyani of the United Arab Emirates.

Lilly has participated in the 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007 editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup. She is a two-time World Cup champion, winning in 1991 and 1999. When she played against North Korea on 11 September 2007 in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, she became the first woman (and only the third player overall) to participate in five different World Cup Finals; by scoring a goal against England on 22 September 2007, she became the oldest woman to score in the World Cup.

Lilly has also competed in the 1996, 2000, and 2004 editions of the Olympic Games. She won a Gold medal in 1996 and 2004, and a Silver medal in 2000. She missed the 2008 Summer Olympics due to the birth of her child.
Unlike several of her longtime teammates (among them Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, and Mia Hamm), she did not retire after the team's "farewell tour" of the United States, which finished on 8 December 2004.

On 18 January 2006, Lilly made her 300th international appearance in a game against Norway, a world record for both men and women (in the same match, she equaled Michelle Akers for second place on the team's all-time goal scoring list with 105). Lilly was named as a finalist for the 2006 FIFA Women's World Player of the Year. She finished second in the voting to Brazil's Marta.

Personal information
Full name Kristine Marie Lilly Heavey
Date of birth 22 July 1971 (1971-07-22) (age 38)
Place of birth New York City, New York, United States
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Playing position Forward/Midfielder

Club information
Current club Boston Breakers
Number 13

Youth career
1989–1992 North Carolina Tar Heels

Senior career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994 Tyresö FF
1995 Washington Warthogs
1998 Delaware Genies 4 (5)
2001–2003 Boston Breakers 59 (14)
2005 KIF Örebro DFF 19 (8)
2009– Boston Breakers 20 (3)

National team
1987– United States United States342 (129)

No comments:

Post a Comment