Exploring the Unseen: Uncovering the Untold Stories of Women's Soccer Played Under the Lights and In the Dark

Carol: a little dated but still a good backstory

Canada on Jan 30, 2022

gocanucks15: A little on the easier to read side. My niece is 14 so this book will be a little easy for her to read but I hope it’ll be inspirational.

Canada on Dec 20, 2019

FMG: I love soccer. I am still playing (55 years old) & am a season ticker holder of my home team. I have been following my team since my sixth birthday. Nevertheless, I have always been skeptical of women soccer (never watched a single match). Therefore, I was not sure, if I like the book.
My verdict: yes I like it better than expected. The stories are fun to read & shows the problems of women soccer. Especially the first story was very powerful & tragic. Nevertheless, the author always sided with the players & never questioned their life choices (sorry to go to a Eastern European country is more than only naive in the first place).
I also hate politics within sports. I am sitting beside a nice gentlemen, when I am watching my home team. We both focus on our team during the 90 minutes. We both love our club. I do not know his political view, I do not know if he is married, hell I do not even know his name. Nevertheless, we have a great time, because we bond on the team. The author's admiration for Portland's fans (especially their politics) is a nuisance. The focus on lesbians has nothing to do with football & makes woman football not more...

United States on Apr 10, 2019

Adam Windsor: An uplifting account of the passion and skill of female footballers (soccer players) from across the world. It doesn't shy away from depicting the problems they face in pursuing their dream (most commonly money, but also the itinerant lifestyle and challenges of living in a new city or country) but it does so principally from an "how these women have endured and overcome them" perspective: a celebration of the grit and determination of these women as they chase their dream.

Australia on Mar 05, 2018

Safist: A really excellent book about the sheer heroism of women footballers across the world. Comprehensive and detailed about their struggles and why they struggle. A rewarding read about their agonies & ecstasies in a sport on the cusp of commercially led change - hopefully for the better.

United Kingdom on Dec 22, 2017

S.E.M: What I love about this book is that its a book that anyone who has any interest in sports should read. From the fanatics who don't miss a single game and read every article on their team to the ones that only watch a game because their partner or families are fans. This book is particularly eye opening for those that don't know much about women's sports or the NWSL. For those of us that do know quite a bit about women's sports and/or the NWSL, it sadly confirms the stories and rumors we've heard for years. I was fortunate or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it, to briefly work in the NWSL and while my time in the league was short, it was so very eye opening. This book really confirmed a lot of what I heard from players and other staff. After my short time with the league I couldn't even watch the games anymore because of how depressing most of the league is. But what this book did for me is reminded me why I fell in love with the league and the players. My first ever NWSL game was a Portland Thorns game. I saw them play the Boston Breakers at Providence Park in the summer of 2014. I hadn't heard of the league or the team, let alone several of the players and my sister,...

United States on Nov 29, 2017

Smallchief: This is a good book -- whether or not you're a fan of women's soccer. What we have here is a bunch of stories about the struggles of women to make a living in the minor sport that is women's soccer. Describing women's soccer as "minor" is not derogatory; it's realistic -- and I happen to like the close-up emotions you can have about the sport and its players as contrasted with stories about the distant millionaires who play "major" sports.

The most shocking tale here is that of Dani Foxhoven and her season with a mafia-controlled Russian team. This could
be the plot of a horror movie -- and it makes me wonder why anyone in his right mind would want to collude with the Russians. ;)

Another good chapter is about the elegant Olympian Allie Long. To train and to make a few dollars, she plays indoor soccer with immigrant men's teams in Brooklyn and Queens, showing up several times a week (in her Lexus) to compete in gritty games in high school gymnasiums. Most of the spectators are unaware of her exalted status in women's soccer. She is known simply as "la gringa", "la rubia" (Blondie), and "la blanquita" (little white girl). There's also a movie plot...

United States on Nov 05, 2017

Amazon Customer: As a women’s soccer fan, i thought i knee what was what... this book went so far beyond! Must read for any sports fan.

Canada on Oct 11, 2017

Adam Hughes: As a fan of good soccer writing, I try and read everything that comes out about my favorite sport. This book was no exception. I loved Oxenham's first book - Finding the Game - and I'd been looking forward to her follow up for months.

It did not disappoint. There are memorable characters here. The homeless soccer players of Liverpool, African women playing in Sweden, Portland, and Russia. A dictatorial, abusive, almost cartoonishly misogynistic Russian coach. The lovable eccentrics of Portland. The clash of religion and sexuality in the American South. The great Marta - a sad example of the struggles still faced by women's soccer despite its massive gains in recent years. Each section made me long for more information about its subject - the mark of wonderful reportage and excellent writing.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading about the beautiful game. This isn't a book about women's soccer. It's a book about soccer.

United States on Sep 16, 2017