As a child, Mallory Pugh would do anything she could to watch soccer, practice soccer, and play soccer. She was soccer obsessed! Not much has changed for Pugh in terms of her passion for soccer. In 2015, she was named the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year. In 2019, she played for the U.S. team that won the World Cup. Discover more about Pugh's highlights on the field in this thrilling biography in the Stars of Sports series.

Prepublication title: Mallory Pugh: World Cup champion.

Discover the next frontier in sports training—improving your mental game, no matter your age or experience—and how to become the Playmaker, both in your professional and personal life. Coaches search for it. Parents dream of it. Fans love it. Athletes want it. The playmaker on any sports team possesses it: an elusive, intangible quality combining anticipation, perception, and decision-making skills. This quality raises their game above the competition and allows them to pass when no one else can, anticipate the movement of opponents, avoid costly mental mistakes, and ultimately, hold the team together. Now, for the first time, cognitive science research is revealing the secrets of the playmaker’s keen sense of awareness. Just as tests of speed, strength, and agility have provided a baseline of physiological biomarkers, coaches can now capture cognitive metrics including attention, pattern recognition, anticipation, and the ability to take quick, decisive action during the chaos of competition. The Playmaker’s Advantage is a groundbreaking book that will educate athletes of all ages about this essential creative capability in an accessible, easy to understand method.

Watching women take home gold medals and sparkling trophies from sporting competitions was not always as commonplace as it is in today's society. Like in many aspects of our culture, women throughout history struggled against prejudice and dealt with condescending male counterparts before reaching their place in the spotlight of athletics. Before Venus Williams volleyed her way to her fourth Grand Slam, Lucy Diggs Slowe proved African-American women could win titles alongside men. Before Danica Patrick raced past the finish line in the Indy Japan 300, Odette Siko helped to pave the racetrack for women in auto-racing. And Madge Syers was breaking rules and changing the course of figure skating history long before Michelle Kwan spiraled onto the ice. Their names may have been forgotten in history, outshined by men like Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, and Muhammed Ali, but the legacies of women in sports live on today through their predecessors. The athletic women of history have stories filled with dramatic struggles, game-changing firsts, and historic victories. They deserve to be told.

The #1 sports series for kids takes readers onto the field and behind the scenes of the U.S. Women's Soccer team, in this action-packed and inspiring collection of brand new biographies. The U.S. women's national soccer team cemented their legendary status with their 2019 World Cup championship. Get to know four of the team's most talented players and prominent stars: the steadfast Carli Lloyd, superstar Alex Morgan, newcomer Mallory Pugh, and fearless Megan Rapinoe. This action-packed biography collection brings readers onto the field with the women's national team to experience the biggest moments of their careers, and the journeys that brought these players together. Complete with stats and photographs, this book makes the perfect gift for any young sports fan.

The first official history of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, celebrating nearly four decades of the team's athletic excellence and cultural impact and featuring 250 full-color photographs Telling the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team's story in eye-popping photos and expert prose, Pride of a Nation is a lavish tribute to one of the most beloved teams in sports, revisiting their historic four World Cup titles and four Olympic gold medals, as well as unforgettable players across the generations, such as Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Briana Scurry, Hope Solo, Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith, Rose Lavelle, Catarina Macario, Mallory Pugh, and more. Drawing from full access to U.S. Soccer's photo and print archives, this beautifully illustrated tribute includes: A foreword by Julie Foudy, two-time World Cup and Olympic Champion One-of-a-kind action shots and behind-the scenes photos Original essays by award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker Gwendolyn Oxenham exploring the evolution of the women’s game and its world-changing impact on the culture at large Exclusive player polls ranking the best teams of each decade and the All-Time Best XI Excerpts of the best previously published writing and prize-winning reporting about the epic games and greatest players over the past forty years Stats, records, illuminating trivia, and more Honoring the fierce athleticism and unshakeable spirit of the charismatic pioneers who planted the U.S. women’s soccer flag in 1985, and those who have made the rest of the world salute it ever since, this incisive and entertaining book will be a keepsake for soccer lovers everywhere.