Christie Pearce facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Christie Pearce

Pearce in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Christie Patricia Pearce
Date of birth	(1975-06-24) June 24, 1975 (age 50)
Place of birth	Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position(s)	Center back
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1993–1996	Monmouth Hawks
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997	Central Jersey Splash
1998	Buffalo FFillies
1998	New Jersey Lady Stallions
2001–2003	New York Power	55	(0)
2009–2010	Sky Blue FC	30	(0)
2011	magicJack	11	(0)
2013–2017	Sky Blue FC	87	(2)
International career
1997–2015	United States	311	(4)
Managerial career
2009	Sky Blue FC (caretaker player/manager)
Medal record Women's soccer Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Team Gold 2008 Beijing Team Gold 2012 London Team Silver 2000 Sydney Team FIFA Women's World Cup Winner 1999 United States Winner 2015 Canada Runner-up 2011 Germany Bronze 2003 United States Bronze 2007 China
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Christie Patricia Pearce (born June 24, 1975) is a famous American former soccer player. She played as a defender and was the captain of the United States women's national soccer team. Christie is an amazing athlete who won three Olympic gold medals and two FIFA Women's World Cup titles.

Pearce played in five World Cup tournaments and four Olympic soccer tournaments. She helped her team win the World Cup in 1999 and 2015. She also won gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics, and 2012 London Olympics. In every major tournament she played, her team finished in at least third place.

She played in professional leagues like the WUSA (2001-2003) and WPS (2009-2011). In 2009, while playing for Sky Blue FC, she also became the team's coach and led them to win the championship! She was even named WPS Sportswoman of the Year.

Christie Pearce was the oldest player to play in a FIFA Women's World Cup game at age 40. She is also one of the most experienced players in soccer history, with 311 games played for the U.S. national team. In 2021, she was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Early Life and College Years

Christie Pearce was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and grew up in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. In high school, she was an incredible athlete. She played four different sports: soccer, basketball, track, and field hockey.

She scored over 2,000 points in high school basketball. Christie was the first female athlete in New Jersey to lead her conference in scoring in three different sports. This earned her honors in all three sports. Many people said she was the best athlete Ocean County, New Jersey had ever seen.

Playing at Monmouth University

Christie Pearce went to Monmouth University in New Jersey. Many top colleges wanted her to play for them. At Monmouth, she continued to play three sports: soccer, basketball, and lacrosse.

In her senior year, she decided to focus more on soccer. She trained and traveled with the United States women's national soccer team. On the soccer field at Monmouth, she was a top player. She was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Year twice.

Christie started all 80 games in her college soccer career. She scored 79 goals and made 54 assists, setting records for her university.

When she wasn't playing sports, Christie studied special education. She finished her degree in 1996. She also volunteered as a basketball and soccer coach. In 2005, Monmouth University gave her an honorary degree for her achievements. She was also inducted into the Monmouth University Hall of Fame in 2007.

Professional Club Career

After college, Christie Pearce played for teams like Central Jersey Splash and New Jersey Lady Stallions in the W-League. This was in 1997 and 1998.

In 2001, she joined New York Power, a professional team in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA). She played every minute of the first 18 games until she got injured. She recovered and continued to play many games in 2002 and 2003. The WUSA league stopped operating after its third season.

Playing and Coaching for Sky Blue FC

A new women's professional soccer league, Women's Professional Soccer (WPS), started in 2008. Christie Pearce was chosen to be the captain for Sky Blue FC in New Jersey. She played alongside other U.S. national team players like Heather O'Reilly.

In 2009, Sky Blue FC had a tough start. Their coach was suspended, and the next one resigned. In July 2009, Christie Pearce took over as the team's coach while still playing! She led her team to win the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer Playoffs. It was later revealed that she was almost three months pregnant with her second child during this time. A week later, she was named WPS Sportswoman of the Year.

She continued to play for Sky Blue in 2010. Then she moved to magicJack for the 2011 season.

In 2013, Christie Pearce joined the new NWSL club, Sky Blue FC, again. She was one of the top defenders in the league that year.

International Career with the U.S. Team

Pearce training with the United States team in 2015.

Christie Pearce played for the United States women's national soccer team in many major tournaments. She played in the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015. She also played in the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012.

She started training with the national team during her senior year of college. She became a defender. Her first game for the U.S. was on February 28, 1997, against Australia. She scored her first goal for the national team on May 2, 1997, against South Korea.

In 2000, Pearce played many minutes for the national team, including five games at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The team won the silver medal. In 2001, she had a knee injury and missed most of the season. She recovered and returned to the team in 2002. In 2003, she helped her team win the bronze medal at the World Cup.

Pearce (in yellow) vies for the ball with U.S. teammate Amy LePeilbet during practice June 30, 2011, in Heidelberg, Germany.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, she helped the United States win a gold medal. They beat Brazil in the final. This was the last Olympics for some of her famous teammates like Mia Hamm. In 2004, Pearce became one of the top five most-capped defenders in U.S. history.

Christie returned to the team in 2006 after having her first child. She came back just 112 days after giving birth! In 2007, she had a very busy year, starting in all 20 games she played. She became the most-capped defender on the 2007 World Cup team.

In 2008, Pearce was named captain of the Women's National Team. She led the United States to another gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She played her 200th national team game at these Olympics. When her teammate Kristine Lilly retired in 2010, Christie became the most experienced active player in the world.

Pearce captained the U.S. team to second place at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. They lost to Japan in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 tie. She played every minute of all six matches.

At the 2012 London Olympics, Christie captained the U.S. team to a 2-1 gold medal win over Japan. She played every minute of all six matches. She even saved a shot from Japan off the goal line in the final game. The U.S. team won all six matches and had three shutouts (games where they didn't let the other team score).

As of 2015, Christie Pearce was second on the all-time list for most games played, with 311 appearances. On July 5, 2015, she became the oldest woman to play in a FIFA Women's World Cup final. She was 40 years and 11 days old when she entered the final against Japan.

Personal Life

Christie Pearce has Scottish family roots. Her great-grandfather, Bill Dowie, was a soccer goalkeeper in Scotland before moving to the United States.

Christie has two daughters, Rylie (born 2005) and Reece (born 2010). She was married to Chris Rampone, and she used the name "Rampone" on her jersey from 2004. They divorced in 2017.

In July 2011, Christie Pearce shared that she had Lyme disease. She is currently engaged to Christy Holly, a former soccer coach.

Endorsements and Businesses

In 2012, the sandwich company Jersey Mike's Subs chose Christie Pearce as their first spokesperson. She and her ex-husband later became owners of two Jersey Mike's restaurants in New Jersey in 2017.

Career Statistics

	Date	Location	Opponent	Lineup	Min	Score	Result	Competition
1	1997-05-02	Milwaukee	Korea Republic	Start	79	7–0	7–0	International Friendly
2	1997-06-05	Ambler	Australia	Start	37	5–0	9–1	1997 Nike U.S. Cup
3	2000-04-05	Davidson	Iceland	Start	54	4–0	8–0	Closed door international friendly
4					84	8–0

See also

In Spanish: Christie Rampone para niños