Now You Know Big Book of Sports. Doug Lennox

women’s soccer player who currently plays as a striker for Japan’s INAC Leonessa. She has been a long-time member of the Brazilian National Team for which she debuted in 1991. Her nickname is Pretinha (“little black girl”).

       Who is Birgit Prinz?

      Birgit Prinz is a German soccer player and the Women’s World Cup all-time leading scorer with 14 goals. Born in Frankfurt am Main, Prinz has been with 1FFC Frankfurt since July 1994. She was elected FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year in 2003, 2004, and 2005 and was named German “Women’s Footballer of the Year” each year from 2001 to 2007.

       When was the first Women’s World Cup?

      The first Women’s World Cup was held in China from November 16–30, 1991. The American team, led by a dominating forward line dubbed “The Triple-Edged Sword” by the Chinese media, cut through the tournament to win the first-ever world championship for women’s soccer. The final, in which the United States defeated Norway 2–1, was played in front of 65,000 fans at Guangzhou’s Tianhe Stadium.

       Women’s World Cup Finals Results

       Quickies

       Did you know …

      that the 2003 Women’s World Cup was moved from China to the United States due to fears about SARS?

       Which player has appeared in the most Women’s World Cups?

      At the 2007 World Cup in China, U.S. captain Kristine Lilly competed in her fifth World Cup, making her the only woman — and one of three players in history — to have appeared in five World Cups.

       Who holds the international scoring record for women’s soccer?

      Mia Hamm is considered by many to be the greatest woman to have ever played soccer. In 275 appearances with the American national team, she logged a record 158 goals.

       Who is Marta?

      Like so many other great Brazilian players, Marta Vieira Da Silva needs only one name. To Brazilians, she is simply Marta, one of the best women soccer players ever. Thrice voted FIFA World Player of the year (2006, 2007, 2008), she was a member of the Brazilian National Teams that won the silver at the Olympics in 2004 and 2008. In the 2007 Women’s World Cup, she won both the Golden Ball award as the best player and the Golden Boot award as the top scorer.

       Wins by Country for the Women’s World Cup

       Country Wins

Germany	2
United States	2
Norway	1

       Why did Maribel Dominguez’s childhood friends call her Mario?

      Growing up in Mexico city, Maribel Dominguez was surrounded by streets filled with boys playing soccer. Wanting to join in, she pretended to be a boy herself. She had the thin physique to pass, and kept her hair short. It wasn’t until her friends saw in the newspaper that their chum “Mario” had made it onto the Mexican sub-national women’s team that the penny dropped. She went on to eventually captain the senior Mexican women’s team and was top goal scorer for them at the 2004 Olympics.

       Quickies

       Did you know …

      that in 2004, Maribel Dominguez accepted a two year contract from the second-division Mexican football club Celaya, but the deal was stifled by FIFA because it’s a men’s team?

       Who is called Sissi?

      Here is another one-name Brazillian soccer star. Sisleide do Amor Lima is best known by her nickname, Sissi. Now retired, she was a star member of the Brazil women’s national football team. She won the golden boot award in the 1999 Women’s World Cup in which she scored seven goals, sharing the award with China’s Sun Wen. A veteran of three World Cup finals and two Olympic campaigns, she was pegged in 2008 as the new assistant coach FC Gold Pride, a professional soccer club based in Santa Clara, California, that will begin play in 2009 in the inaugural season of Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS).

       What two records did Kara Lang set at just 15 years old?

      Canadian Kara Lang holds the women’s football world record for youngest player to score a full international goal. She scored against Wales at the Algarve Cup on March 3, 2002, at age 15 years, 132 days. She must have been on a roll, because her senior debut, two days earlier, had been a Canadian record for youngest senior women’s cap.

       Why does Valencia FC have a bat on their crest?

      Valencia and the Balearic Islands were conquered by King James I of Aragon during the first half of the thirteenth century. In that period, the sight of a bat was considered to be an omen of good luck. On October 9, 1238, when James I was about to enter the city of Valencia, re-conquering it from the Moors, it is said that a bat landed on the top of his flag. He interpreted it as a good sign. When he conquered the city, the bat was added to its coat of arms. Valencia FC has adopted it for their crest.

       Quickies

       Did you know …

      that Spanish teams are limited to three players without EU citizenship?

       What is El Clásico?

      El Clásico is any football match between rivals Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. The rivalry comes about as Madrid and Barcelona are the two largest cities in Spain, and they are often identified with “Spanish-ness” and Catalanism, respectively.

       Quickies

       Did you know …

      that on May 4, 1949, a plane carrying Italy’s great Torino team, winners of four straight Italian league titles and considered one of the best clubs of the first-half century, crashed into the Superga hills near Turin, killing everyone on board, including eight players slated to compete for Italy in the 950 World Cup?

       What team holds the record for most consecutive championships in the French league’s premier division?

      Olympique Lyonnais, based in Lyon, won the premier league title seven years straight, from 2002–08, a record that no other club in France has matched.

       What is the origin of Manchester United FC?

      Manchester United began life being called Newton Heath L&YR in 1878 when a group of workers from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways formed a soccer team. The club entered the Football League in 1892 and began to sever its links with the rail depot, becoming an independent company, appointing a club secretary and dropping the “L&YR” from their name to become simply Newton Heath FC. In 1902, a sizeable donation from J.H. Davies, the managing director of Manchester Breweries, saved the club from bankruptcy. The club required a change of name to reflect the fresh start and Manchester United was officially adopted on April 26, 1902.

       Quickies …

       Did you know …

      that the Jamaican national team is nicknamed